Apr 26, 2020 09:29 PM
This one has me stumped…
Please help!
I have two tables in my base.
Table A has a field called ‘Brand URL’
Table B also has a field called ‘Brand URL’
I would like a formula field to find matches between Table A and B based on their Brand URL values.
When a match is found, I would like to automatically link the records together.
What’s the best way to do this?
Thanks!
Apr 27, 2020 03:24 AM
Hi @Dean_Arnold,
You cannot create such formula. HOWEVER, how about you change this Field into a Linked Field instead? Use this field to create a new Table, link both fields in both tables to this new table, then you can pull whatever data you want.
BR,
Mo
Apr 27, 2020 06:51 AM
Sadly, unlike more advanced database systems, there is no automated linking in Airtable… all links must be explicitly & manually chosen by the user every time.
I have suggested automatic linking as a feature request for Airtable — perhaps you can comment on this thread to add your voice into the mix, so Airtable employees can understand your need for this feature: Automatic linking of tables based on any field
However, the only exception to this rule of manually linking records is when doing a one-time conversion of a field to a linked field, in which case Airtable will do a one-time automatic matching to the primary field only in the other table.
This will likely be what you’re looking for — you can do a one-time automated linking of your existing data, and then manually link new records moving forward in the future. I explain how to do this process here: Vlookup Style Search in the Same Table
Apr 27, 2020 08:07 PM
Thanks! @Mohamed_Swellam , Unfortunately in my case, the brand URL field is not going to be unique, so I can’t use it as a primary field.
@ScottWorld Thanks! That is a bummer what you say. So it only works once? Could I not continually change the field from text to a linked record every time I wanted to make the connection?
Apr 27, 2020 08:18 PM
Well, once your tables are linked based on that field, if URL remains the primary field in table #1, then matching URL’s in the linked URL field in table #2 will automatically & continually link from that point forward.