History "date modified" timestamps?

[Lauren_Briskin1]

Hi!

We rely extensively on AT for updating “downstream” tools. We previously had a complex workflow that involved checking off a box when the update was made and then using a series of formulas to say “if the field was modified after that checkbox was made, the downstream tool needs an update.” Because we have so much data in AT, this was dozens of formulas.

I’d like to use the “date modified” field instead, but am not sure how to or if I can store the date modified information or if it will only show the most recent one. In other words, is it a use it or lose it? If the field is modified 9/19 and then again 9/20, is there a way to see both dates by creating a formula?

Thanks!

[Vivid-Squid]

Hi @Lauren_Briskin1,
The Last Modified Time field will return a timestamp of any time the entire record, or any individual fields you chose, are modified. It will update every time there is a change and the previous timestamps are not stored. If you need to store that, you could create an automation to store the stamps history in another field.

[Lauren_Briskin1]

Thanks @Vivid-Squid. That might almost do it.

I’m looking at this Use Automations to Timestamp Status Updates | Airtable Support and I’m wondering if there’s a simpler way to go about this. I set up an automation that notifies us when something moves into a view (“Needs review”) and then out of that view (into the “Reviewed”) view.

What I’d really like is the automation to update a “modified date” field- something that would say “the automation ran at this time,” which indirectly means “the record fell into this view at this time” which indirectly means “something changed on this record which is made up entirely of lookup fields at this time.”

Because this table requires an extensive number of lookup fields from 7 or 8 tables, it isn’t practical to go through and make all of the separate “modified date” fields as suggested in the workflow in the help guide.

Is this doable? Or do I need to create that automation of a large “date modified” field?

[Vivid-Squid]

I think you can do it.

You only need to add one last modified time, then set it to look at only the Lookup fields in that table. Then on your Automation, update the Modified Date, with the record from Last Modified Time field.

Since your trigger is when a record enters a view, that will update the last modified time to the time the record went into that view. Same for leaving the view.