Airtable Data Import Actor

Airtable Data Import Actor imports data from Apify datasets directly into Airtable with flexible field mapping, duplicate detection, and automatic table/field creation.

What does Airtable Data Import Actor do?

This Actor imports data from any Apify dataset into your Airtable base. Perfect for storing web scraping results, building automated data pipelines, and creating structured databases from scraped data.

• Flexible import modes: Append, override, or create tables automatically
• Smart field mapping: Map dataset fields to Airtable columns with dot notation support (e.g., product.details.price)
• Duplicate detection: Skip records that already exist based on a unique identifier
• Automatic field creation: Create new Airtable fields on the fly
• Batch processing: Handles large datasets with automatic batching

Examples of Airtable Data Import Actor workflow

1. Run a web scraper Actor to collect data
2. Set Airtable Data Import Actor as an integration with datasetId: {{resource.defaultDatasetId}}
3. Data automatically flows from Airtable Data Import Actor to Airtable

How to use Airtable Data Import Actor

⚠️ Use the Apify extension for Airtable

For the best experience, we recommend using the Apify extension for Airtable. The extension provides:

• Visual field mapping UI: Map dataset fields directly within Airtable
• Automatic field matching: Matches source and target fields
• Run Actors from Airtable: Execute Actors and tasks without leaving your base
• OAuth integration: Simple authentication flow

Install it directly in Airtable: Tools > Extensions > Search "Apify"

Learn more about the Apify-Airtable integration →

1. Connect Airtable account

Authenticate with Airtable using OAuth in the Apify integration settings.

2. Configure import settings

Required fields

• Airtable base: Base ID (e.g., appXXXXXXXXXXXXXX) or base name (e.g., My Base)

  • By ID: Find the base ID in your Airtable URL
  • By name: Use the exact base name (case-insensitive matching)

• Airtable table name: Name of the target table (e.g., Products, Contacts)

• Apify dataset ID: Source dataset ID

  ⚠️ IMPORTANT FOR INTEGRATIONS: When setting up this Actor as an integration to run after another Actor, use the following variable for the Dataset ID field:

  {{resource.defaultDatasetId}}
  
  

  This automatically uses the output dataset from the previous Actor in your workflow.

• Import operation:

  • Append - Add new records (keeps existing data)
  • Override - Delete all records first, then import
  • Create - Create a table if it doesn't exist yet

• Field mappings: Map source fields to Airtable columns

  [
      {
          "source": "title",
          "target": "Product Name",
          "targetType": "existing",
          "fieldType": "singleLineText"
      },
      {
          "source": "price",
          "target": "Price",
          "targetType": "new",
          "fieldType": "number"
      }
  ]
  

Optional fields

• Unique ID source field: Field name for duplicate detection (e.g., url, productId)
• Clear existing table data: Clear existing data when the table already exists in Create mode

Field mapping guide

Each mapping requires:

• source: Dataset field name (supports dot notation: contact.email)
• target: Airtable column name
• targetType: existing (field exists) or new (create if missing)
• fieldType: singleLineText, multilineText, number, or checkbox

Example: E-commerce product import

{
    "operation": "Append",
    "base": "appABC123456789",
    "table": "Products",
    "datasetId": "{{resource.defaultDatasetId}}",
    "uniqueId": "url",
    "dataMappings": [
        {
            "source": "title",
            "target": "Product Name",
            "targetType": "existing",
            "fieldType": "singleLineText"
        },
        {
            "source": "price",
            "target": "Price",
            "targetType": "existing",
            "fieldType": "number"
        },
        {
            "source": "url",
            "target": "URL",
            "targetType": "existing",
            "fieldType": "singleLineText"
        }
    ]
}

Tips

• Always use a unique identifier field (uniqueId) when appending to prevent duplicates
• Use singleLineText for most text fields, multilineText for descriptions
• Airtable Data Import Actor processes datasets in batches of 1000 items automatically
• Check Actor logs for detailed progress and error information

Output

Returns a summary with the imported count, skipped duplicates, and operation details.