Look Up Field issue

Could you provide some screenshots of your tables?  Would love to help but don’t have enough information I’m afraid.  If you could duplicate your base without records, create some test data in it, and provide a link to that’d be really helpful!

Hey ​@HannahS,

Nice to find you here again!  As mentioned by Adam, further context is missing (specially regarding your database schema). It would be great if you could share some screenshots (I don’t fully remember your base).

Feel free to reach out as needed.

Mike, Consultant @ Automatic Nation

🔍 1. Check the Link Field

Lookups in Airtable rely on a link field to another table. If the lookup field isn’t pulling data, ask:

• Is the link field itself correctly populated?

• Is it actually linking to the right record(s) in the other deal table?

• If you’re using an automation to populate the link, did the automation successfully set the link (or just create the name)?

🧠 The name showing up doesn’t guarantee the link field is connected. The name might come from a formula or text copy, but for lookups to work, the link field must have a valid relationship to the other table.

🔗 2. Make Sure You’re Looking Up from a Link Field, Not a Text Field

Sometimes you might accidentally be using a text field or formula result instead of an actual link field as the source for your lookup.

Quick check:

• Open the lookup field settings.

• Confirm that the “from table” is the correct deal table.

• Confirm that it’s pulling from a link field, not just a name or automation-created text.

🛠️ 3. Check the Source Field in the Deal Table

Make sure that the field you’re trying to look up actually has data in the original deal record.

Sometimes:

• A formula field has an error or blank result.

• The record exists but the relevant field is empty.

• You’re pulling from a field that looks populated, but isn’t (e.g. it’s based on a formula that didn’t run correctly due to missing inputs).

⚡ 4. Automation Isn’t Creating the Link Properly

You mentioned that the name is generated via automation — which is great — but:

• Double-check that the automation is also creating a proper link in the link field, not just inserting text or a reference.

Automations in Airtable sometimes just insert the text of a name, but that doesn’t create an actual link, which means lookups won’t work.

To test:

• Go to the central table (like “Titles” or “Income Summary”)

• Manually add a link to one of the records from the new deal table — if the lookup works after that, then the problem is definitely that the automation isn’t creating a true link.

✅ What You Can Do Right Now

1. Pick one record that should be working.

2. Go to the central table where you’re expecting the lookup to appear.

3. Check:

    

   • Is the link field populated and clickable (not just text)?

   • Is the lookup configured correctly?

   • Does the source table have data in the field you’re trying to look up?

4. Try manually creating the link — does the lookup populate? If yes, the automation might need tweaking.

🚀 Need Help Fixing It?

If you share:

• The structure of the tables (Titles, Deal Type 1, Deal Type 2)

• What field is used for linking

• How the automation is set up (screenshots or explanation)

I can help you pinpoint the exact issue or even help rewrite the automation logic.