Invalid inputs on Update Record Automation

[Gzav]

Hey there people,

I have been browsing the community forums and YouTube videos to fix my problem, but I can't figure it out. I always get errors I don't manage to fix, I'm hoping someone can explain me what I'm doing wrong.

Context & Goals :
I ingest data from a real estate website that provides me properties from 2 sources, Source A and Source B.
I put this data in Table 1.
I have everything I need for Source A, however I have very limited data for Source B.

I therefore set up a distinct data (Table 2) ingestion for Source B, that contains the most important data I need (Description).

My goal is to push into Table 1 the descriptions from Source B I have in my Table 2.

The best I found to match entries
In my Table 1, I have records is the URL

• http://www.sourceA.com/recordID
• http://www.sourceB.com/recordIDtoo

In my Table 2, I also have URLs, but it's not precisely the same format

• http://www.sourceB.com/recordIDtoo/?alotofthings

I therefore created a formula column, truncating http://www.sourceB.com/recordIDtoo/?alotofthings into http://www.sourceB.com/recordIDtoo/

What I have been trying

First I tried to link my tables.
I created a column in Table 1, called "Matching URL" column, but it looks like all it does is letting me pick manually records from my Table 2 > Truncated URL column

Therefore, I moved to "Automations".

My first move is the following: Trigger > Search > Update

Trigger : 

• Table: Table 2
• Condition: when a record matches conditions > Truncated URL is not empty

Search Record : 

• Table: Table 1
• Search based on condition:  when Table 1 URL is Table 2 Truncated URL

Update Record: 

• Table: Table 1
• Record ID: (from Search Record step) Airtable Record ID
• 
• Field to update: Table 1 > Description
• 
• Data source to update the field: (from Trigger) Table 2 > Description

Why I'm stuck: 

I get a Received invalid inputs. error.
This error occurs on the "Update Record" step of my automation.
The "help" message isn't helping this much to be honest.
I managed to make it work, and I suspect it to be due to multiple records having the same URL, since, when writing this message to explain it clearly, I managed to make it sometimes work.

Thanks in advance for your very kind help.

Gzav

[TheTimeSavingCo]

Without access to the base to see how the automation's set up it's difficult to help you with this I'm afraid.  Could you provide a read-only invite link to a duplicated copy of your base with a bit of example data in it please?

[Alexey_Gusev]

Hi,
First I tried to link my tables.
I created a column in Table 1, called "Matching URL" column, but it looks like all it does is letting me pick manually records from my Table 2 > Truncated URL column

Indeed, it's not correct, 
You can do a bulk operation of linking Table 1 to Table 2, using some common value for correct linking.
You should create linking field, and then copy-paste whole column of values into that field.

In order to link it correctly:
In Linked table, column of values must be a primary field.
Primary field must be unique (number of unique values match the number of records).
otherwise, when you have a same http://www.sourceB.com/recordIDtoo/ in a linked table repeated 2 or more times, it will link only to the first one.
Preferably, this primary field should be a formula. Otherwise, when you trying to link something not existing in table, it will auto-create new records. If you don't want to create a formula, to avoid auto-create, you can edit table permissions 'Who can create records' and temporary set it to 'Nobody'. 
Values, used in a copy-paste, should not contain comma "," and ampersand "&". Otherwise, it might count value as several values, separated by comma.

What important to understand. Imagine you have 48 records in each of tables, for 4 years and 12 months each. You can add a formula like  Year&"-'&Month in a first table, then create the same in Table 2, then do it Primary in Table 2, then copy-paste in Table 1 whole column  into linked field. It will link all records to their respective records in Table 2. Now you can change primary field in Table 2, and even delete both formula fields - links will remain. The only thing that change - text in a link rectangle. The link tied to the exact record in a linked table (by record ID, which is not seen, but can be, using a formula field)  . The text in rectangle is a name of linked record. The name is the value of a  primary field.