In this modern era, most business owners avoid using traditional databases as they often require more maintenance and in-depth knowledge of technical languages like SQL (Structured Query Language). Instead of relying on traditional databases, they prefer to store their data on spreadsheets and leave their Technical Staff to manage their company’s databases.
Moreover, spreadsheets can only hold limited records of data. Spreadsheets may be inefficient if your team works with big volumes of data and frequently makes comparisons. You’ll need to know how to utilize Airtable if you want to save your data in a database without doing a lot of technical work. Additionally, Airtable Pricing plans are also very reasonable and competitive that can be a great choice for any kind of business.
Airtable is a user-friendly software that allows you to create databases with minimal code. This database platform is similar to the spreadsheets that support gathering information in a tabular format. This article discusses Airtable and its key features including how to use it. You will be able to create and manage your Airtable workspace efficiently after reading this article. This article will also assist you in exploring the various Airtable Pricing plans so that you may select the best plan for your company’s needs. The Airtable Pricing plan is one of the reasons most businesses use this software.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Airtable
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Airtable is designed to help businesses manage data across collaborative teams. Also, by viewing the company’s Airtable, members of a team can analyze the progress of other teams, and determine whether their progress is encouraging or they need to increase their speed to meet the deadlines. Employers can also use this software to track and analyze the performance of each team.
Airtable is ideal for both small and large businesses. Large businesses use the platform to align their business goals across all departments. Small businesses, on the other hand, organize and monitor their workflow on Airtable by entering Business Goals, Customer Data, and Products into the database. Furthermore, Airtable Pricing plans are created based on the size of the businesses and thus making it an ideal choice for small as well as big businesses.
Although Airtable is a Relational Database, it allows users to upload information in cells, just like spreadsheets. However, unlike spreadsheets, the cells in Airtables have types like Phone Numbers, Checkboxes, and Dropdown Lists. Airtable users can also reference File Attachments, Link Tables, and upload selected fields to external websites. Moreover, Airtable Pricing plans are at affordable costs that you can utilize to manage your databases.
Components of Airtable
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There are certain components that every Airtable user should know before working on the software.
These components include:
- Table: A table contains information about a specific project. Your tables should be made up of related items.
- Field: Each cell in a table is a field. Fields in Airtable store various information like Long Articles, Single-line Texts, Phone Numbers, File Attachments, Numbers, Formulas, Currency, URLs, and Emails.
- Record: Each row in a table is termed a record.
- Base: A base is a group of tables. All the information on a collaborative project must be stored in one base. You can select a base from any of Airtable’s templates or create a new base from scratch.
- Workspace: A workspace is a group of bases. Depending on the size of your business, you may use one or more workspaces.
- Views: Views are sets of selected fields that Airtable users create to display to their audience. You can also save a view for future purposes.
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Key Features of Airtable
Airtable contains numerous tools which offer various features that help businesses achieve optimum Productivity. These tools include:
Snapshot
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The Snapshot feature allows Airtable users to back up their data. The cloud-based software occasionally takes Snapshots of users’ bases for record purposes. So, when a user needs to reference a previous version of a base, they can access the Snapshot list to identify the bases.
Airtable also allows companies to Snapshot their bases manually.
Linking between Tables
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This feature lets you link related records on different tables. With this tool, you won’t have to place all project information on a single table because they share a connection. Instead, you can categorize the data, based on a parameter of your choice into small tables and use the linking tool to connect related information.
Airtable Integration
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Airtable has an API (Application Programming Interface) that allows the software to connect to and exchange information with other websites and applications. Currently, the software uses Zapier, a task management service, to link to about 450 software programs and websites.
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Businesses use Airtable Forms to collect data from the public. Airtable integrates its forms with each user’s base, such that any information your audience enters into the form appears automatically in the base.
When you create an Airtable Form, the software will permit you to organize the required fields in the form. After building the form, you will receive a link that you can send to your audience. Anyone interested in filling the form can click on the link, and enter their data.
Airtable also lets organizations embed the forms on their websites to generate customer feedback.
Public Views
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Airtable users can display information on their bases to the public with the Public Views tool. When you activate this feature on your data, your audience will be able to see the records even if they do not possess an Airtable account.
Many organizations employ the Public Views tool to display customer feedback to their potential Leads.
