What is the Airtable?
MH THREE TECHNOLOGIES
22.09.2024
Many of us at work are faced with endless spreadsheets, data and manual processes that rob us of time and energy. The worst thing is if we need to share our data, which we carefully store in Excel, with colleagues, or we need our customers, colleagues, partners to have access to some data. Or we need to inform someone that new information, a new contact, a new item has been added to the database. Of course, we can copy the data to e-mail, or send excel files and the like in e-mail attachments. However, it may not be completely effective. What if there was a way to streamline these tasks and organize and share data as a team?
Airtable may be the answer!
π What is the Airtable?
Airtable is a no-code data management tool that combines the best of the worlds of spreadsheets and databases. Imagine Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, but with a lot of other functions that allow you to better visualize, organize and, above all, share your data. In Airtable, you can create a custom application, from project management support to CRM management or marketing campaign planning.
πͺ What exactly can it be used for?
π Custom CRM application. For the needs of you personally or the needs of your team. You decide what data you need to record and easily share it within your team.
π A system for managing the company's digital assets, or a system for preparing and managing marketing communications, or communications on social networks.
π Customized reservation and login systems. Like, for example, the registration system that we created in cooperation with IGRIC (www.igric.sk), the oldest audiovisual awards ceremony in Slovakia.
π Records of access cards, laptop or car rentals, records of incoming and outgoing mail. All managed and created with Airtable.
π Or also the creation of individual databases, as I did, for example, and created a free database of collectible coins with complete data and photos using Airtable.
π Why Airtable?
β Flexibility and adaptability β Airtable is extremely adaptable. You can use it for any project, from a simple task to complex multi-level projects.
β Simple and intuitive use β Unlike traditional databases, Airtable is designed with users in mind and uses an intuitive interface. It works in any browser, as well as a standalone application on a computer, tablet or mobile. The interface makes it easy to customize and manage all your data, even for novices without much experience.
β Automation and Integration β Airtable easily integrates with other popular tools like Slack, Google Calendar, LinkedIn, Stripe, Dropbox, Mail and many more. It allows you to automate routine tasks and improves team collaboration, allowing you to define various automated processes.
β Visual templates and views β Using different types of views (grid, calendar, gallery, Kanban, timeline) you can better visualize your data, information, projects, tasks or any process. You can choose templates directly from the library or create your own according to your needs.
β A/B testing β Thanks to easy use and the ability to quickly make changes, you can A/B test different variants of databases or methods of communication. In this way, you gradually build the most ideal environment for your company or for yourself. And you can constantly adapt it according to your needs.
π And is there any artificial intelligence?
A form of generative artificial intelligence is implemented in Airtable, under the name Airtable AI. At the time of writing this newsletter, Airtable AI will help you in several ways.
πΈ Airtable Cobuilder β You can create the first version of the application in a few minutes using a text description that describes the expected application in your own words. You can further modify the designed app to suit what you need. You will very quickly get an application that you can continue to work with. Excellent for experimenting with your own applications or with the possibilities of technology.
πΈ Creation and editing of formulas β It is possible (of course) to use formulas in Airtable tables. The more complicated the formulas, the more difficult their creation and the greater the probability of an error. However, even complicated formulas can be created using Airtable AI, while the instructions for creating the formula can be entered in Slovak. You describe the content of the formula from the user's point of view, regardless of the language in which, for example, the individual columns in the tables are named. Airtable AI works not only when creating a formula, but also when editing it. You can forget about the complicated manual control of the number of brackets. Airtable AI will adjust the formula exactly according to the user description you give it.
πΈ Content creation β You can have a field in the database whose content you can create using generative artificial intelligence. For content creation, you enter your own command or use an existing template. You can automatically create, for example, translations of the contents of another data field into any language. Or you can create summaries of meetings, analyze sentiment, propose job descriptions. The possibilities are limitless. When defining an instruction for Airtable AI, you can use multiple fields from an existing table.
πΈ Data search β Artificial intelligence can also help users of the created application when searching for values ββfrom linked fields. This means that you do not have to scroll through a long list of values, but the application will first offer you the options that are most likely for a given combination of values ββin the other fields.
πΈ Summarizing comments β Airtable works as a tool supporting collaboration. Users can comment on individual entries in the tables. At any time, you can summarize all user communications for a given record.
You can communicate and enter instructions for artificial intelligence in Airtable in English, but also in Slovak, Airtable AI will understand you. We consider the way AI is integrated into Airtable to be an excellent example of how artificial intelligence will be integrated into other products. And we are only at the beginning of technological development in this area.
Um, is it free? π
You don't have to stress, Airtable is not a budget-intensive work tool. For private use and simple company databases, Airtable is free, for larger databases you will need to use a paid program in the range of a few tens of euros per month, depending on the number of users and the volume of processed data. However, Airtable AI extensions are part of Airtable's paid services.
How can we help you?
If you are interested in the topic of introducing a no-code platform, for example Airtable, in your company, or you are deciding whether or for which projects Airtable would be suitable for you, arrange a consultation with me via email martin.hrnko@mh3.sk, or right here https://calendly.com/martinhrnko/45-minute-meeting.
And where can it be learned? π
If you are interested in the topic, but you don't want to spend a lot of time studying and experimenting, or you want to try specific examples of using Airtable on specific projects, I would be happy to welcome you to one of our workshops, which we implement in cooperation with FIIT Academy. We are dedicated to low-code and no-code platforms, we will teach you how to work in Airtable, or how to manage a Digital Office (in the cloud). You will learn how to use Airtable in your business and thereby gain a competitive advantage and thereby increase the efficiency of your work. You will try out the possibilities of integration with other applications. You will try out how Airtable AI works π.
π Creating an account in AirtableβΒ https://airtable.com/invite/r/NuvbwvRQ
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