Airtable connector

Set up the Airtable connector in Kaivo: authentication, configuration, the BigQuery tables it syncs, and answers to common questions.

Written By Lauri Raivio

Last updated About 4 hours ago

Kaivo is a fully managed data platform that syncs your Airtable data into a Google BigQuery warehouse and keeps it up to date automatically. There is no pipeline to build and no infrastructure to run, so you can spend your time analysing your project management data instead of moving it.

What is the Airtable connector

Sync your Airtable bases into BigQuery with Kaivo so the data your team manages in Airtable can be reported on and combined with the rest of your data.

CategoryFiles & Databases, Project Management
StatusGenerally available
AuthenticationAPI key
SetupSelf-service

Getting started with the Airtable connector

  1. Sign up for Kaivo and create a workspace.
  2. Connect your Airtable account.
  3. Choose which tables to sync.
  4. Wait for the initial sync to finish.
  5. Query your data in BigQuery or your favourite AI or BI tool.

Authenticating Airtable

Authenticate with your Personal Access Token.

FieldDescription
Personal Access Token

The Personal Access Token for the Airtable account. See the Support Guide for more information on how to obtain this token.

Configuring the Airtable connector

When you set up the connector, you provide:

FieldDescription
Add Base ID to Stream Name

When enabled, includes the base ID in stream names to ensure uniqueness. Use this if you have cloned Airtable bases with duplicate table names. Note that enabling this will change stream names and require a full refresh.

Tables and columns synced from Airtable

The available streams and columns depend on your account configuration (such as custom fields and objects), so they are determined when the connection runs rather than listed here.

How the Airtable sync works

After the first load, Kaivo keeps your BigQuery warehouse up to date for you. Where Airtable supports it, each sync pulls only new and changed records so it stays fast; otherwise it refreshes the whole table. Every record keeps its original ID, so you won't get duplicate rows.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the initial sync take for Airtable?

It depends on how much history is in your Airtable account. Most initial syncs finish within minutes, while large accounts can take a few hours. After that, syncs only fetch new and changed records, so they're much faster.

Can I sync only some tables or columns?

Yes. You pick which tables to sync when you set up the connection and can change the selection later. Tables you don't select are never copied to your warehouse.

What happens when Airtable's schema changes?

New fields are never added automatically. You choose which fields to sync, so data you haven't selected (sensitive personal data, for example) never lands in your warehouse. When a new field appears, it becomes available for you to add. What happens to removed or renamed fields depends on a table's sync mode: full-refresh tables always match what's currently in Airtable, so dropped fields disappear, while incremental tables keep their existing columns and history, so an old field stays and newly added fields fill in over time.

How do I handle GDPR or data deletion requests?

Your data lives in your own Kaivo-managed BigQuery warehouse, so the most direct option is to delete or anonymise specific records right in BigQuery. If you delete data in Airtable instead, full-refresh tables drop it on the next sync, while incremental tables keep it, so you would remove the row in BigQuery or ask us to run a full refresh. To remove everything, delete the Airtable connector in Kaivo and all of its synced data is deleted with it.

Common use cases for Airtable data

Operational reporting

Turn the records your team tracks in Airtable into dashboards without exporting spreadsheets by hand.

Combine with other sources

Join Airtable data with your CRM, billing, or product data in BigQuery for a complete picture.

Keep a synced history of your Airtable records to analyse how they change over time.

Data quality checks

Query your bases in BigQuery to find duplicates, gaps, or records that need attention.

Use Airtable data in your AI and BI tools

Once Airtable data lands in your Kaivo-managed BigQuery warehouse, you can explore it with AI tools or any BI tool that connects to BigQuery. Here's how the most common destinations work with Airtable data.

Claude

Use Kaivo's MCP server to give Claude secure, workspace-scoped access to your data. Setup guide →

Power BI

Microsoft's BI tool with a native BigQuery connector. Supports direct query and scheduled refresh. Setup guide →

Data Studio

Free Google BI tool with native BigQuery support. One-click connection to your Kaivo warehouse; great for SMB teams on Google Workspace. Setup guide →

Tableau

The premium analytics standard, with native BigQuery integration. Setup guide →

Google Sheets

Use Connected Sheets to query BigQuery directly from a spreadsheet, with no SQL. Setup guide →

Excel

Connect via Power Query's BigQuery connector. Setup guide →

Metabase

Open-source BI tool with strong BigQuery support. Setup guide →

See our pricing page for Airtable connector pricing and plan details.