Help creating linked tables

[Joseph]

Hey everyone! I am trying to learn best practices for how to link tables. My goal is to create a Data structure that will allow me to filter the records in a table based on features that are linked to that record in the same table. I created separate tables for each feature that are linked to the table that I’m trying to filter.

Questions

• This creates an array of values as a result in each table that is linked even thought the table for the feature itself is a list, not an array. Is this going to cause problems down the road?

• when I create linked features in the tables, it automatically creates another column that references this link. Why does Airtable do this? Should I delete this extra column?
  

Thank you!

[Kamille_Parks]

Joseph:

This creates an array of values as a result in each table that is linked even thought the table for the feature itself is a list, not an array.

I’m not sure I understand the distinction you’re making here. To me, there isn’t a difference between an array and a list. A single record can be linked to a list/array of records with no issue.

Joseph:

Why does Airtable do this? Should I delete this extra column?

The link is reciprocal by nature. Deleting the “extra” column will break your link, so: no, don’t delete it.