Automation triggers new record to be created, but what about record updates?

Welcome to the Airtable community!

I’d go with option 3 and no coding.

Link the two tables with linked record fields. When you create a record in table B, link it to the triggering record in table A. This will create a backlink in record A, so that record A now knows the record id of the corresponding record in table B. Then when record A is updated, use the record id in the linked record field to identify the record in table B that also needs updating. No scripting required.

You don’t provide enough information about the records in table C to determine how to push updates from table C to table B, but it can probably be done with scripting.

Thanks Kuovonne, that’s a nice approach for us newbies.

There is something so far I couldn’t figure out: how to modify a numerical field depending on the value it previously had?

I’m trying to update a stock table, adding or substracting items but I’m not able to get the previous value into the math equation. Any tips would be highly appreciated.

Thanks a lot!

Once a values changes in Airtable, the only way to access the previous values is for a human to look in the record history. If you need access to the previous value, you need a different system. Sometimes this means having another field to store the previous value and determining the logic/code for maintaining it. Sometimes this means moving the data to a linked record field with a new table.

Thank you that’s a good approach, but I apologize I didn’t express myself properly:

I didn’t mean previuous value, but current value.

new quantity = current quantity + difference

Thanks a lot,

Angel

Can you provide a series of screen captures that show where the new quantity, current quantity, and difference are input, stored, and copied?

Thank you kuovonne,

This is the stock table (“Inventario”), field “Unidades” is current stock:

This is the input table (“Movimientos”), field “Unidades” is the quantity to add or substract from “Inventario/Unidades” field, and “Vino” is the link to the item in “Inventario” to be modified.

I hope I could explain better now, if you need anything else please let me know.

Thanks a lot!!

Angel

Thank you for the screen shots. Which table is the table A in your original post?

In the [Movimientos] table, do you create a new record each time there is an amount to be added? Or are you updating an existing record in the [Movimientos] table?

If you are updating an existing record in the [Movimientos] table, that record is already linked to the record in [Inventario], right? There is also only one record in [Movimientos] every every record in [Inventario]? In the [Inventario] table, include a lookup field of the {Cantidad} and a formula field that adds {Unidades} to the looked up {Catidad}.

Then have an automation that

1. Runs after {Cantidad} is updated and the lookup and formula fields have time to recalculate.
2. Identifies the record in the [Inventario] table by the record ID from the {Vino} field in the [Movimientos].
3. For the [Inventario] record, copies the formula field with the sum to the {Unidades} field.
4. For the original record in the [Movimientos] table, resets the {Cantidad} to zero.

However, updating the quantity in one table based on a linked record seems a bit strange to me. It is a bit more common to have a new record every time there is an amount to be added or subtracted, then a rollup field would calculate the current sum. Of course, your base may have other constraints that prevent that design.

Thank you Kuovonne,

The original post is not mine, but I replied because I found it related.

As you say, [Movimientos] item is not updated but created a new record each time.

Ah, if a new record is created each time, that requires a different approach. Is the new record linked already? If so, use a rollup field to sum the values across all the linked records to determine the current total.