# Airtable

Airtable is a cloud-based platform that combines the simplicity of a spreadsheet with the power of a database. The Sling Airtable connector automatically discovers all accessible bases and tables, creating a dynamic endpoint for each table.

{% hint style="success" %}
**CLI Pro Required**: APIs require a [CLI Pro token](https://docs.slingdata.io/sling-cli/cli-pro) or [Platform Plan](https://docs.slingdata.io/sling-platform/platform).
{% endhint %}

## Setup

The following credentials and inputs are accepted:

**Secrets:**

* `api_key` **(required)** -> Your Airtable Personal Access Token

**Inputs (optional):**

* `last_modified_field_map` (optional) -> A nested map of base names to table names to the field name containing the last modified timestamp. Used for incremental sync.

### Getting Your API Key

1. Go to [Airtable's token creation page](https://airtable.com/create/tokens)
2. Click "Create new token"
3. Give your token a name (e.g., "Sling Integration")
4. Add the following scopes:
   * `data.records:read` - To read records from tables
   * `schema.bases:read` - To discover bases and tables
5. Add access to the bases you want to sync (or all bases)
6. Click "Create token" and copy the token (it starts with `pat`)

### Using `sling conns`

Here are examples of setting a connection named `AIRTABLE`. We must provide the `type=api` property:

{% code overflow="wrap" %}

```bash
sling conns set AIRTABLE type=api spec=airtable secrets='{ api_key: patXXXXXXXXXXXXXX }'
```

{% endcode %}

### Environment Variable

See [here](https://docs.slingdata.io/sling-cli/environment#dot-env-file-.env.sling) to learn more about the `.env.sling` file.

{% code overflow="wrap" %}

```bash
export AIRTABLE='{ type: api, spec: airtable, secrets: { api_key: "patXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" } }'
```

{% endcode %}

### Sling Env File YAML

See [here](https://docs.slingdata.io/sling-cli/environment#sling-env-file-env.yaml) to learn more about the sling `env.yaml` file.

```yaml
connections:
  AIRTABLE:
    type: api
    spec: airtable
    secrets:
      api_key: "patXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
```

**With incremental sync configuration:**

```yaml
connections:
  AIRTABLE:
    type: api
    spec: airtable
    secrets:
      api_key: "patXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
    inputs:
      last_modified_field_map:
        'My Base Name':
          'My Table Name': 'Updated At'
        'Another Base':
          'Customers': 'Last Modified'
          'Orders': 'Modified Time'
```

## Replication

Here's an example replication configuration to sync Airtable tables to a PostgreSQL database:

```yaml
source: AIRTABLE
target: MY_POSTGRES

defaults:
  mode: full-refresh
  object: public.{stream_name}

streams:
  # sync all tables in all bases
  '*':

  # exclude a specific table
  sales_crm_contacts:
    disabled: True
```

This replication syncs all Airtable tables to PostgreSQL using full-refresh mode, except for `sales_crm_contacts` which is disabled.

## Dynamic Endpoints

The Airtable connector uses dynamic endpoint discovery. When you connect, Sling automatically:

1. Fetches all accessible bases
2. For each base, fetches all tables
3. Creates an endpoint for each table named `{base_name}_{table_name}` in snake\_case

For example, if you have a base called "Sales CRM" with tables "Contacts" and "Deals", Sling creates:

* `sales_crm_contacts`
* `sales_crm_deals`

To discover available endpoints:

```bash
sling conns discover AIRTABLE
```

Each record includes the following metadata fields in addition to your table columns:

* `_id` - The Airtable record ID
* `_created_time` - When the record was created
* `_base_id` - The Airtable base ID
* `_base_name` - The base name
* `_table_id` - The Airtable table ID
* `_table_name` - The table name

## Incremental Sync

To enable incremental sync for a table, you must specify which field contains the "last modified" timestamp using the `last_modified_field_map` input.

{% hint style="info" %}
Airtable does not have a built-in "last modified" field. You must create a "Last Modified" formula field in your Airtable table that tracks when records are updated.
{% endhint %}

**Example `env.yaml` with incremental sync:**

```yaml
connections:
  AIRTABLE:
    type: api
    spec: airtable
    secrets:
      api_key: "patXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
    inputs:
      last_modified_field_map:
        'Data Catalog':
          'Datasets': 'Updated At'
```

**Example replication with incremental mode:**

```yaml
source: AIRTABLE
target: MY_POSTGRES

defaults:
  mode: incremental

streams:
  data_catalog_datasets:
    object: public.airtable_datasets
```

If you are facing issues connecting, please reach out to us at <support@slingdata.io>, on [discord](https://discord.gg/q5xtaSNDvp) or open a Github Issue [here](https://github.com/slingdata-io/sling-cli/issues).


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.slingdata.io/connections/api-connections/airtable.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.