Multi-source syncing overview

For the purpose of syncing in Airtable, a source is the origin where the synced data is coming from. Within Airtable, a source is a shared view with syncing enabled. We also offer several integrated (external) sync sources. So a source is any place where the data is coming from. Multi-source syncs will always involve bringing two our more sources into a single synced table.

The main difference between single and multi-source syncs is that multi-source syncs require field mapping. Since data in a destination table’s fields can be provided by multiple sources, your choices during the sync setup process will determine how the source fields map to the destination’s synced fields. For example, if a field in one source is formatted differently than a field in another source, then the field mapping setup allows you to determine both where the data will be populated in the multi-source destination synced table as well as how it is formatted.

From the image above you can see that some fields were automatically mapped, while others were mapped manually. In particular, notice that the “Completion date” (single line text) field’s information has been mapped to the “Due date” (Date field), thus converting the field type to match the date field format of the primary source.

Note

When adding a new source, we will try and match column names to existing column names. For columns that could not be matched, the default option will be to sync that data to a new field on the table instead. You can change any mappings or opt to sync any source field to a new synced field.

The primary source for a field is what will determine:

1. The field type and configuration

2. Whether the field is removed when the source field is hidden or destroyed.

For a sync with a single source, you can consider the single source to be the primary source for all fields. Whichever source first maps to a field, either when setting up the first source or by choosing the "Sync to a new field" option, becomes the primary source for that field. For every synced field you can change the primary source from the sync configuration window:

In this image, you can see that changing the “Due date” field’s primary source changes the field type from a date field to a single line text field or vice versa.

1. Once a synced table is already created, you can add other sync sources by opening the sync configuration menu. To do this, click the dropdown arrow next to your synced table, and select “Update sync configuration”.

   

2. The “Add records from another source” option will appear in the synced table settings. Clicking this option will allow you to configure another source to sync from.

   

3. Click “Add records from another source” to bring up the sync configuration window. Then choose the base, table, and view that you are looking to aggregate with the existing synced table. Click “Next” after choosing these options.

   

4. Lastly, navigate through the field mapping menu and decide what works best for your individual setup. We cover more about field mapping in the next section.

   

First, make sure to check that the “Data in this view is allowed to be synced to other bases” option is toggled on in every view source that you intend to aggregate.

Choose a base whose configuration makes the most sense for your workflow. You can always change this later, but remember that the first source you sync will default to be your primary source as well as determine the initial naming structure for the fields.

Next, you will need to sync each base to the destination base. There are multiple flows to choose from when looking to sync. For this example, we will set up our syncs from the “Management” destination base. As you can see below, the name of this newly created synced table will take on the name of the view that it has been sourced from. Feel free to rename the table and any synced fields after this initial setup.

This process will need to be repeated for the other sources you want to sync. Notice that some fields will automatically map, while others will show the option to “Sync to a new field type.” This means that a new field would be created. For our example, we choose to manually map the fields from the Product base to fields already created from the initial sync setup.

Now, to add a third source from the engineering team’s base.

Now that we have the three sources syncing to the Management base we can always go back and tweak the setup if changes are needed down the road.

You’ll need to understand and, in some cases, investigate these three general product areas to allow for two-way syncing on a multi-source synced table:

1. Ensure two-way syncing is enabled in the source - For two-way syncing to occur in a multi-source sync, each source table will need to be configured to Allow edits from other bases. Consult this documentation to understand more about enabling two-way syncing in a source. If just one source table isn’t

   • Please note that you will still be able to set individual fields as editable/non-editable, just not the records coming from any specific source.

2. Check sync destination schema & field mapping - Editable synced fields require that a corresponding field be mapped in the multi-source sync destination to each and every source. The reasoning behind this is that because the field “doesn't exist” in some sources, the system is unable to reflect the sync changes bidirectionally across all sources. By making it uneditable, we prevent the system from being confused over where to allow changes for the sync. As an example, let’s say that there is a “Status” field on the multi-source synced table, but only a “Status” field on 2/3 sources. In this case, the “Status” field will be uneditable in the destination until a corresponding “Status” field is added or shown in the third source. This previously missing or unconnected “Status” field will then need to be mapped correctly in the multi-source sync's settings.

   • Users may see the error message “This field does not exist for every source” in their synced table when this happens.

3. Look out for any field and/or table permissions - Field or table editing permissions can be configured in both the destination multi-source table as well as any of the sources connected.

   • If there are field or table permissions established in the multi-source destination table that prevent users from editing fields, then users will not be able to edit the table from the multi-source destination table. However, users with access to a source table will be able to make edits from the source that reflect in the destination table if similar field or table editing permissions have not been configured in the source.

   • If field or table editing permissions were established in one or more of the sync's sources, then that can also prevent edits in the multi-source destination table.

     • Our system registers syncs as if they're a user with ‘Editor’ permission levels. For example, if you set the “Status” field in one of the sources to only allow edits from ‘Creators’ or above, then the corresponding “Status” field in the destination table will become uneditable. Therefore, even if you have ‘Creator’ or ‘Owner’ permissions in the sync's source(s) and the multi-source destination, because the sync effectively has ‘Editor’ permissions, edits won't be accepted for that field until the permission level is adjusted again.

     • Users experiencing this may see the error message "This field can't be edited because at least one sync source doesn't allow it to be edited" in this case. Adjusting the permission level of the field or table to allow edits from 'Editors and above' should remove potential error messages.

     • If you are still experiencing issues with the editablity of a field, then check out the sync limitations listed here to see if the field is generally eligible for editing.

Change the destination synced field for the source field of your choice. The type of the destination synced field will also change based on the primary source field.

This option will stop syncing data from this source to the mapped field. If this source was the primary source the synced field will also be destroyed.

If the field was previously mapped to a destination:

• If the source was primary - the synced field will be destroyed, and the data will be mapped to a new field instead.

• If the source was not primary, the data from this source will be mapped to a new field instead.

If this field was previously unmapped - the data in the source field will be mapped to a new synced field.

You will have different limits for your synced tables according to the plan of the workspace your base belongs to. See our pricing page for more details on the sync limits for your workspace's plan.

To visualize which source a record is syncing from, you'll want to enable the Sync source option in the Advanced field options menu. To navigate to a specific record from a source, you can use the Open Source Record button action to open the record in a new tab.

The primary source determines the field type.

Navigate to the sync configuration window and select the change button next to the “Advanced field options” row.