Put the data in a real table
Build-along · ~30 min at your own keyboard
A tool that forgets everything when you reload the page is a toy. A real table keeps the data. For a small business, a table is a spreadsheet-style database. Airtable, Google Sheets, Notion and Excel or Lists all work. You do not need to learn database words. A table has columns, which are your fields, and rows, one for each job, customer or quote. Ask AI to design the columns from your spec. Add ten real rows. Then ask the table one question that you could not answer before, such as 'How many jobs were skipped this month?' Keep sensitive fields out of the table, or mark them clearly, and decide who can see it.
Ladder · Level 5The long version: Building with AI ↗
Do this
0/7Checkpoints
- ▸You should now see a table with named columns that match your spec, and 10 real rows.
- ▸You should now see an answer to one question, and the hand count that matches it.
- ▸You should now see a written list of who can see the table and which fields you kept out.
The three ways this goes wrong
- The AI-designed table has 30 columns. — Cut it back to the fields in your spec. Say: 'Use only the fields in my spec. Do not add any others.'
- The answer to your question does not match your hand count. — Check for dates stored as text, extra spaces in choice values, and blank rows. Fix the data, then ask again. Do not trust any answer you could not check.
- The table is shared with 'anyone with the link'. — Change sharing to named people only. Check the share setting now, and again after you connect the table to your tool.
Share what happened
Paste: your column list (name, type, example), a note on which fields you left out, 3 sample rows with private details removed, your question and the table's answer, your hand check, and who can see the table.
Strip API keys, passwords, and tokens before you paste. Swap them for [KEY].
🔒 Don't paste confidential, personal-health, or payment info.