Import data from Airtable

Learn how to import your Airtable base into a Coda doc

Updated over a week ago

So you want to move some - or all - of your data from Airtable to Coda. Luckily, we’ve built an importer that will allow you to do just that. With a few clicks, you can import your Airtable bases into Coda.

This feature is currently still in beta so may need some improvements. If you have any feedback to share, please submit it here. Thanks for helping make our product great!

Within this article, you’ll find...


Import to Coda as a new doc

To create a brand new Coda doc from an Airtable base follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to your doc list at coda.io/docs

  2. Click the + Templates button

  3. Select the Import option from the bottom left of the menu

  4. Find and click on the Airtable option

  5. Click the Connect Account button

  6. Authorize the coda application with the desired access level. You can choose a single base, single workspace or all workspaces.

  7. Choose your base and click next

  8. Choose your tables and views. Note that all linked tables must be selected.

Note that large bases may take a while to fully import. See our FAQ on load time below for more info.

Import to an existing Coda doc

If you want to add your Airtable base to an existing Coda doc, follow these easy steps:

  1. Open the desired Coda doc

  2. Type /airtable anywhere on your page

    1. Alternatively, just click on the Insert tab in the upper right of your doc, then click into Import

  3. Select the Airtable option (under the Import heading)

  4. Click the Connect Account button

  5. Authorize the coda application with the desired access level. You can choose a single base, single workspace or all workspaces.

  6. Choose your base and click next

  7. Choose your tables and views. Note that all linked tables must be selected.

Note that large bases may take a while to fully import. See our FAQ on load time below for more info.

import airtable existing doc.gif

FAQs

What happens to formulas, rollups, and grouping when importing into Coda?

Unfortunately Airtable does not provide any information on the specific formulas used in formula or rollup fields. There is also no information provided with regards to grouping. Coda supports formulas and grouping and these columns will just need to be updated post import.

What about my automations?

Automations are also not exported from Airtable’s API. Luckily Coda has Automations as well that can be quickly created by using the /automations command

Can I import Airtable interfaces?

Airtable doesn’t provide a way to export interfaces, so we currently import them into Coda docs. Since Coda is an all-in-one doc, you can present information in any way you see fit. You can mix and match tables, views, and rich content, right in the Canvas. If you want to know more, a good place to start is our guide on creating a visually impactful doc.

How do Airtable concepts translate to Coda concepts?

Airtable has Workspaces, Bases, Tables and Views. Coda has similar concepts for these behaviors. A workspace in Coda holds a list of Coda docs. We translate Airtable Bases to a Coda doc. A Coda doc seamlessly combines the database capabilities of Airtable tables, views and much more in a flexible surface.

Interfaces in Airtable are replaced by Coda docs. Since a Coda doc is a flexible writing surface you can mix and match tables, views, and rich content in the Canvas.

Why is my Airtable import taking so long to complete?

There is rate limiting on the Airtable API that limits the number of calls we can make per second. We can only pull 100 records at a time and thus it may take some time to complete an import that has many rows.


Related resources

Did this answer your question?