I’m having issues with my Make.com (formerly Integromat) scenario that processes customer orders from JotForm and adds them to Airtable. My setup includes an ‘Order Line Item’ table in the ‘Sales’ base. This table links to an ‘Inventory’ table in a separate ‘Inventory’ base via an ‘Inventory ID’ field, and it also links to an ‘Order’ table within the ‘Sales’ base.
When I use Make.com’s ‘Create Record’ action for Airtable, I can successfully add new order line items by manually entering the Order ID. However, when I try to input the Inventory ID, it fails, claiming that the record doesn’t exist. This issue occurs with both the POST API and the Create Record tool.
I’ve double-checked that the Inventory table is properly synced and visible in the Sales base. I’m wondering if this is a limitation of the Airtable API or perhaps a bug when dealing with linked records across different bases.
Has anyone encountered a similar issue or know of a workaround? I’m considering reaching out to Airtable’s community forum as well but would appreciate any insights here.
Having worked extensively with Make.com and Airtable integrations, I can relate to your frustration. Cross-base linking is indeed tricky. One solution I’ve found effective is using Airtable’s REST API directly in Make.com instead of the built-in Airtable module. This approach gives you more control over the data structure.
To implement this, you’d need to set up a custom API call in Make.com. First, retrieve the Inventory record using its ID, then use the returned record ID (not the Inventory ID) when creating the Order Line Item. It’s a bit more complex to set up, but it bypasses the limitations of the standard Airtable module.
Another option is to maintain a mirror of the Inventory data in your Sales base and use automation to keep it updated. This way, you’re working with local links, which are much easier to manage through the API.
Remember, these workarounds add complexity, so weigh the trade-offs carefully for your specific use case.
I’ve encountered a similar issue when working with linked records across bases in Airtable. From my experience, this is indeed a limitation of the Airtable API when it comes to cross-base links. The API doesn’t handle these connections as seamlessly as it does for links within the same base.
A workaround I’ve found effective is to use a two-step process in Make.com. First, create the record in the ‘Order Line Item’ table without the Inventory ID. Then, use a separate ‘Update Record’ action to add the Inventory ID link. This method has worked reliably for me.
Another approach worth considering is using Airtable’s Automations feature to handle the cross-base linking, if possible in your workflow. This can sometimes bypass API limitations.
If these solutions don’t work for your specific setup, I’d recommend reaching out to Airtable support. They might have additional insights or be able to confirm if this is a known issue they’re working on.