Kuovonne's Guide to Airtable

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Kuovonne's Guide to Airtable

Fields

Field dependencies
Field dependencies

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Why dependencies matter

If you change or delete something, its dependencies can break!

In a complicated base, you cannot remember all your dependencies.

Native dependency checker

Dependencies tracked

The native dependency checker shows if a field is used in the following ways

calculated fields (formulas, conditions)

views (filtering, sorting, grouping, etc.)

syncs

automations (except scripting actions)

interface pages

Dependencies NOT tracked

The native dependency checker does NOT show fields used in the following situations

any dashboard extensions, including Page Designer, Scripting Extension, Charts, etc.

any third party services, including automation services, portals, document generation services

Using the native dependency checker

Show dependencies (Enterprise & Business only)

Pick “Show dependencies” from the menu for the field.

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Deleting a field

When you delete a field, if dependencies exist, you will see a warning listing dependencies before the field is deleted. If there are no dependencies, the field will be deleted without the warning screen, and you can restore the field from the trash.

This technique does not work on primary fields, as you cannot delete a primary field.

Changing some field configurations

When you change some field configurations, you will see a warning listing dependencies when you go to shave the changes. Here are some field configuration changes that will trigger the dependency warning.

Changing the formula in a formula field

Deleting a choice in a select field

Note that not all changes will trigger the dependency warning. For example, adding choice to a select field will not trigger the dependency warning.

To use this technique, make field configuration changes that will not alter your data.

Change a formula in a way that does not affect the formula result, such as adding zero to a formula the produces a number or concatenating an empty text string to a formula that produces text.

Add a new select choice (that will not appear in any record data), and then delete the select choice

Additional considerations

The dependency checker only shows immediate dependencies. It does not show long chains of dependencies. For example, a text field may be used in a formula, which is used in a rollup, which is used in an automation. The dependency checker will only show the initial formula. In order to determine that the original field is eventually used in the automation, you must manually follow the chain pf dependencies.

The dependency checker will not show if a specific change will actually affect any dependencies. For example, a select field might be used in the filter for a view, but the specific choice you are deleting might not be part of the filter. You must manually look at the dependencies to determine if the change will affect the dependency.

The dependency checker currently only shows field dependencies. It does not show dependencies for a table or view as a whole.

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