CONTEXT: I am a Film and TV Producer (on a Pro (Legacy Team) account) with PEOPLE, COMPANIES and INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY bases that I sync (i.e. “push out”) as relevant to seed specific FREE client/project bases so a handful of (<5) different team members (respectively) can update content specific to their projects.
EXAMPLE: I maintain box office data on movies, track streaming, broadcast and cable series ratings, statuses and talent (ShowRunners, Actors, Writers, Directors, etc.), actors’ bankability stats, everyone’s credits linked to their IP, who’s moved company-to-company in the relentless musical chairs and vertically integrated morphing and consolidating - it’s A LOT to track! LOL! :-)
If I’ve done the deep dive of complicated music licensing research on a specific song - or have an actor’s whole suite of (also constantly evolving) reps’ contact info, I don’t want to have to keep manually updating that across a ton of different project bases.
I USED to have this all syncing perfectly and seamlessly but it seems something changed?
Or...maybe I’ve forgotten some step and I’m now setting everything up wrong?
I can sync (i.e.: initially “send”) the info - so it’s all working “fine” - but it no longer updates?
All of the sudden?
I know paid-base-syncing-to-paid-base updates nearly automatically - almost instantaneously. Cool.
I’m okay if the Paid-to-Free base syncs are delayed - even 24 hours - but they aren’t updating AT ALL. EVER. ;-/
I’m okay even just manually forcing the sync to update - but I don’t see that option anywhere anymore? There used to be a button in the drop downs for that - but… I can’t find it anywhere? Am I just missing that? Or did it move or get buried somewhere?
Or did the set-up configuration change? And I need to adjust settings to some upgrade I missed?
Right now, to update a list of financiers or distributor prospects for a spec project, I have to keep re-setting up the initial sync (to push the updated info) which will overwrite any project-specific data we might have input in that project base.
Untenable.
Help?
Anyone?
Bueller?
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UPDATED ANSWER BELOW
HI @Heather_Hale,
Oh, that’s very interesting — were free bases allowed to be the destination of syncs in the past?
I don’t know if that was ever possible, but if it was, then Airtable has removed that feature, because syncing is not listed as a feature on their pricing page for free plans, and I am not able to setup any free bases as the destination of any sync — even if the source sync is also on a free plan.
But you have a bunch of easy solutions for this:
Since you already have a paid workspace, you could just bring the other user’s bases into your workspace, and just give them access to their particular base.
Alternatively, if your users want their own workspaces, they can just upgrade their workspaces to paid workspaces.
Perhaps your users don’t need their own bases? Airtable’s interfaces allows you to show users ONLY THEIR OWN RECORDS, so PERHAPS you can can just share your existing interfaces with them — and invite them in as READ-ONLY USERS. Read-only users are 100% free in Airtable.
Fillout also offers hundreds of other features that Airtable’s native forms don’t offer. I show how to use a few of the advanced features of Fillout on these 2 Airtable podcast episodes:
Yeah, it must be some sort of a recent change because this set-up has worked for me for 7+ years. Maybe it was a feature of the legacy team plan? It sucks to have to design and entirely different workflow now (or look for another system!) ;-/
Thank you @ScottWorld for your detailed response.
1. I have brought some other users’ (spec project) bases into my paid Pro (legacy Team) workspace but unless I’m mistaken (?) then they (or I) would have to pay for an account for each of them to have edit access, right? (i.e.: I have tried this workaround with READ ONLY Views but then no one can edit but me ;-/ ) so this is not a solution (unless I’m missing something?)
2. Yes, of course ;-/ I’ve done this, too – but then I spend all my time doing unpaid on-boarding, training, tutoring, tech support – and sales and marketing for Airtable (and defending it against all the other competitors in the marketplace and/or the existing workflow systems clients may already have in place). This isn’t a solution either as my clients and project partners shouldn’t have to pay to get up and running and understand inside and out a tool I use – they just need to be able to EDIT and comment on the UPDATED information curated from my master databases.
3. Yes, interfaces are fine but again – this is not a solution - because it doesn’t allow ANYONE to EDIT or comment (on who they know, actor ranking preferences, adding songs or comps to the database or responding to a variety of issues). I don’t see how that’s any different than just emailing them a static PDF? Feels like a moot point for any effort at cloud collaboration of references, hit lists and strategies.
4. I’ll add the couple of hours of podcast videos to my “To View” (when I can get to) list - and I checked out your affiliate links to Fill Out and Make (olivamark and williammark also suggested Zapier or Integromat/Make above as well).
I really would prefer to find an Airtable-native solutionversus buying, learning and setting up more plug-ins (and tool after tool) - or hiring a consultant.
I really just wanted some community support to solve this problem within Airtable.
To reiterate or clarify
(in case anyone else - or Airtable? :-) ) has a suggestion or solution or apparently a new workaround to something that was working just fine til recently?!
My Paid (Pro/Team Legacy) base-to-Free-base sync works perfectly ONCE after setup but never automatically updates after the initial sync.
You SHOULD BE ABLE to create a synced table (exporting/pushing or importing/pulling (i.e.: copying) data from one table to another where the destination table then stays up-to-date as the source data changes) and where you can BUILD ON IT by adding your own fields, creating custom views and/or combining with other data.
There are no error {⚠️} icons but neither are there the lightning bolt icons (as there are in the paid-to-paid bases, indicating the sync is active).
Nor is there a “Sync Now” button or option anywhere (ANYMORE).
What changed?
How can I get it working again?
THANK YOU!
Yeah, if they just need to edit existing records but you don’t want to spend any additional money, then I would give them read-only access to whatever interfaces (or bases) that you want them to have access to, and then use Fillout’s advanced forms to let them edit those records.
They would just click on a link or a button within the record, and it would take them to Fillout to edit that particular record.
I show how to do that on this Airtable podcast episode:
My Paid (Pro/Team Legacy) base-to-Free-base sync works perfectly ONCE after setup but never automatically updates after the initial sync.
Hm, on a free account I can’t set up a synced table at all actually, and so it seems likely that they’re phasing out the functionality that you have. May want to open a support ticket to confirm!
Just out of curiousity, you’re able to select ‘Airtable base’ on the free base on your side?
You SHOULD BE ABLE to create a synced table (exporting/pushing or importing/pulling (i.e.: copying) data from one table to another where the destination table then stays up-to-date as the source data changes) and where you can BUILD ON IT by adding your own fields, creating custom views and/or combining with other data.
Unfortunately I don’t think this is possible at this point. When we look at the Pricing page, all syncing options are on Teams and higher, and so we aren’t able to sync data over to a free base at all
You could potentially use the API to keep stuff in sync, but free plans have an API limit of 1000 and so you’d only be able to push 1000 updates, and it’d also be a bit of a pain to set up
Unless you want to get everyone paid accounts, it seems like the only thing you can do right now is give people read-only access, and with workarounds like Fillout or Airtable forms you can allow them to update data, but they wouldn’t be able to add their own fields, set views, etc I’m afraid
