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NOW() update frequency when base is closed

C

In the documentation for the NOW() function it states that:

If the base is closed, it will update approximately every hour only when the base has time-dependent automation triggers or actions, or sync dependencies.

I have a Zapier process that polls a view, does this count as a sync dependency?

The formula i’m using calculates whether the value in a date field is greater than the current datetime, and if it is it will appear in the View that Zapier is watching. It’s important that the formula is calculated 24/7 and not just when the base is open.

Best answer by ScottWorld

It’s not a sync dependency, but anecdotal reports seem to indicate that your formula will update every few hours when your base is closed. Somewhere between 1 and 3 hours. Please test it out and report back with your findings!

However, a better way of doing it would be to use Integromat instead of Zapier, which has a built-in scheduler, full Airtable support, and none of the limitations of Zapier’s platform. It’s essentially the “next-generation Zapier”. It’s cheaper, too!

Zapier’s Airtable support is extremely limited, and its biggest weakness is that it will never re-trigger on a record entering a view if the record leaves and re-enters the view. You can also try scheduling in Zapier, but it requires a JavaScript hack to make it work.

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ScottWorld
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  • ScottWorld
  • Brainy
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  • February 12, 2021

It’s not a sync dependency, but anecdotal reports seem to indicate that your formula will update every few hours when your base is closed. Somewhere between 1 and 3 hours. Please test it out and report back with your findings!

However, a better way of doing it would be to use Integromat instead of Zapier, which has a built-in scheduler, full Airtable support, and none of the limitations of Zapier’s platform. It’s essentially the “next-generation Zapier”. It’s cheaper, too!

Zapier’s Airtable support is extremely limited, and its biggest weakness is that it will never re-trigger on a record entering a view if the record leaves and re-enters the view. You can also try scheduling in Zapier, but it requires a JavaScript hack to make it work.

C
  • Christopher_Sto
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  • February 12, 2021
ScottWorld wrote:

It’s not a sync dependency, but anecdotal reports seem to indicate that your formula will update every few hours when your base is closed. Somewhere between 1 and 3 hours. Please test it out and report back with your findings!

However, a better way of doing it would be to use Integromat instead of Zapier, which has a built-in scheduler, full Airtable support, and none of the limitations of Zapier’s platform. It’s essentially the “next-generation Zapier”. It’s cheaper, too!

Zapier’s Airtable support is extremely limited, and its biggest weakness is that it will never re-trigger on a record entering a view if the record leaves and re-enters the view. You can also try scheduling in Zapier, but it requires a JavaScript hack to make it work.


That’s really useful information, thanks Scott. I’ll do some testing.

ScottWorld
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  • ScottWorld
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  • Christopher_Sto
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  • February 15, 2021

I ran some tests over the weekend and the longest delay for a record entering my view (meaning that the NOW() function had been executed), was around 8 minutes.

ScottWorld
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  • February 15, 2021
Christopher_Sto wrote:

I ran some tests over the weekend and the longest delay for a record entering my view (meaning that the NOW() function had been executed), was around 8 minutes.


That’s great to hear! It sounds like your base was open at the time? My base was closed and my NOW() automation kicked in 39 minutes later. Better than the 1-3 hour delay I was expecting.

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  • Christopher_Sto
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  • February 15, 2021

I’m not sure how Airtable determines what is closed/open, but I’d closed the browser tab and my machine was off all weekend.

ScottWorld
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  • February 15, 2021
Christopher_Sto wrote:

I’m not sure how Airtable determines what is closed/open, but I’d closed the browser tab and my machine was off all weekend.


Very interesting! Sounds like yours was closed, too. I think this shows the wide disparity in timing updates for NOW() and TODAY().

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