Skip to main content

YES! Yes, yes, yes! They are finally here!!!
 



Airtable is a relational database. As such, it allows you to link records from one table to record(s) from a different table and keep such relationship on both sides.

However, there are interesting use cases in which you’d want to link records from one table to records from the exact same table. For example, you might want to have one unique table for Tasks and handle hierarchy between them (e.g. Parent task, and Sub Task(s)).

When creating a linked record field to its own table, you would have seen that only one field was created (the one you did manually). You would call this field Child Tasks for example, and link through it the child tasks to any parent task. However, the inverse relationship (backlink) would not be tracked anyway -meaning which are the parent tasks for each child tasks. To such effect we used to have to create yet an additional linked record field to the same Tasks table, and create all sort of nasty automations and scripts to create and update back links.

For years now this has been a big topic of discussion (see below only very few of the related topics!). 


A couple of days ago, Airtable finally released native backlinks silently!!!!! If you now create a linked record field to its own table, you will automatically get TWO fields which will keep the relationship fully synced as shown on the video above.

Just wanted to share this with you :D

Mike, Consultant @ Automatic Nation

Thanks for sharing! This looks awesome - though, when would you use this approach rather than linking to another table row? Wouldn’t data get rather messy is you have a bunch of records linked to other records in the same table?

​@Mike_AutomaticN

Yes, this is absolutely amazing and a true game-changer!

One of the Top 3 Missing Features from Airtable over the last decade is finally here!

It’s hard to overstate how big of a deal this is.

It’s also crazy that Airtable just silently rolled out this gigantic feature without making any sort of an announcement about it! They haven’t even listed it on their What’s New page yet.

Great news.

- ScottWorld, Expert Airtable Consultant

This is most useful and I’m very glad to finally have this feature available. Thanks Airtable!

Thanks for sharing! This looks awesome - though, when would you use this approach rather than linking to another table row? Wouldn’t data get rather messy is you have a bunch of records linked to other records in the same table?



Best practice is to keep records with the same attributes in the same table, but if there is a relationship between those records, you would use this.

For example, a people directory could have parent-child relationships where an individual might have a supervisor and/or people they supervise. It’s not that messy if you create the right views, and you can also visualize this in the org chart block. 

​

Thanks for finding this out! It could also be used it you need a Bill of Materials

Hey ​@evans how do you envision such use case?

Not sure I’m following, but you are probably on the right track!

Something like this test base, whereby an inventory item might be comprised one or more other items:
 

 

Oh I see! That is interesting. However I guess you should be careful about counting inventory for BOTH the component and the “end-product” as if we are talking about sales you can only sell one OR the other right? Meaning that if you have 5 screws and also have Product A that uses 3 screws you actually can sell either Product A and 2 screws or 5 screws. -might not be your use case!

What happens to fields you have already backlinked (currently only seeing the link in one direction)?

For example, I have a table of brands we work with, and some brands are linked back to their “parent” brand” (same table). Will I have to go back and set up anything to be able to see the reverse (parent’s “child brands” field) or is there no retroactive to this?

 

Or am I totally misunderstanding? Sorry haha hope this makes sense!

​@gidget 

You have to go back and create a new intra-table connection inside the table. I think in order to not break any pre-existing workflows, this update does not apply to pre-existing linked record fields that link inside the same table. 

Playing around with an example I have, even duplicating the existing 1-way link doesn’t do backlinks. When you make an entirely new linked record field, pointing to the same table, now it will create two fields. Then just copy/paste your existing information into one of those fields and the second field will automatically populate (and you can delete your old 1-way link). 

​@gidget 

You have to go back and create a new intra-table connection inside the table. I think in order to not break any pre-existing workflows, this update does not apply to pre-existing linked record fields that link inside the same table. 

Playing around with an example I have, even duplicating the existing 1-way link doesn’t do backlinks. When you make an entirely new linked record field, pointing to the same table, now it will create two fields. Then just copy/paste your existing information into one of those fields and the second field will automatically populate (and you can delete your old 1-way link). 

Thank you! That makes a lot of sense!

Hi ​@gidget,

If you’d like to see a live demo on how to recreate the connections to create backlinks in the same table, check out ​@Kamille_Parks11 ‘s demonstration of this on this Airtable podcast episode:

Hope this helps! If you’d like to hire the best Airtable consultant to help you with anything Airtable-related, please feel free to contact me through my website: Airtable consultant — ScottWorld

Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement