IA.md

brand	Airtable
tagline	Connected apps platform. Spreadsheet-meets-database with multi-view, automations, and interfaces.
category	Productivity
website	https://airtable.com

Airtable — Information Architecture

Overview

Airtable bridges spreadsheets and databases with a colorful, friendly UI. The mental model is structured data with multiple views — the same records appear as a grid, kanban, gallery, calendar, timeline, or form. Key differentiators: rich field types (attachment, linked records, lookup, rollup, formula), Interface Designer (custom app-like views), Automations (trigger → action workflows), and Sync (cross-base data sync).

Site Map

├── Home
│   ├── Recent Bases
│   ├── Shared with Me
│   ├── Starred
│   ├── Templates
│   ├── Workspaces
│   └── + Create Base
├── Base
│   ├── Table Tabs (Table 1, Table 2, + Add Table)
│   ├── Views (per table)
│   │   ├── Grid View (default spreadsheet)
│   │   ├── Kanban View
│   │   ├── Gallery View
│   │   ├── Calendar View
│   │   ├── Timeline / Gantt View
│   │   ├── Form View (public data entry)
│   │   ├── List View
│   │   └── + Create View
│   ├── View Toolbar
│   │   ├── Hide Fields
│   │   ├── Filter
│   │   ├── Group
│   │   ├── Sort
│   │   ├── Color
│   │   ├── Row Height
│   │   ├── Share View
│   │   └── Search
│   ├── Record Detail (expand row)
│   │   ├── All Fields
│   │   ├── Linked Records (clickable)
│   │   ├── Comments
│   │   └── Activity Log
│   └── Field Configuration
│       ├── Field Type Selector
│       ├── Field Options
│       └── Lookup / Rollup Configuration
├── Interfaces (Interface Designer)
│   ├── Interface List
│   ├── Interface Builder
│   │   ├── Layout Elements (grid, list, detail, chart, button, form, timeline, number, text)
│   │   ├── Data Source Picker (table + view)
│   │   ├── Filter / Sort per element
│   │   └── User Role Filtering
│   └── Published Interfaces
├── Automations
│   ├── Automation List
│   ├── Automation Builder
│   │   ├── Trigger (record created/updated, form submitted, scheduled, webhook)
│   │   ├── Conditions (filter logic)
│   │   └── Actions (send email, update record, create record, Slack, webhook, script)
│   └── Run History
├── Sync
│   ├── Synced Tables (read-only mirrors from other bases/sources)
│   └── External Syncs (Google Calendar, Salesforce, Jira)
├── Extensions
│   ├── Chart
│   ├── Scripting
│   ├── Page Designer
│   ├── Map
│   ├── Pivot Table
│   └── 3rd Party Extensions
├── Data (Admin)
│   ├── Tables & Fields Schema
│   ├── Field Dependencies
│   └── Data Capacity
├── Settings
│   ├── Base Collaborators
│   ├── API Documentation (auto-generated)
│   ├── Webhooks
│   ├── Snapshots / Backup
│   └── Trash (deleted records/tables)
└── Workspace Settings
    ├── Members & Billing
    ├── SSO / Security
    └── Admin Panel
├── Enterprise
│   ├── Admin Panel
│   │   ├── Usage Analytics
│   │   ├── Audit Logs
│   │   └── Data Governance
│   ├── SSO Configuration
│   └── API Rate Limits

Navigation Model

Layer	Pattern	Behavior
Top Bar	Fixed	Base name, undo/redo, collaborator avatars, share, help, extensions, automations
Table Tabs	Horizontal tabs below top bar	Switch tables, + add table
View Sidebar	Left of grid (collapsible)	View list for current table, grouped by type
Toolbar	Below table tabs	Hide, Filter, Group, Sort, Color, Row Height, Search, + New View
Record Modal	Click expand icon on row	Full-screen modal with all fields, comments
Interface Designer	Separate mode (top-left toggle)	Drag-and-drop layout builder

