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Re: Export All Fields with Attachements

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Ben_Stevens
5 - Automation Enthusiast
5 - Automation Enthusiast

With today’s outage, I became duly aware how much I rely on Airtable. I need to hire someone to help create a true backup export of all fields/records into a FM file or similar.

12 Replies 12

You might be very interested in this high-quality product:

Thanks. This looks pretty close. That does get me a little less anxious. Are there choices on filetype export? Spreadsheet, FileMaker, or is it just another Airtable file?

Pro Backup is the market leader at the moment.

Trish_c
5 - Automation Enthusiast
5 - Automation Enthusiast

Hi @Ben_Stevens ,
Having worked extensively with the Airtable and its API , true backup export of all fields in the past, I would be keen on hearing more about your project.
You can reach me on trish@cisinlabs.com
Best Wishes,
Trish

HI Trish,

I’m looking for an automated backup of bases with all fields including attachments. Backup choice to google drive or local. Output as Filemaker file and Spreadsheet. Let me know if you can help and budget.

Hello @Ben_Stevens
Please add me on Skype - live:.cid.baff7c7dd9471b54 will discuss further over Skype.
Thanks

Do you mean, create the exported files in FileMaker’s native database format? If so, which version?

I’m using FM19. As long as the data file could be pulled into a filemaker database, that would be enough. I just need a legit backup if AirT ever went away that I could pull into Filemaker or similar.

Sincerely,
Ben Stevens

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Im using FM19. I guess as long as the exported file is easy for me to bring onto FM, that’s good enough. I just need something that would have minimal down time if AirT ever went away completely.

If the format is not FM19 and exported in a manner that includes all relational elements, links, lookups, option lists, etc – it will not be easy to re-instantiate in FileMaker Pro in a timely fashion.

Given that your current Airtable solution likely uses formula fields, linked fields, lookup fields, views with grouping, filters and sorts - all of these configuration aspects will be lost in the event of a catastrophic failure. And this list doesn’t even include Airtable automations or glue-factory processes like you may be using from Zapier or Integromat.

I suspect that your definition of “minimal downtime” probably doesn’t include weeks or months to recover. This event - should it ever occur - would be devastating to most businesses.

These are the risks that accompany a platform that tends to fragment your business logic spreading it around a very shallow gene pool. I wrote about this challenge in “Airtable Backup & Recovery Strategies: Simply, a Nightmare”.

Sorry for a relatively downbeat Saturday rant, but there’s nothing positive I can say about this topic unless the backup process reflects the true footprint of a solution.

I was asking specifically about the FM19 export format to see if you had considered all of these backup and recovery nuances. FileMaker Pro can, of course, do everything Airtable does, but transforming an Airtable solution into a FileMaker solution is a very big lift.

One last comment. I built a custom backup/recovery system for an Airtable client in Europe but I would never do it again. It is difficult, costly, prone to errors, and unlikely to ever meet the true requirements. This is why – in my view – you might want to consider Pro Backup; it will get you as close as possible in a financially practical manner.

My databases are not near that fancy. Just text is lots of fields. Attachments that include photos and copies of receipts and at most 2-3 calculated fields. No look ups, no third party stuff.

Hi @Ben_Stevens

I would suggest Integromat for backup purposes.

You could probably use a Webhook and Airtable’s API. It could be setup so that when you add or make record changes, it can backup to the Integromat scenario in real-time.

Just a suggestion, hope it helps.

Mary Kay