Keep fields in sync across multiple bases

[Nick_Bergthold]

Since Airtable lacks the ability to limited permissions by table and does not allow linking of records between multiple bases, I need use API or Zapier to keep child bases in sync with our parent base.

The Parent Base contains only two fields - Project Number & Project Name. I can easily use Zapier to detect new record in Parent Base and push those two fields into the child bases. But often the Project Name will be updated in the Parent Base. I need those updates to push to the child bases as well.

One workaround I tried was to create a Last Modified Field linked to Project Name, create a view filtered by “in the last day” and use New Record in View as the trigger. That works for the 1st time a project is renamed in the last 24 hours. But if the project is renamed several times in the span of a few minutes, Zapier only recognizes the first change as “new”.

Any way to do this via API or otherwise?

[David_Skinner]

You could do this via the API with a script that periodically loops or checks for changes in the parent base and updates the child bases. You’ll need to host the script somewhere though. I have processes that do this sort of thing and I run them on Heroku.

[karen_mitri]

Hi David,
How would one get a hold of this API?

[Jeremy_Oglesby]

@karen_mitri - you can access the API documentation by clicking the “Help” link in the top right corner of your base and then clicking on “API documentation”.

Just to make sure you’re aware, though, what @David_Skinner is describing is a fairly significant programming task. You’ll have to be able to set up a server, write webhooks to watch for changes in the source base, and then utilize the API to retrieve those changes and write them to the target base.

[Savvy_Savvy]

Hi @Jeremy_Oglesby and @David_Skinner would either of you be able to link me to a repo where I can look at a setup like this that has already been built? I’m trying to build this but not sure exactly how.

[Abraham_Bochner]

Or use https://www.integromat.com/

[Nikki_Autery]

@Abraham_Bochner I have an issue with Integromate duplicating updated entries from one base to another rather than updating them. How were you able to get this to work?

I have a parent base which is an employee directory. If I make a change to any cell in the employee directory, I’d like that directory to update all the directories in the child bases. What happens, instead, is a hot mess. Integromat will update and then begin duplicating a single updated record. It will overwrite the existing records with the updated one and I’ll have 2, 3, or 4 of the same record in my child bases with the updated cells.

This has been SO frustrating and I’m about to drop AirTable all together. This should be a function supported natively.

[Nikki_Autery]

Filters. I think it’s because I needed Filters… good grief. Documentation would be nice…