Why linked imports break
Airtable stores a linked field as a reference to a record, not the text you see. Native imports paste the text and hope, which is how bases end up with duplicate companies, orphaned links, and broken rollups.
Airtable links point to record IDs. Your CSV only has display names, so native import has nothing to link to.
Paste "Acme Inc" as text and Airtable creates a brand-new record, now you have two Acmes and split rollups.
One mismatched link cascades into wrong views, empty lookups, and automations firing on the wrong record.
The person sending data cannot see which records already exist, so they guess, and guesses do not resolve.
Configured once, resolved every upload
On any field Airtable types as Linked, switch on the dropdown. You choose the display field uploaders read and the view that limits their choices, so they only ever pick from records you have approved.
Leave it off to lock uploaders to your approved list, or switch on Let uploaders create new records so a value that is not in the dropdown is added to the linked table automatically. Your base, your call.
Every linked cell becomes a searchable dropdown of the records you approved. The uploader searches by the name they know and selects the match. Impora writes the actual Airtable link, so nothing lands as loose text.
Two levers for cleaner resolution
Point the dropdown at an Airtable view instead of the whole table. Uploaders see only Approved Companies, not archived, duplicate, or draft records, so resolution is faster and mismatches drop.
Choose which field shows as the label. Uploaders read a company name or account code, never rec8f2…, and Impora still stores the correct record link underneath.
Everything the linked field needs
Uploaders choose from your actual linked table, so every value maps to a real record.
Point at an Airtable view to curate exactly which records can be selected.
Choose the human-readable field uploaders see while the record link is stored underneath.
Let uploaders add a missing record to the linked table, or lock the list to approved records only.
CSV columns map to the linked field and resolve against existing records before any write.
Rows that cannot resolve are flagged for review instead of creating a broken link.
You configure the linked field to show a dropdown of records from the linked table. Uploaders pick the record by its display value, and Impora writes the underlying Airtable record link, so your spreadsheet only ever needs the name, not the ID.
Yes. Point the dropdown at an Airtable view instead of the whole table. Only records in that view, for example an Approved Companies view, are selectable, which keeps archived, draft, or duplicate records out and improves match accuracy.
You choose the record display field. It is usually the primary field like Company Name, but it can be any field your team reads easily, such as an account code or domain. The readable label is shown while the real record reference is stored on import.
You decide. Leave "let uploaders create new records" off to restrict the list to approved records, or turn it on so a value not in the list is added to the linked table automatically.
They are held for review rather than written as a broken link or a stray text value. Operators can correct the value, create the record where appropriate, and rerun, and every run is logged.
Yes. Map the CSV or Excel column to the linked field and Impora resolves each value against the linked table using the same dropdown configuration before rows are written.