Learn more about Airtable

Technically you can cut your lawn with a pair of scissors, but you never have. We apply the same logic with storing data. Technically traditional data sheets like excel and google sheets can store your data, but what if theres better ways to do it.

What is Airtable?

Airtable is a cloud based platform designed to help with creating and sharing databases. It is incredibly user friendly, allowing anyone to quickly draw up a database in minutes. You can use it to store, organise and collaborate on information about anything until your hear is content - like inbound leads, newsletters outreaching, employee directories, and task management.

Databases VS Spreadsheets

On the face of it, databases and spreadsheets mat seem very similar, so why make the switch if you are used to one? Both all you to have multiple pages with grid lines and ate and allow you to organise the data in rows and columns. 

But this really is where the similarities end.

A data base doesn’t just store data despite the name, it helps to build and store relationships between the data and allow you to filter and search within this data in a user friendly manner. You can then allow certain people to access certain areas of the data allowing limited access to the overall sheet.

A general rule of thumb is you’d use a database to organise and store large amounts of multi-level information. Spreadsheets are better suited for running complex and ongoing calculations.

But here's what makes Airtable special: it gives you the best of both worlds. It's a relational database that's as easy to work with as Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel.

How to use Airtable at a glance

There are five basic building blocks to an Airtable database:

• Bases

• Tables

• Fields

• Records

• Views

Bases

Bases (short for ‘database’) stores all of the information for a given project. This could be called anything from ‘Employee directory’ to ‘New house shopping’

When you first start, you can start from a blank base, but we suggest playing around with some of the given templates from Airtable. This will give you a good understanding of how the software can be used and get familiar with the possibilities of the software. Airtable has an ever growing library of templates that are pre-populated with relevant sample data that can be easily modified with your own data. Take a look at their templates and chose something that you think could be relevant to how you initially plan to use Airtable.

Tables

Tables are the next level are what make up a base. They contain a list of data about a more specific item than the overall base itself. Each base can store multiple different tables, very similar to spreadsheets. In a base about ‘New house shopping’ you could have a separate table relevant to the different locations you are looking for.

To add a table, click Add or import. You can create a table from scratch. Or you can import data from an existing table in another database or spreadsheet. 

Fields

Fields are the equivalent of columns in spreadsheets, however they are designed to bring more consistency to your data. Each field can be specifically named and can be customised to only accept a specific data requirement, for example dates, attachments, multi select boxes, formulas and status updates. It’s this customisation where the benefits of data sheets start to come into their own.

To add a field to your table, click the add field icon which should look like a (+) sign on the right of the fields. then select the type of field you want to add, give it a name and click create field. If you have started from scratch you should have some fields that are auto generated - these can be removed if not required. 

Or, if you want to edit an existing field, click the down caret (∨) beside the field name, and then click Edit field. 

Records

Records are then an individual item within a table, along with all of the inputs to the fields above. They are the databases equivalent of rows and cells in spreadsheets. 

If you want to focus on one record that is holding more information that visible, click the Expand icon, which looks like two diagonal arrows pointing in opposite directions, to expand it.

To add a record, click the Add record, which looks like a plus sign (+), at the bottom of a grid view. Or you can click an existing record and then use the keyboard shortcut: Shift+Enter.

Views

Airtable's primary view allows you to see everything all at once, but you may not always need to see everything. You can create multiple views for each table in a base. Think of a view as a lens to see certain parts of the data without removing it from the overview.

These customised views can be incredibly useful when you want to see some view certain criteria within the overall base. For example you could view all of the house prices within a specific price range, or view all of the houses that are minimum 3 bed… the options are endless!

Play around with some of the templates and get some ideas together for how they might help you in your life, the views can be differentiated into several different styles, like a Kanban, Gallery or calendar to name a few.

To create a custom view of your data, click your desired view in the Create section. Enter a view name, and then click Create new view. Depending on the type of view you created, Airtable may prompt you to customise a few more fields. 

So what is Airtable really used for and why are we massive Advocates for it?

This blog would have never ending pagination if I listed every possible use of Airtable. Not to mention that only some of them will be relevant for you and your role. To give you an idea of the key uses that we use every day here is some of our favourites.

Manage a CRM: Now you may already use a different CRM, or know of one. But one of the key benefits to using Airtable as your CRM is that is where all of the data is already stored. With Airtable’s unique ability to link related records, you can track, share and upload notes about interactions you or your team have had with prospects, clients and partners. Giving real time updated information back to any of your colleague anywhere in the world.

Tracking projects: As you’d expect, tracking projects is one of the most important parts of our day to day, and making sure no project slips under the radar is vital. Airtable is among the best project management apps on the market today, and offers the most customisation. That combined with all of the other uses makes in an absolute no brainer for us at Tweyelight. For example, a project manager can create a timeline view to get a high-level overview of a customer journey, while a designer can quickly sort their tasks by due date and priority. 

Plan content: For marketing teams, planning content releases is vital, and making sure not to miss out on a schedule day is the key to having a well functioning marketing team. At Tweyelight we use this for all of our blogs, making sure we are reminded when one is due, and when one needs to be updated.