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Creating a report with Airtable Interface Designer
To help users create graphs, charts, and other visualizations from their Airtable data, Airtable released its Interface Designer, an easy-to-use tool that allows you to create your first report in 5 to 10 minutes.
The Interface Designer is available on the free plan, but some features, such as granular permissions and advanced controls, are reserved for paid plans starting at $20/month.
Follow the next steps to learn how to create your report with the Interface Designer.
Step 1: Click on “Interfaces”
In your Airtable base, click on the “Interfaces” tab at the top of the screen.
Step 2: Click on “Start building”
On this page, you have the opportunity to learn more about Interface Designer. Once you’re ready, click the “Start building” button.
Step 3: Choose your interface layout
Airtable gives you the choice between various layouts for your interface: List, galley, kanban, calendar, form, and more. For this example, let’s select “Dashboard” and click “Next”.
Step 4: Connect to a table
Select a table from your base as a data source for your report, then press “Next”.
Step 5: Add elements to your report
Select elements from the list to display in your report. You have the choice to insert charts (line, pie, bar, scatter, donut, etc.), numbers, and filters and conditions to the displayed data. You’ll be able to modify it further later on. Once you’re happy with this first version, click on “Next.”
Step 6: Name your report
Enter your report name in the “Name” field, and press “Finish” to complete the setup!
Step 7: Customize your Airtable Interface Designer report
You now have the first iteration of a report based on the setup steps we just completed. Customizing it is relatively easy, thanks to a drag-and-drop interface that doesn’t require technical skills. To learn how to customize your interface, check out the following steps.
Step 7.1: Add new elements to your report
Add new elements to your report by clicking on the “+ Add element” button in the bottom-left corner of your interface. From there, you’ll be able to pick from various elements: text, dividers, buttons, numbers, filters, and more.
Step 7.2: Add a page to your interface
Click on “Add page” in the screen's right panel to add another page to your interface. This will take you to the same setup process that you started with.
Step 7.3: Preview your report
By clicking on the “Preview” button in the top-left corner, you’ll be able to get a look at your report as normal users will see it once published.
Step 8: Click on “Publish”
Once you’re happy with your report, hit the “Publish” button on the top-right corner! You’ll be invited to share the interface if you so wish.
Creating a report for your Airtable data using Softr
Using Softr, you are able to create interfaces and data visualization based on Airtable data: client portals, internal tools, and of course, reports. The entire process will take you around 10 minutes and is entirely free using Softr’s free plan.
Unlike Airtable Interface Designer, Softr allows you to share your report publicly without putting your data at risk. If you want to share your reports with specific people, then Softr allows your users to authenticate using any of the available options: Sign-in with SSO, SMS, Google, or with custom code.
Softr also offers you templates, combined with design flexibility, so you don’t have to start your report from scratch.
Step 1: Log in to Softr
Login to your Softr account using your credentials or with Google, or create a free account.
Step 2: Click on “New application”
The first step is to create an application on Softr. For the sake of this example, let’s start with a template that will give us a great Airtable base to work on, and a corresponding application on Softr.
Step 3: Select a template
You can use the “search” field or browse the available templates. For this example, we chose to use the Sales KPIs Dashboard.
Step 4: Click on “Use Template”
Let’s get started with our template.
Step 5: Click on “Airtable”
We want to use Airtable as a data source.
Step 6: Choose your authentication method
You have the choice between using a personal access token or your API key.
Step 7: Click on “Copy base to your Airtable account”
Let's copy this base on our Airtable account. This will redirect you to Airtable, where you can click “Add base” to complete the initial setup process.
Step 8: Your report is now synced with Airtable data
Changes in the Airtable data will be reflected in your new report.
Step 9: Customize your report
There are plenty of things you can do on Softr to further customize your new report. Check out the following steps.
Step 9.1: Add new blocks to your report
Your report can be customized with entirely new blocks, either dynamic or statics, including forms. Lists, tables. Charts, kanban, and more. To do so, click on “Add block” and select which block you want to add.
Step 9.2: Set permissions for each block
By clicking on individual blocks and selecting the “visibility” tab, you are able to determine who should be able to see the content of that bloc. This is particularly useful for sensitive information for example.
Step 9.3: When ready, click on “Publish” to set your report live
Whenever you’re ready to set your report live into the world, click on “Publish”, set your customer domain and/or subdomain and hit “Publish” again.
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