How to Export Airtable to Google Sheets (Detailed Guide)

Introduction

Airtable is a powerful online platform that lets you create and share relational databases easily. It helps you store, organize, and manage your data—from product inventories to employee directories. 

While Airtable has a lot going for it, the platform also has its drawbacks.

Limited data visualization capabilities, for example, is a common frustration that Airtable users share.

Airtable is nowhere near Google Sheets when it comes to advanced charting and data visualization features.

(We’re just scratching the surface, of course.)

If you’re looking to export your Airtable data to Google Sheets to enjoy the benefits of both platforms, then this guide is for you.

Table of contents

Steps to export Airtable to Google Sheets

1. Prepare the data for export

2. Choose your export method and import to Google Sheets

3. Review your Airtable data on Google Sheets

4. Export more data if necessary

Visualize your Airtable data into easy-to-understand reports and dashboards with Polymer

People also ask

Simplify exporting data from Airtable to Google Sheets

Steps to export Airtable to Google Sheets

Follow the steps below to pull data from Airtable into Google Sheets. 

1. Prepare the data for export

After logging into your account, open the Airtable base containing the data or table you want to export. 

For instance, you can go to your Workspace and open your Marketing Tracking Campaign Base. 

Review your data to ensure you have everything you need before exporting. 

2. Choose your export method and import to Google Sheets

There are several ways to set up an Airtable and Google Sheets integration—from manual data exporting to learning how to choose a BI tool with automation features. 

One option is to download your data as a CSV file. 

For example, to export data within your Marketing Campaign Tracking base, click the dropdown arrow beside the See all campaigns tab/label and select Download CSV. 

Once the download is complete, you can import your file into Google Sheets. 

On a new or existing spreadsheet, select File on the top menu and click Open. 

 If your downloaded CSV file is in your local drive, select the Upload tab, then Browse (or drag and drop your downloaded file). 

 The data should upload and populate your Airtable data in your sheet within seconds or minutes (depending on your Google Sheets file size). 

While exporting via a CSV file download is pretty easy, this Airtable Google Sheets exporting method has several limitations, including the following:

• Airtable doesn’t support exporting an entire base, which means you must download each table within a base as CSV files. 
• You must export attachments separately since CSV files are text only, which can be additional work on top of your other tasks, such as when you analyze survey data.

You’ll need to apply some creative ways to present data.

You can use other exporting methods, such as paid data connectors, to simplify and streamline pulling your data from Airtable and exporting it into Google Sheets. 

Most data connectors can also sync your source data and export data automatically.

The downside is that most data connectors can be costly, and some can have common issues like bugs and slow performance when exporting large datasets. 

3. Review your Airtable data on Google Sheets

Review the data exported in Google Sheets to ensure accuracy.

Pay attention to column alignment, data consistency, headers, and data completeness.

Some common errors that happen when exporting Airtable data into Google Sheets are:

• Text formatting loss
• Hidden rows and columns in Airtable are visible in Google Sheets, 
• Time and date formats won’t be consistent
• Etc.

4. Export more data if necessary

Export additional data when needed and get everything in one Google spreadsheet. 

Once you have all your datasets, start adding formulas to drill down on specific data you want to see. 

You can also create charts, graphs, and dashboards from your exported Airtable data on Google Sheets. 

Using the Google Sheets Chart editor has a bit of a learning curve, but it’s simple enough when you get the hang of it. 

The downside is that Google Sheets visualizations aren’t the most beautiful. They have a somewhat clunky, old-fashioned feel.

TL;DR: Why Polymer is the best option for visualizing Airtable Data 

Use Polymer if you want beautiful, flexible, and easy-to-build data visualizations. 

The Business Intelligence (BI) software and one of the top sales intelligence tools let you connect Airtable in seconds and start building stunning charts, graphs, maps, and more with a few clicks. 

You won’t need to deal with expensive data connectors and complex setups since the no-code software has a built-in connector that pulls data directly from Airtable. 

Polymer’s automatic data syncing feeds fresh data to the platform and your saved reports. This way, you won’t need to update stale data for accurate reporting manually. 

Setting up your Airtable to Polymer connection, sorting your data, and building your visualizations are quick and easy with Polymer. 

Visualize your Airtable data into easy-to-understand reports and dashboards with Polymer

Effortlessly build stunning and extensive Airtable data reports and dashboards, such as your Facebook Ads for Ecommerce and Airtable marketing campaign data with Polymer software. 

The affordable yet powerful software has automation, AI, and customization functionalities that make creating data visualizations so much easier.

Here’s how to visualize your Airtable data in a flash with Polymer. 

1. Pull your Airtable data into Polymer with the data connector

Set up your data connection before you build or upgrade your dashboards in Polymer. 

The software has built-in data connectors for seamless integration with data storage systems such as Airtable and other platforms like Google Analytics, Jira, Zendesk, Facebook Ads, and Linear. 

Set up your connection by clicking Add Source and selecting Airtable from the data sources. 

Provide your Airtable API key, go through the prompts, and finish connecting your account to Polymer. 

Once done, Polymer should start pulling your Airtable data into the platform. 

2. Create your Airtable data visualizations

Use Polymer’s Block editor and AI-based recommendations to create your visualizations easily. 

Many of the top marketing analytics tools have decent data visualization features.

However, Polymer is one of the leading software for marketing analytics because of its powerful AI-based visualization builder and ease of use.   

‍Polymer’s AI discovers insights in your data and generates the corresponding visualizations with a single click. 

You can customize each block with user-friendly editing tools. 

You’ll get easy-to-understand custom funnels, pivot tables, scorecards, pie charts, heatmaps, and more in seconds. 

Add more blocks, customize your data headers, set filters, adjust your visualizations accordingly, and save your board when done.    

Set Polymer to auto-update your linked Airtable data by turning on the Auto-sync option for your dataset’s data source. 

The seamless auto-syncing saves you from a manual process or repeating your exports to ensure live data for your saved Airtable reports and boards. 

3. Share your saved Board

Click on the Share option at the top and set up your preferred sharing settings. 

 You’ll get a shareable link with your chosen access permissions. 

Create visualizations and reports for your other data. For example, leverage Polymer to analyze Facebook ads. 

While Google Sheets lets you create charts and graphs with your imported data, you don’t get the completely live data syncing Polymer offers. 

You can set up automations to auto-update your Airtable data on Sheets, but this has certain limitations. 

You can also use paid data connectors to get live data, but the tools aren’t cheap, making them an impractical option. 

People also ask

Can you import data from Google Sheets to Airtable?

Yes, you can by using Airtable’s built-in import option.

It lets you pull data directly from a Google sheet and move it to your Airtable base.   

Can you sync Airtable with Google Sheets?

Yes, by using Airtable automations. 

However, this automation feature has only one trigger, limiting your syncing options. 

Can you sync metadata files from a Google Drive folder into Airtable?

Yes. 

You can set up the Google Drive sync and reference the records through linked Airtable records.

Learn more from this Airtable Sync integration: Google Drive guide. 

Simplify exporting data from Airtable to Google Sheets

Exporting Airtable data into Google Sheets doesn’t have to be complicated.

Follow the detailed steps in this guide to start exporting your data now.

Also, use Polymer to build stunning visualizations and reports for your Airtable data,

Polymer’s live data connector and user-friendly, AI-based block editor help you uncover insights and highlight crucial data through beautiful visualizations. 

It makes understanding and presenting your data so much easier. 

‍Create a free trial Polymer account to see how the software can level up your data visualization game.