Content Model

Entity	Key Attributes	Relationships
Workspace	name, members[], plan	has many Bases
Base	name, icon, color, tables[]	belongs to Workspace
Table	name, fields[], primary_field	has many Records, Views
Field	name, type, options{}	belongs to Table
Record	field_values{}, created_time, last_modified	belongs to Table
View	name, type, filters[], sorts[], groups[], hidden_fields[], color_config	belongs to Table
Automation	trigger{}, conditions[], actions[], enabled	belongs to Base
Interface	name, layout, elements[], published, role_access	belongs to Base
Sync	source, destination_table, fields_mapped[], frequency	belongs to Base
Extension	name, type, configuration, base_id	belongs to Base
Snapshot	created_at, size, base_id	belongs to Base
Comment	text, author, created_at, resolved	belongs to Record
Webhook	url, events[], active	belongs to Base

Field Types

Single Line Text | Long Text | Attachment | Checkbox | Single Select | Multi Select |
Number | Currency | Percent | Date | Date & Time | Duration | Phone | Email | URL |
Link to Another Record | Lookup | Rollup | Count | Formula | Autonumber | Barcode |
Rating | Rich Text | Button | Created Time | Last Modified Time | Created By | Last Modified By |
AI (summarize, categorize, translate)

User Flows

Build a Tracker

Create Base → Add Table → Define Fields (name, type) → Add Records → Create Kanban View (by status) → Share with team

Form Data Collection

Create Form View → Select fields → Customize branding → Share form link → Responses appear as records → Automation sends notification

Interface for Stakeholders

Interface Designer → Add Grid element → Connect to table → Add filters (show only relevant) → Add Chart → Publish → Share link with stakeholders (they see interface, not raw data)

Automation Workflow

Automations tab → + New Automation → Select trigger (record created) → Add condition (status = 'New') → Add action (send Slack notification) → Test → Enable
                                                                                                                                    ↘ Add another action (update record status)

Cross-Base Sync

Source base → Table → Share view → Enable sync → Destination base → + Synced table → Paste sync link → Configure field mapping → Auto-sync every 5 minutes

URL / Route Structure

/                              → Home
/workspace/:id                 → Workspace
/:baseId                       → Base (default table + view)
/:baseId/:tableId              → Table
/:baseId/:tableId/:viewId      → Specific view
/:baseId/:tableId/:viewId/:recordId → Record modal
/:baseId/automations           → Automations
/:baseId/interfaces            → Interfaces
/:baseId/interfaces/:id        → Interface view
/:baseId/api                   → Auto-generated API docs
/form/:formId                  → Public form
/templates                     → Template gallery
/settings                      → Settings
/:baseId/syncs                → Synced tables
/:baseId/extensions            → Extensions panel
/:baseId/settings              → Base settings
/:baseId/collaborators         → Collaborators
/:baseId/webhooks              → Webhooks
/:baseId/trash                 → Trash
/workspaces/:id/settings       → Workspace settings
/workspaces/:id/billing        → Billing
/workspaces/:id/members        → Members
/account                       → Account settings
/account/api                   → API tokens

Search & Filter

Context	Filters	Sort
Within View	By any field (type-specific operators)	Any field, multi-sort
Global	All tables, all records	Table
Templates	Category, Use Case	Popular, Recent

Filter Operators

Text: is, is not, contains, does not contain, is empty
Number: =, ≠, <, >, ≤, ≥, is empty
Select: is, is not, is any of, has any of, is none of
Date: is, before, after, is within (past/next N days/weeks/months)
Linked Record: has, does not have, contains, is empty

| Extensions | Browse by category, popularity | Popular, Recent | | Automations | By trigger type, status (enabled/disabled) | Created, Modified |

Responsive Behavior

Breakpoint	Layout
Desktop (≥1280px)	Full spreadsheet with sidebar
Tablet	Horizontal scroll, collapsed sidebar
Mobile	Card list per record, gallery/kanban usable, grid limited

Access Control

Role	View	Add/Edit	Delete	Schema	Automations	Admin
Read Only	✅	—	—	—	—	—
Commenter	✅	Comments	—	—	—	—
Editor	✅	✅	✅	—	—	—
Creator	✅	✅	Own	Add fields/views	Create	—
Owner	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