Link between Name of different tables and a specific table

[Amandine_Gauthi]

I am working on a Base with a table / client and the last table dedicated to my CRM.
In the CRM, I want to list the information of the different clients. The simpliest would be to create a column with a “simple select” option, and the select offered would be the name of the client aka the name of each table.
Don’t know if I am clear :slightly_smiling_face:
Thanks!

[Justin_Barrett]

Welcome to the community, Amandine! :grinning_face_with_big_eyes: This may not be what you want to hear, but I would suggest rethinking your database design. If you have a table per client because you’re separating client activities into different tables, that’s one thing (though even there it may not be the best approach), but that’s not the most efficient way to tie clients into a CRM. And it’s not even possible to do that with Airtable. An Airtable link field can point to records from other tables, but not entire tables.

I strongly suggest putting the CRM into its own base. Tying it up with other client data just muddies the waters. I’m relatively new to the database world, but two principles of database design that seem to stand out are simplicity and separation. Keep the design simple, and only combine things that really need to be combined. You didn’t offer much detail on what else is in your base, but the fact that you’ve apparently got client activities and your CRM in the same base throws up an immediate red flag in my mind.

Maybe you could share more about what you’re thinking with this base setup. That might help us guide you toward a better design.

[Amandine_Gauthi]

Many thanks for your answer Justin!

We are doing content marketing. Each project / client can be very different. I need a separate strategy for every client, that’s why most of them will have their own table. I was thinking about creating different bases but I made my researches on Airtable’s Tutorials and for small businesses as we are it seems more efficient to have every projects in the same base.

So.

For the CRM : we work with many freelancers with many different skills. And we can have different contacts for the same client. That’s why I need a CRM table with all the information about my freelancers (their speciality, their informations; the projects they delivered for us and a rating/ comment on their work) + eventually all the information about my clients / contacts. AND I need a link between my projects and the CRM in order to tag freelancers for exemple.

:slightly_smiling_face:

Envoyé de mon iPhone

[Nathalie_Collin]

Alô @Amandine_Gauthier,

If creating project tables that have the same fields, @Justin_Barrett is correct in that they (in principle) should be in the same table with a depicting the various projects.

Sounds like your CRM is more or less a contact list so I can see leaving it in the same base.

To accomplish, what you’re looking to do, you’ll need to first link each PROJECT table to the FREELANCER table and then add a LOOKUP column to your PROJECT table that would then lookup whatever field you need from your FREELANCER table.

You could further enhance this by creating views of available freelancers or freelancers with specific skills and have those views be used in various LOOKUP columns.

Hope this helps,
Nathalie

[Amandine_Gauthi]

Hello Nathalie,

Unfortunately they don’t have the same fields. In our case, strategies can be very different (or not. It depends)

Thank you very much for all the advices! I see clearly what you suggest. And you are right , CRM was not the good word

Envoyé de mon iPhone

[Nathalie_Collin]

Amandine_Gauthier:

strategies can be very different

Then, in that case, you’re correct in keeping it separate. That’s the beauty of Airtable; no two situations are the same and neither are our bases. :grinning_face_with_big_eyes: