Introduction
After reading through the support article on Airtable Sync's basic setup, it may be worth your time to dive into some of the more advanced sync options. These provide more functionality for collaboration and customizing your sync configuration.
As a reminder, there are three steps to complete in order to set up a sync.
- Step 1: Create a syncable view share link in the source base
- Step 2: Choose which method you would like to use to create the sync in the destination base
- Step 3: Use the setup window to configure and create the synced table
Advanced options
Sync frequency
Field sync settings
Record retention
Additional options
Sync frequency
In the sync configuration process, there is an option to sync manually or automatically (Workspaces on the free plan will not see an option to sync automatically). Turning on automatic syncing will cause the synced table to update about every 5 minutes. You can still manually sync a table, even if you have turned on Automatic syncing. Choose your preferred update method in the sync configuration window.
Manual sync can be accomplished on any plan at any time you choose. To manually sync your table click on the synced table's dropdown menu and click "Sync now". After you click the table will begin to update and save and changes. This process may take more time depending on the amount of information being synced. You will see an "All changes saved" message when the sync has finished successfully.
Field sync settings
From the sync configuration window, you can choose to sync all fields from the view or just some. If you choose to sync all fields, then new fields added in the sync source will show up in the synced table when the next sync occurs. If you choose to sync just some fields, then any new fields added in the source table will not sync until you have toggled them on as visible from the sync configuration window.
NOTE
If you are not seeing a table that you are expecting as an option, then you may need to check (or have a collaborator check) the settings in the source table.
Record retention
You can also choose how to handle records that are deleted or hidden in the source view: you can either delete or keep them in the destination table.
WARNING
If you choose the "Delete the records in this table" option, and records are deleted in the source table
or filtered out of the synced view at any point in time, any additional information added to the synced destination table (e.g. linked records or other data in fields) will be removed.
Additional options
After setting up a sync you may want to update its configuration at some point in the future. In order to do this, navigate to the drop-down menu next to the synced table you want to update. Click on the "Update sync configuration" option. This will pull up the configuration window where you can adjust the settings discussed above.
To prevent other collaborators from inadvertently changing the filters or hidden fields, consider locking the shared view 🔒 (premium plans only).
If a view is already locked then you will not be able to set up a syncable share link until the table is unlocked.
Adding an open source record button field to your synced table will create a unique link for each record in your destination base. Learn more here.