Sharing Data Across Quickbase Apps: Part 1 Cross App Relationships, Table to Table Imports, and Sync

Last Updated on 04/04/2022

One of the most powerful aspects of Quickbase is the ability to create many apps that can be deployed across the enterprise and accessed by a shared user base. The more apps you build and share, the more value you drive in the business.  

Quickbase apps manage data for processes, and often that data needs to be replicated, shared, or transformed. Quickbase makes it easy to replicate, transform and share data with a wide range of tools and techniques; the only challenge is choosing the right tool for the job. In this guide we will explore the various tools Quickbase provides for moving data between apps. The aim is to make it easier for builders to decide which strategy works best for their needs. This series of articles includes an overview, pros and cons, and considerations to assist builders in making the best choice.  

The features we will review are:  

Part 1 

Cross-App Relationships 

Table to Table Imports 

Quickbase Sync 

Part 2 (View Part 2 Here) 

Quickbase Pipelines 

Quickbase Actions 

Quickbase Webhooks 

Cross-Application Relationships 

Cross-app relationships provide the ability to connect two tables from different applications within a given account. They are quick to setup and follow the same pattern as relating two tables within the same Quickbase app.  

Key Benefit - Ability to create one-to-many relationships between tables in separate apps.  

Pros:  

• Operate similar to single application table-to-table relationships 
• Real time updates 
• No additional authentication needed 
• Quick setup 

Cons 

• Related data is not editable in the destination (ie lookups and summaries) 
• Role setup can be tricky 
• Relationship is not visible in the Parent table application 

• Application dependency results in shared system resources (CPU) 

Cross-application relationships work well when: 

1. Connecting small to medium sized applications with light-to-moderate complexity. 
2. You don't need to edit the data in the destination (child) table 
3. You do need data to be immediately available on the destination table and ready for viewing on forms and reports 

Considerations 

Ensure data visibility is as expected. Roles and permissions can be tricky with cross-app relationships, and it is important to ensure you are securing data in the way you intend. The Parent table must grant the Child table access and assign a role for all users in the Child table. Additionally, if a user has access to both applications the role in the Parent table will take precedence 

Document the purpose of the cross-app relationship. Document why you are creating each lookup and summary field. 

Use a consistent naming connection for cross-app fields. Understanding the source of data is especially important for builders. By developing a naming convention for lookup and summary fields, a convention which indicates the data is coming from another application, you can help save a lot of time when creating or modifying reports, forms, or relationships. This convention becomes even more important as your applications grow in both size and complexity.  

Cross-app relationships create application dependencies. When a cross-app relationships is created, it results in the two apps sharing system resources. This sharing of system resources can become an issue when daisy-chaining apps or creating a hub-and-spoke structure with a large number of applications (10 or more apps, as a rule of thumb) or a few apps that are large and complex.** 

Learn more about creating cross application relationships in our Table to Table relationship help guide here.  

Table to Table Imports 

Table-to-Table Imports (TTI) allow you to move data from one table into another, within the same app or across different apps. You accomplish this by defining field mappings from a source table with fields in a destination table.  

Key Benefit - Ability to replicate data from multiple sources into one table.  

Pros: 

• Easy to configure field mappings 
• Large data sets execute quickly 
• Able to merge data from multiple sources 
• Supports complex filtering criteria 
• Set up once and use when needed 

Cons:  

• Data is not moved in real-time 
• No native ability to schedule runs 
• User creating import must have access to both tables/applications 
• No warning when source or destination field is deleted 

• Application dependency results in shared system resources (CPU) 

Table-to-Table Imports work well when: 

1. Connecting small to medium sized applications with light-to-moderate complexity. 
2. You need to centralize data from multiple apps into one app. e.g. for rollup reporting purposes. 
3. You need to create snapshots of data for trend reporting. 
4. You don't need the import to happen immediately when the source data changes. 

Considerations 

Use API_RunImport to automate Table-to-Table imports. TTIs are configured once but can be run manually whenever needed. If you would like to set up the TTI to run at some interval, you will need to leverage the Quickbase API (API_RunImport) using a script or an integration platform such as Workato or Zapier.  