Step-by-Step Procedure to use Airtable
Now that you have understood the basics of Airtable’s services and benefits, I am sure you are ready to learn how to use the software. This step-by-step guide will help you master the process:
Step 1: Setting up an Airtable Account
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To create an Airtable account, visit this link, and click on the Sign up for free button on the website’s homepage. The system will redirect you to the Sign-up page and will request you for the Company Email, Business Name, and Password. Then, you will receive an email from Airtable, instructing you to click on a link to complete the setup. Once you click on the link, Airtable will activate your account.
Please note that Airtable does not allow users to finish the Sign-up process on a mobile device. So, you need a laptop to create an Airtable account successfully.
When you log in to your Airtable account, you will see colorful icons organized into different groups. These icons are bases, and the groups are workspaces.
Step 2: Creating a Base
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Go to your workspace, and select Add a base. A dropdown menu will appear, asking whether you want to:
Now, we will be looking at these three options:
Using an Airtable Template
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It’s best to make your base with an Airtable template if you are just starting. The software offers a variety of templates suited to specific purposes, like Social Media Calendars, Event Planning, and Product Catalogs. When you select the Start with a template option, the system will redirect you to the template gallery. You can choose to browse the gallery for a template or type the kind of a template you want in the search bar.
Importing a Spreadsheet
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If you choose to import a spreadsheet, you must convert your document into a CSV (Comma Separated Value) file before importing it. To turn your spreadsheet into a CSV file, go to your original spreadsheet application and export the information as a CSV file. Now, you can click on the Import the spreadsheet option, and choose the CSV file from your computer.
Once you import your file, Airtable will change it to a Base. Alternatively, you can copy the tables from your spreadsheet software and paste them in the box titled Paste data here.
Building a Base from Scratch
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Although it’s best to make your first base with a template, there’s nothing wrong with creating everything on your own. No worries – the process is simple. Moreover, you can change your base later if you are not satisfied with the outcome.
After you’ve created your base, the customization menu will appear. This is where you name your base, and pick a suitable color and icon for it.
The tables in your Airtable base works like spreadsheets. So, you will know your way around them if you are familiar with spreadsheets.
Airtable Pricing Plans
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Airtable Pricing plans are very competitive and reasonable. Airtable Pricing plan has a varied range of pricing plans. One of them is the Free plan that provides basic functionalities to the users for free of cost. However, Airtable offers 4 different types of pricing depending on the user’s requirements. Below are the Airtable Pricing plans:
Free
In this Airtable Pricing plan, the customers are not enticed in by 14 day Free Trials, instead, Airtable makes the core features of its platform available for free.
This Airtable Pricing plan has no limitations on the number of databases that you want to create and these databases can be easily shared with as many users as you want. However, there are certain restrictions in this Airtable Pricing plan. You can create up to 1200 records and the storage space is limited to 2 GB. This Airtable Pricing plan will not be an ideal choice for the asset management of a business or organization, however, it can be an ideal choice to get a glimpse of Airtable and use it for small experiments.
Plus
In this Airtable Pricing plan, you can create up to 5000 records, and the storage space is increased to 5GB. This Airtable Pricing plan can be a suitable choice for small enterprises.
Apart from the features provided in the Free plan, it also provides automatic synchronization of the tables. The price of this plan is $10 per user per month. This Airtable Pricing plan also supports 6 months of revision and Snapshot history.
Pro
This Airtable Pricing plan can be a suitable choice for large businesses. It provides all the features of the Plus plan. On top of that, you can create up to 50,000 records, and the storage space is increased to 20 GB.
Moreover, in this Airtable Pricing plan, you can install various applications from the Airtable workplace. The price of this plan is $20 per user per month.
Enterprise
This Airtable Pricing plan can be customized based on the business requirements. In this Airtable Pricing plan, you can create up to 1,00,000 records and the storage space can be increased up to 1000 GB.
Moreover, apart from the features provided by the Airtable Pricing plan of Pro, you can also get a dedicated account manager for handling the data requests.
Conclusion
This article gave you an insight into how Airtable works, and you are in a position to create your base. So, you can go ahead to input your data and enjoy the perfect workflow that comes with using the software. Contact the Airtable Support team if you need assistance with your databases. Airtable is one of the best options for handling the databases and the Airtable Pricing plans are also very reasonable.
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Share your experience of understanding Airtable and your review of Airtable Pricing plans in the comments section below!
Isola is a freelance writer specializing in the domains of data integration and data analysis. He has a passion towards creating engaging and educational content, breaking down these sophisticated subjects for easily understanding.