Learn how to import your Airtable base into a Coda doc.
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:
Navigate to your doc list at coda.io/docs
Click the + Templates button
Select the Import option from the bottom left of the menu
Find and click on the Airtable option
Click the Connect Account button
Authorize the coda application with the desired access level. You can choose a single base, single workspace or all workspaces.
Choose your base and click next
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:
Open the desired Coda doc
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Type /airtable anywhere on your page
Alternatively, just click on the Insert tab in the upper right of your doc, then click into Import
Select the Airtable option (under the Import heading)
Click the Connect Account button
Authorize the Coda application with the desired access level. You can choose a single base, single workspace or all workspaces.
Choose your base and click next
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.
After importing
Once your import is complete, there may be a few finishing touches that are needed to ensure a smooth migration to Coda. You should see a new page in your doc, titled Read me: Import next steps. This page is automatically added to help you with any next steps or fixes to your import.
To learn more, select the Import fixes subpage, since this is where we note some limitations of what can be imported from Airtable. In the table, you will find a complete list of all the issues in your recent import, along with a suggested solution and a link to the location of the issue. We've even included columns to help you assign issues to someone and track the resolution of these issues.
Once all issues have been successfully resolved, or you're satisfied with what you've resolved so far, you can simply delete the Read me: Import next steps page and its subpages. Alternatively, you can hide the pages to save for future reference.
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. You can refer to the Read me: Import next steps pages to learn more about what updates are needed.
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.