Importing data in a multiselect field without overwriting existing values

[RdMedia_srl]

Hi all, I have a csv file with a column that contains the name of the project associated with the client. So I have a csv file with 2 columns:

customer email, project name.

I have to import this file into the customer table on Airtable where the “merge field” is the email and the project name must be inserted in a multiselect field. The problem is that many customers already have projects in their multiselect field and doing this import is all overwritten and only the last imported project remains.

So the question is how is it possible to import (add) new values in “multiselect field” without overwriting the already existing values?

Thanks so much everyone for the help

[Alexey_Gusev · Accepted solution]

Hi,

add project_name values in a new text field
create another formula field with
ARRAYJOIN( existing_multiselect_field & ‘,’ & new_field, ‘,’)

ignore trailing commas, that may be present if one or both fields are empty
turn formula field into multiselect

[RdMedia_srl]

Fantastic! thank you Alexey!

[David_Ayer]

OK but—hear me out–

What if there were an option:

• Replace field values
• Add new values

Then you could tick the box for what you want: erase and replace, or append.

This would have the huge added value of solving the "blank cells in the CSV import overwrite data in AT" problem, which remains unsolved.

[David_Ayer]

This: "blank cells in the CSV import overwrite data in AT" is still a big unsolved problem AFAIK.

If I'm bringing in a CSV of, let's say, names and addresses, and some names don't have addresses, but the contacts exist in AT with addresses, I don't want to erase the data in AT.

I know I can solve with this with some additional fields and then some comparisons and automation but come on, that's quite cumbersome.

I recall having this feature in Filemaker back in 2014. Can we get it in AT?