SQL-like operations on tables

[Nathachanok_Net]

Hi guys! I’m fairly new to AirTable, especially using it in a backend server. I have created relational databases in SQL before, and I have designed my database just like how I did with SQL. However, I do not know if AirTable has a JOIN command that can join two tables together in Node.JS so that I can look up data across different tables that intersect. If so, how do I do that on AirTable? So far I have created Persons, Students, Mentors, Addresses tables and I have not been able to query them and join them together. Thank you!

[Nathachanok_Net]

Also in Students and Mentors, I referenced the Persons table with a foreign key like PersonId 1. Is there an equivalent of that in AirTable?

[Bill_French]

Nathachanok_Netmanee:

how do I do that on AirTable?

We made a service that lets you query Airtable with SQL Show and tell

Hey everyone, Excited to share a new tool we just built for Airtable - Sync Inc (syncinc.so). With a couple clicks, we’ll setup a hosted Postgres database containing all your Airtable data. We keep your database in sync in real-time. All you have to do is connect to it with your favorite SQL client, programming language, or app. We used Airtable to power a volunteer organization we helped start at the beginning of this year. We loved how quick Airtable was to get up and running. But while we l…

[Nathachanok_Net]

Thank you so much Bill. I was actually thinking more of a direct connection from node to Airtable, but I will keep the option in mind!

[acco]

Hey Nathachanok! I’m Anthony, one of the developers behind Sync Inc. We do our best to give you the experience of a “direct connection” to Airtable’s database. I think you’ll really like it. Feel free to reply here or DM me if you have any questions.

Best,
Anthony

[Bill_French]

You’re welcome - happy to help.

Nathachanok_Netmanee:

I was actually thinking more of a direct connection from node to Airtable … so that I can look up data across different tables that intersect.

If you go the Node route you must recreate the database relationships that you crafted in Airtable. Consider, any API request into Airtable from Node must also embody the code necessary to re-instantiate the relationships because the API has no [natural] ability to make queries in context with the database model.

As such, you would have to write all the code to extract the tables and then you’d be required to create linkages and lookups in your Node app.

Alternatively, if you have a “following” database that has SQL capabilities, you are faced with writing queries instead of writing, hosting, securing, and maintaining code. On top of that, you need to ensure that your Node app represents the data without serious latency and that drops you into another rabbit hole - (i) factoring in the API request quota, and (ii) the lack of an event architecture in Airtable that can push webhooks when certain records change.

BTW - not trying to steer you either way - I just saw your comfort zone with SQL in the first message and now I’m asking how comfortable you are doing all that crap in Node? :winking_face: