Can a form be used to enter new info for two different bases?

[Sarah_Wade]

Hi everyone, a coworker and I are designing a new AT system to help our communications team manage content production, marketing campaigns, and individual tasks related to both content and campaigns. To solve for multiple needs and use cases, we're thinking of creating a standalone base for each one of those buckets (content, campaigns, tasks) and using two-way syncing to make sure they're all talking to each other. 

The issue: When our team leaders create a new campaign in base 1, they also want to create new pieces of content (stored in base 2) and assign that content to team members as part of that new campaign. They want to be able to fill all that information out in the same place. 

Is it possible to design an interface form (or just a form in the data layer) in base 1 that could be used to fill out both campaign info housed in base 1 *and* content info housed in base 2? And if so, could someone show me how? 

Thanks in advance for any help!

[TheTimeSavingCo]

Hmm, the only way I can think of doing this is to store the content info they're keying into that form in Base 1 in Base 1 itself, and have some system to transfer it to Base 2 automatically via automations or something

Pretty clunky, and hopefully someone else has a better idea

[ScottWorld · Accepted solution]

@Sarah_Wade 

No, that is not possible, but you could create a button to jump your users to ANOTHER form to enter the new data there.

However, it's typically not recommended to split up your data into separate bases like that.

It would be best to store everything in one base with different tables. Then, you could do what you wanted to do in much simpler ways.

Probably the easiest way would be to use Fillout's advanced forms for Airtable, which lets you create brand new linked records in a completely different table — all from a single form. It also lets you update Airtable records from a form as well, and 100+ other advanced features.

[Sarah_Wade]

@TheTimeSavingCo thanks for the feedback! 

[Sarah_Wade]

@ScotB that's helpful to hear, thank you! Yea, I currently have everything in one base (a table for campaigns, a table for each content channel, and task tables specific to campaigns and each content channel), but began thinking of separate bases for each because of how different folks on my team want to be able to use and view those items. I remember hearing about Fillout but haven't tried it. Will give it a try.

[ScottWorld]

Hi @Sarah_Wade,

You're welcome! Glad I could help! 🙂

Yes, you will absolutely love Fillout — it gives you about 100 additional advanced features that you can't get natively with Airtable's own native forms.

Also, can you please explain to me a bit more about how different folks on your team are using and viewing the items in your database? There is likely a way to accomplish "some or most" of what you want within Airtable, while still keeping all of your data unified in one base. The reason I ask is because you will gain a lot more power & functionality in Airtable when you keep things unified in one base.

p.s. I forgot to mention that I am also a top Airtable consultant, so if your company has a budget and you'd like to work one-on-one with a consultant, always feel free to reach out to me through my website.