Ensure data types are the same when mapping fields. When configuring the TTI, ensure your field types for source and destination match, to prevent unwanted results. (The one exception is importing a numeric into a text field, which displays the number in text form.) 

Ensure you have the correct permission levels set for the destination. Once the data is imported into the destination, viewing and modifying the data follows the same roles and permissions as data entered by a user. If your intention is for the data to be read-only/not editable, be sure to configure each role to have view only permissions. 

Leverage Table-to-Table Imports for trend reporting. Table-to-Table Imports allow you to configure an import to capture data over time (snapshots) for trend reporting by executing the TTI at a desired interval.  

Document the purpose of the TTI and the intended field mappings. Periodically review the TTIs and ensure field mapping and filter criteria still exist and make sense. The documentation and periodic review is especially useful when multiple application managers work with the schema, because field type changes and field deletion can affect the TTI. 

TTIs create dependencies between applications when executed. Executing TTIs result in the share of system resources. This sharing of system resources can become an issue with leveraging TTIs for roll up reporting across a large number of applications (10 or more apps, as a rule of thumb) or a few apps that are large and complex.** 

Learn how to create Table-to-Table Imports in the Quickbase help doc here. 

Quickbase Sync 

Quickbase Sync connects tables to numerous cloud services including Quickbase itself. Sync also connects to .csv files via cloud storage services such as Box, Dropbox, and Google Drive; as well as SFTP servers.  

Key Benefit - Easily configure and schedule data replication.  

Pros: 

• Easily connects Quickbased tables via a wizard configurator 
• Ability to light filtering 
• Sync refreshes can be scheduled up to every hour 
• Applications can run independently without sharing resources (CPU) 

Cons: 

• Data is read-only 
• No real-time updates 
• Refreshes are heavyweight actions that can take minutes 
• Cannot do nested filtering 

• User fields are converted to text email addresses 

Quickbase Sync works well when: 

1. Sync refreshes are scheduled for times when there is light usage in the source and destination applications. 
2. You need a hub-and-spoke model where multiple destination tables pull data from the source. 
3. You need to keep applications decoupled. 
4. You don't need to edit the data in the destination table. 

Considerations 

Don't schedule unnecessary updates. Consider the frequency of updates being made in the source and how quickly you need the updates in the destination. Your needs will help determine the refresh schedule and eliminate unnecessary updates. 

Consider alternative Quickbase functionality when real-time updates are needed. Sync updates are scheduled or manually executed. When real-time updates are needed consider using other tools which trigger updates on changes in the source (such as webhooks or automations, outlined in Part 2).  

Use Sync to decouple application dependencies. Sync allows builders to easily connect tables between applications without sharing system resources. As such, Sync can be useful when you need to connect multiple large and complex apps with high usage.*** 

Schedule Syncs during low use times when possible. Sync refreshes can be expensive and take minutes when data sets being replicated are large. When using Sync, a best practice is to schedule refreshes during non-business hours/low usage. 

 Ensure the connection owner has the appropriate privileges in the destination. The connection to the source table is established and maintained with the credentials and permissions of the person that created the connection. The user creating the connection in the destination app must be in a role that has administrative rights. User access to the destination table is controlled the same way as any other table in the destination application, through roles and permissions. 

 Learn more about Sync and connected tables here.  

Find Sharing Data Across Quickbase Apps: Part 2 Quickbase Actions, Webhooks, Automations, and 3rd Party Integrations Here.  

**Guidance for Determining the Complexity Level of an Application 
 
Small with little complexity = The schema is easy to understand and navigate. You understand what is going on with formulas, roles and permissions, etc. without requiring a refresher every time you iterate the application. 
 
Medium and somewhat complex = The schema is understandable with a small amount of studying. You need some re-grounding around what formulas, relationships, roles and permission, etc. are doing before making any changes. 
 
Large and complex = Anytime you are working with the schema you must reground yourself or review documentation to ensure you have a solid understanding of why things were built a certain way. You find it challenging to articulate certain areas of the application to new builders. This is a clear indication documentation is necessary for your application.