Update a data field with automation

[JJ_Hartmann]

Hi everyone - I’m attempting to run an automation to update a table and running into some issues and hoping someone can help out. Here is the set up:

Two tables (table 1 and table 2)

Table 1 has three columns: URL, #, and Name

Table 2 has two columns: URL and Name

Basically, when I add a record to table 1, and the URL matches a URL from table 2, I want the Name from table 2 to populate the Name field in table 1.

I have an automation set it, and when I test it it runs correctly, but when I attempt to add a record in Table 1 it fails. The set up is like this:

When record is created in table 1, find record in table 2 where URL contains field value from new record in table 1, update record value “Name” in table 1. AS mentioned, when I test it it works, but when it runs on the table it fails and I get an error that says “Invalid filter on URL” in the find records step. Any ides on how to fix this or another way to do this? Thanks!

[Kamille_Parks]

A. Unless you’re submitting all new records to Table 1 via a form or externally through the API, a new record is created with all fields blank (apart from niche circumstances like duplicating an existing record, adding from a grouped view, etc.)

You set your automation to run when a record is created, and at the time it is created the URL field is probably empty. There is nothing in Table 2 to match it against so nothing gets linked. Your tests worked because you picked a test record that the URL fields filled in.

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Question: Are your tables supposed to be identical except Table 1 has one more field than Table 2, or will Table 1 will have many fewer/more total records than exist in in Table 2?

[JJ_Hartmann]

Thank you! That makes sense.

For your questions, yep they are suppose to be nearly identical, but Table 1 will have many more records in it than Table 2. Every month I run a report in Google Analytics with information about certain pages. I export that report and copy and paste it into Airtable. In Table 1, I can paste the first two columns of information (URL and #), but the Name column is not information that is stored in GA. Essentially, I would like Airtable to be able to match the URL from Table 1 with a URL in Table 2 and populate the associated Name in that column in Table 1 when I do a bulk upload.

[Alexey_Gusev]

You may consider field config, where URL is link field and Name is lookup (both in table 1). Default AT behavior - if you put value in link field which is not existing in linked table, it creates a new record there. Can be avoided by primary formula field.