Airtable

Retable offers a streamlined solution for importing Airtable bases directly into your Retable projects, eliminating the need for third-party integration tools. Our "Import from Airtable" feature is designed for simplicity, enabling you to migrate your Airtable data to Retable tables efficiently with just a few clicks.

Please note that this feature is currently in its beta phase, and we welcome your input for further enhancements. We encourage you to join our community to share your experiences and suggestions with fellow Retable users. Your feedback is invaluable in our ongoing efforts to improve Retable's functionality.

To import an Airtable base into Retable, please follow the steps outlined below:

To import data from Airtable into Retable, please follow the detailed steps outlined below to facilitate a smooth transition of your tables in a matter of seconds:

1. Access your Airtable personal access token: Sign in to your Airtable account and retrieve your Airtable personal access token. (Check this section for the details)‍
2. Navigate to Retable: Go to the dashboard on Retable and view your project list.‍
3. Set up your Project: Either initiate a new project or select an existing one from your Retable projects.‍
4. Create a new table within your Retable project: Within your project, click the "+" button found on the tables bar to establish a new Retable table.‍
5. Initiate import: Choose the "Import from Airtable" option from the displayed menu.‍
6. Authenticate: Enter your Airtable personal access token on the Retable import screen.‍
7. Select your data: Press the "Next" button, identify and select the specific Airtable base that contains the data you wish to import. Choose the particular table within the base that you intend to import. Then, select the desired view of the table that you are importing.‍
8. Complete the import: Click the "Import" button to start the process. Note that the duration of the import may vary depending on the size of your data.

For additional information on each step, please consult the sections that follow.

Get Airtable personal access token

To create your Airtable personal access token, which enables the creation of multiple tokens for varied access levels to your Airtable bases, please follow these instructions:

1. Access your account: Sign in to your account on the Airtable platform.‍
2. Navigate to settings: Click on the profile icon located in the upper right corner of your Airtable dashboard.‍
3. Enter the developer hub menu: From the dropdown menu, select the "Developer hub" option. Continue with the instructions provided within the Developer hub to generate your Personal Access Token.

To generate your Airtable Personal Access Token with the desired access levels, follow these steps after reaching the Developer hub:

1. Access token page: On the left-hand menu, navigate to the "Personal Access Tokens" section.‍
2. Token creation: Click the "Create new token" button, which you'll find in the top right corner of the screen.‍
3. Token naming: Assign a meaningful name to your personal access token in the Name field to easily identify its purpose later.‍
4. Define token scope: Ensure to select the "data.records: read" and "schema.bases: read" options to define the appropriate scope for your token, granting it read access to your data records and base schemas.‍
5. Select accessible Airtable bases: In the Access section, choose the specific bases you intend to migrate to Retable. This step determines which bases your token will have permission to perform "data.records: read" and "schema.bases: read" actions on. For broader access and to avoid generating new tokens for each migration, consider selecting the "All current and future bases in all current and future workspaces" option. This grants your token access to all existing and future bases across all workspaces.‍
6. Finalize token creation: Once you've made all your selections, click the "Create Token" button to complete the process and generate your new token.

Remember to keep your token secure and only share it with trusted applications or services, as it provides access to your Airtable data.

Once your Airtable Personal Access Token has been successfully created, it's essential to securely copy the token for use:

• After clicking the "Create Token" button, your new token will be displayed on the screen.
• Carefully copy the token to your clipboard. Ensure you do not miss any characters, as the token is a precise string of letters and numbers critical for authentication.
• Store this token securely. It's advisable to keep it in a safe place, such as a password manager, since it grants access to your Airtable data.

Your Airtable Personal Access Token is now ready for use. Make sure to handle it with care to maintain the security of your data.

Migrate your Airtable bases to Retable

To migrate your bases from Airtable to Retable after securing your Airtable personal access token, simply follow these comprehensive steps:

1. Access Retable dashboard: Log in to your Retable account and navigate to your dashboard to view your projects.‍
2. Select your project: Choose the project within Retable where you intend to import your Airtable base. You can either select an existing project or create a new one specifically for this import.

1. Initiate import process: Within your chosen project, look for the option to add or import data, typically represented by a "+" or "Import" button.‍
2. Choose import source: Select the "Import from Airtable" option from the available data import methods.

1. ‍Authenticate with Airtable token: Paste your previously copied Airtable personal access token into the designated field on Retable's import interface.‍

1. Select your Airtable base: Proceed to choose the specific Airtable base you wish to migrate. Retable will use the token to fetch a list of bases accessible with that token.‍
2. Choose table and view: Select the table and view from your Airtable base that you want to import into Retable.‍
3. Finalize import: Review your selections and, when satisfied, click the "Import" button to start the migration process. The time it takes to complete the import will depend on the size and complexity of your Airtable base.‍
4. Verify data: Once the import is complete, review the imported data in Retable to ensure everything has been transferred correctly and is functioning as expected.

By following these steps, you can efficiently migrate your data from Airtable to Retable, leveraging Retable's features to enhance your data management and collaboration capabilities.

Supported field types while importing data from Airtable to Retable

Here, you can find the corresponding columns for all Airtable fields in Retable, along with detailed explanations.

When migrating data from Airtable to Retable, it's important to be aware of certain limitations due to differences in the API functionalities and data structures between the two platforms:

1. Formulas: Airtable formulas will not be imported directly due to incompatibilities between Airtable's and Retable's formula structures. However, Retable offers a robust formula column feature, allowing you to recreate similar formulas within your Retable tables to achieve the desired calculations or data manipulations.‍
2. Look-up columns and table references:The current import feature, which is in beta, does not support the migration of look-up columns and table references. These features are integral to establishing connections between different tables in Airtable. As such, they cannot be directly migrated at this time. We are actively working on enhancing our import capabilities to eventually allow for the import of an entire Airtable base into Retable as a comprehensive project.‍
3. Rich Text Formatting: Be aware that rich text formatting may not be preserved accurately during the import process, and some formatting elements could appear garbled. This is due to differences in how each platform handles rich text.‍
4. Filters: Filters applied in Airtable will not be carried over during the import. You will need to reapply any necessary filters to your data within Retable to maintain the same data views or segmentation.‍
5. Buttons:Button fields in Airtable will be imported as links into Retable. However, Retable offers a "show as button" feature within its URL column settings, allowing you to display these links as clickable buttons, thereby retaining a similar functionality.

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we continuously work to improve the import functionality and expand the range of features supported by the migration tool. Your feedback is invaluable in guiding these enhancements, and we look forward to delivering more comprehensive and seamless data migration solutions in future updates.

Start building your smart online spreadsheets by importing your Airtable bases to Retable!