Using Airtable

Airtable is a record database, not a spreadsheet. This means there are a few differences between Airtable and how a spreadsheet in Google Sheets or Excel operates. Namely:

• All information is tied to a record
• Records can have any number of fields
• Fields can store many different types of data
• Fields can be hidden or shown in different views
• Regardless of which view is being shown, the record and its’ fields are updated for the entire table

These points cover most of the differences in how Airtable operates.

Record - Each entry (seen as a row in grid view) is a record. The left-most field is the record title.

Field - Each entry consists of multiple fields (seen as columns in grid view), which can be modified. Each Field contains the data associated with each record.

View - Along the left side, there is a button to show views. Each view references the same data, but each view can be setup to filter/sort, show/hide and display fields differently. The most commonly used views are “grid view” and “kanban view”.

Table - This is analogous to a “worksheet” in any spreadsheet. Data from table to table within a base is seperate, however it can be linked through integrations or advanced workflows.

Base - This is analogous to a “workbook” in any spreadsheet. A new base is recommended for whenever drastically different information is presented. If you are simply incrementally increasing the semester, it is recommended to simply make a new table.