Skip to main content

Sync your data to Airtable

A dataset mapping ties one SKU.io dataset to one Airtable table and controls what gets written, how records are matched, and when the sync runs. This guide walks you through creating a mapping and running your first sync, then covers managing mappings once they exist.

Before you begin​

  • Connect your Airtable account to SKU.io first. See Connect Airtable.
  • Have an Airtable base and table ready to receive the data. To skip the setup, let SKU.io build one for you — see Create a ready-made Ops Hub base.
  • Know which of the seven datasets you want to sync: Products, Inventory Levels, Sales Orders, Sales Order Lines, Purchase Orders, PO Lines, or Suppliers.

Steps​

The Add dataset mapping wizard has four steps: Dataset, Destination, Fields, and Options.

  1. Go to Apps & Integrations → Airtable, open the Datasets tab, and select Add mapping to open the wizard.
  2. On step Dataset, pick the SKU.io dataset you want in Airtable. Each dataset shows as a card with its field count; Products, Sales Orders, and Suppliers carry a Two-way chip because they also support inbound sync. Select Continue.
  3. On step Destination, choose the Base, then the Table. Both lists load from your connected Airtable account. Select Continue.
  4. On step Fields, choose the Key field (SKU.io ID) — the Airtable field that stores the stable SKU.io identifier (the SKU, order number, or record id). This is the merge key SKU.io upserts on, so records never duplicate. The chip at the top reads Key field required until you pick one, then flips to Key field set.
  5. Map each SKU.io field to an Airtable field in the grid. SKU.io pre-matches fields by name when you select the table, so most rows are filled in — adjust any that are wrong. Fields carrying customer or supplier contact data show a PII chip so you can decide whether to export them. Leave a row as Not mapped to skip that field. Select Continue.
  6. On step Options, set Direction. Outbound (SKU.io → Airtable) pushes your data to Airtable. Inbound (Airtable → SKU.io) is selectable only for a two-way dataset; for outbound-only datasets the control is disabled and notes "This dataset supports outbound sync only."
  7. Set Schedule — Every 15 minutes, Hourly (the default), Daily, or Manual only. A Manual only mapping never runs on the scheduler; it syncs on demand or through real-time push.
  8. Set On delete in SKU.io — how the sync treats a record archived or removed in SKU.io: Flag the Airtable row (checks an Archived box, the default), Delete the Airtable row, or Ignore (leave it). For datasets with no archive concept (Inventory Levels, Sales Order Lines, PO Lines), Flag is stored as Delete because there is no Archived field to check.
  9. For an inbound mapping only, set Apply inbound changes — Review before applying (the default, changes queue for approval) or Apply automatically. An inbound Products mapping also shows a Create missing products switch that creates a product when an Airtable row has no match instead of queueing it for review. These controls are hidden for outbound mappings.
  10. Set the Real-time sync and Enabled switches. Real-time sync pushes changes to Airtable as they happen; Enabled turns the mapping on without deleting it.
  11. Select Save mapping. If the button is disabled, hover it for the reason: "Pick the Airtable field that stores the SKU.io ID (step 3)" or "Map at least one field before saving." To create the mapping and push data right away, select Save & sync instead — it starts a background sync and directs you to the job tray.

Your new mapping appears in the Datasets list. If saving fails validation (for example, an Airtable field mapped twice, or a data field pointed at the key field), an inline error alert explains what to fix.

Run a sync on demand​

The scheduled cadence keeps mappings current, but you can push at any time.

  1. On the Datasets tab, find the mapping's row.
  2. Select the Sync now action (the sync icon) at the right of the row.
  3. For an outbound mapping, a tracked job named "Sync Airtable: [dataset]" starts. A toast reads "Sync started — track progress in the job tray," and the tray reports its progress and a completion summary of records created, updated, skipped, and failed. The list refreshes automatically when the job finishes.
  4. For an inbound mapping, Sync now instead runs a silent fetch that pulls changes into the review queue. It does not create a tray job, because pushing SKU.io data outbound would overwrite your Airtable edits. See Review changes from Airtable.

Turn real-time or a whole mapping on or off​

Each row has inline switches so you can adjust a mapping without opening the editor.

  1. Toggle the Real-time sync switch (shown as Real-time in the datasets table column) to start or stop pushing changes as they happen, or the Enabled switch to pause the whole mapping. A disabled mapping is skipped by scheduled sweeps, real-time push, and inbound fetch.
  2. The switch shows a busy spinner while the change saves, then a toast confirms it (for example, "Real-time sync enabled" or "Mapping disabled").
  3. If the save fails, the list refetches to restore the true state, and an error toast tells you what happened.

Edit a mapping​

Select the Edit (pencil) action on a row to reopen the wizard. The Dataset, Base, Table, and Direction are fixed once a mapping exists — an info alert explains that to point at a different table you delete the mapping and add a new one. You can still change the field map, key field, schedule, delete mode, apply mode, and the switches. Select Save changes, or Save & sync to save and push immediately.

Delete a mapping​

  1. Select the Delete (trash) action on the row.
  2. A confirmation warns "This stops syncing this dataset. It cannot be undone." Select Delete to confirm.
  3. The mapping is removed and the list refreshes. Your Airtable data is left in place — only the SKU.io mapping and its record links are removed.

When no mappings remain, the table shows a No datasets synced yet empty state with the two primary actions: Create SKU.io Ops Hub base and Add mapping.

Find a mapping fast​

The Datasets list is a full datatable. Use the Search bar (searching Base ID, Table ID, or Dataset), the Direction, Schedule, and Enabled quick filters, the date filter, and the AI-assisted advanced filters with chips. Save a filter combination as a view from the saved-views bar, and use the column selector to show or hide columns. The Last Sync column shows an error chip when a mapping has recent sync failures — hover it for the count and the last error.

Next steps​

Video transcript

To sync your SKU.io data into Airtable, go to Apps & Integrations, open Airtable, and select the Datasets tab. Every row maps one SKU.io dataset to a single Airtable table. To map a new dataset, choose Add mapping and select the SKU.io data you want in Airtable. Products, sales orders, and suppliers can sync two ways. The wizard guides you through the Airtable base and table, the field mapping, and options such as sync direction and schedule. Once a dataset is mapped, push the latest data any time. Select Sync now, and SKU.io upserts every record into your Airtable base, updating existing rows by their key instead of creating duplicates. Follow the run in the job tray. The Last Sync column refreshes the moment it completes.

Last verified: