Hey everyone!
I’m working on a new project in Airtable and need some help. I’m trying to set up an automation to calculate total values, but I need to pull in daily EUR exchange rates.
Does anyone know if it’s possible to make API calls within Airtable automations? I’m looking for a way to fetch real-time currency data automatically.
I’ve never done this before, so any tips or guidance would be super helpful. Maybe there’s a built-in feature I’m missing? Or do I need to use a third-party tool?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
hey mate, i’ve got a solution for ya. check out n8n - it’s like zapier but free and open-source. you can set up a workflow to grab currency rates from an API (like exchangerate.host) and push em to airtable. then use airtable automations to do your calcs. works like a charm for me!
I’ve actually tackled a similar challenge in one of my recent Airtable projects. While Airtable doesn’t natively support API calls within automations, I found a workaround using Zapier as a middleman.
In my setup, I configured a Zap that triggers daily and makes an API call to a currency exchange rate service (I used exchangeratesapi.io) to get the latest EUR rates. The Zap then updates a dedicated table in Airtable with this data. After that, I created an automation within Airtable that listens for changes in this rates table and updates my main table with the new values.
It’s not a direct API integration within Airtable, but it accomplishes the desired automation. Just be mindful of potential API rate limits when fetching data frequently.
While Airtable doesn’t support direct API calls in automations, there’s a clever workaround using Integromat (now Make). I’ve implemented this solution for a client recently.
Set up a scenario in Integromat that fetches currency rates from a reliable API (like Alpha Vantage or Fixer.io) on a daily schedule. Configure it to update a dedicated ‘Exchange Rates’ table in your Airtable base.
Then, create an Airtable automation that triggers when the ‘Exchange Rates’ table is updated. This automation can perform your desired calculations using the latest rates.
This method maintains data integrity within Airtable and allows for more complex operations if needed. Just ensure you’re within the API’s usage limits for your chosen provider.