How to perform a mass update in Airtable

A quick tip for those managing large amounts of data in Airtable

So you need to update a large amount of Airtable records in one hit?

In some situations you can create a new formula column that applies the necessary changes, then either copy+paste the new column onto the old, or switch the formula column to a static text column and remove the old column.

But if you need something more than a simple formula can give you (such as importing updated data via spreadsheet), then another option is:

1. Ensure you have a suitable ID field for the table that is unique
2. Create a new temporary table that includes the ID and any updated columns. You can create this by importing a spreadsheet if it’s easier.
3. Create a reference field between the two tables and ensure they’re linked up correctly. One way to do this is duplicate the original table’s ID column and change it into a reference column pointing to the temporary table.
4. Insert new lookup column(s) in the original table that shows the updated data
5. Copy and paste the new data from one column to the other
   …or…
   Convert the lookup column into a static text column and remove the old column
6. Verify that your updated data appears correct
7. Delete the temporary table