May 09, 2019 09:02 AM
Hi - I am trying to move from Smartsheet to Airtable, but have a specific way we track phases of some of our jobs. Attached is a screenshot of our current Smartsheet that allows for a customer line with all of the associated phases to be beneath and associated with the parent row - and the dollar amounts roll up. We track each phase as individual “jobs” beneath the summary job and the ability to “collapse” on Smartsheet limits a gigantic sheet. I realize the structure of Airtable is different and most likely is not able to re-create what I have, but I do need to be able to have the same basic idea and not sure where to start. Thanks for any input offered!
May 09, 2019 11:58 AM
It Airtable, you’d do this by separating each idea into its own table.
So you’d have a Clients table, a Jobs table, and a Phases table.
A Client record can be linked to many Jobs.
A Job record can be linked to many Phases.
A Phase record can only belong to one Job.
A Job record can only belong to one Client.
With this setup, you’ll be able to Rollup dollar amounts of all Phases on a Job in the Jobs table. You’ll likewise be able to Rollup dollar amounts of all Jobs on a Client in the Clients table.
Hope that clarifies for you.
Jun 20, 2019 08:02 PM
I am sorry I did not respond until now - I actually just saw this! And actually, I am now just starting to move some processes onto Airtable. I still have a major issue as to how to achieve the original thing I asked about. Your explanation makes sense but I have a slightly complicated issue related to Accounts Receivable. I have attached two screenshots of how I am currently doing this outside of Airtable. The first of the screenshots shows the entire worksheet with the jobs all having a + sign next to the name. This is because when you click the + sign rows drop down beneath the “parent row”. These rows below represent the different phases of the one job. I also invoice based on phases, so we track when we do any activity (calls or emails to ask for payment) on the client level (Meaning we don’t call or chase “per phase” for our money, we do it overall on the client level). The issue I am having is want to look at the job as a whole (Meaning all phases) and we have to track the “estimate”, “payments to date”, and “balance due” per invoice. We also track when we submit each particular invoice. So the hierarchy of the sheet is really the best way to look at the overall goal. Doing it horizontal like the attachment shows allows for the minimum number of columns to achieve the overall result. Ultimately, I don’t know how to do something like this with Airtable, as they don’t seem to have the indent properties of the a typical spreadsheet. Any advice would be greatly appreciated (hopefully I am not asking too much!!). thanks in advance if you can offer any help.
Jun 21, 2019 04:46 PM
First off, not sure why your post got flagged, as it’s a valid update to your original question.
Perhaps this project scheduling framework devised by @W_Vann_Hall can get you closer to what you want?
Jun 22, 2019 05:43 AM
Thanks for that link! I will check it out. Not sure why my comments were blocked either… I am a new community member and have no idea how to figure out what the content I placed in my post caused this… When you saw my post was the text and screenshots visible or did the whole thing get blocked? Just trying to get some help and answers but cant tell what part made it through or not…
Jun 22, 2019 01:18 PM
Initially the whole thing was blocked, with a button that said something like “Show hidden content.” I clicked that and it showed your full post, but it was faded a bit because it wasn’t approved. I’ve had some posts of my own get held for unknown reasons here and there, as have others. Hard to predict what will get flagged and what won’t.
May 17, 2020 08:36 PM
Hello Wayne,
I am also in similar situation. Trying to see if we can move to airtable from smartsheet. How was your experience, were you able to accomplish everything you had in smartsheet?
Thanks,
P