Skip to main content

Export to SQL-style DB

D
Forum|alt.badge.img+5

Hi everyone.

We are running into the size limitations of Airtable. We are at 19 GB and at 20k records and will add this much data each year. Therefore we will need to switch to a traditional SQL style relational database. Is there any way to export an airtable base out of airtable and into a “real” database infrastructure? Any help is appreciated.
Best,

PS: Yes, there is the custom plan but we are a small non-profit and can’t afford a solution that is significantly more expensive than a traditional database solution.

2 replies

T
Forum|alt.badge.img+9
  • Tim_Wilson
  • Known Participant
  • 35 replies
  • October 7, 2022

My best guess is something like the following:

  1. Export all your tables from Airtable in CSV format.
  2. Massage all the CSV files in Excel to match up with the database schema of your new database.
  3. Use the standard import tools of your database to import the CSV files.

I’m assuming that most of your 19 GB is attachments. Storing binary “blobs” in your database is an entirely different topic and an art unto itself, and the best solution will depend on the database system you choose. One of the most popular strategies these days is to store those large files in something like AWS and just keep the URL to the file in your database. It all depends on what type of data you’re storing. The AWS approach integrates with various caching/CDN services too which is great if the people who need to access the information are widely distributed.

Good luck with your project.

D
Forum|alt.badge.img+5
  • David_Weiss2
  • Author
  • Inspiring
  • 12 replies
  • October 7, 2022

Thanks @Tim_Wilson
Moving the attachments to AWS seems like the way to go, we don’t even need them necessarily within airtable.

Thanks!

Reply


Most helpful members this week

Terms & Conditions