In this guide, we'll convert currency in Airtable for a list of transactions with different currencies and amounts. To do this, we'll use exchangerate.host API, which provides current and historical exchange rates. This guide is 100% no-code, as we'll use the Data Fetcher Airtable extension to connect to exchangerate.host and pull in exchange rates.
Create Transactions Table
Create a table in your base called 'Transactions'. If you've already got a table with your currencies and amounts in, you can use that instead.
Add a field called 'Currency' with type 'Single line text'. Then add a field called 'Amount' with type 'Number' and a precision of '1.00'. Add records for the currency symbols you want to convert and the amounts for each transaction.
Install Data Fetcher
Install Data Fetcher from the Airtable marketplace. After the extension launches, sign up for a free Data Fetcher account by entering a password and clicking 'Sign up for free'.
Convert Currency in Airtable
On the home screen of the Data Fetcher extension, click 'Create your first request'. Requests in Data Fetcher are how you import data to or send data from your Airtable base.
On the create request screen in Data Fetcher, for Application, select 'exchangerate.host'.
For Endpoint, select 'Convert from one currency to another'.
Enter a Name for your request, e.g. 'Import Exchange Rates'. Then click 'Save & Continue'.
For From currency, we want to insert a reference to our 'Currency' field. First click the + button.
Then, on the modal that opens, select 'Transactions' for Table, 'Currency' for Field, 'Grid view' for Run for every record in view. Then click 'Confirm'.
The From currency field should now contain a reference to the table.
Select the target currency you want to convert into for To currency, e.g. 'USD'.
For Amount, use the + button to create a reference to the 'Amount' field in the 'Transactions' table.
By default, we are going to import the latest exchange rates. If you want to convert currency in Airtable for particular historical dates, you can set the Historical date option. You can either set this to a particular date using the date picker, or reference a field in your Transactions table with type 'Date'.
Make sure the Output Table & View is set to 'Transactions' and 'Grid view'.
Click 'Save & Run'.
The request will run and the Response field mapping modal will open. This is where you set how the fields from exchangerate.host should map to fields in the 'Transactions' table. For each field, you can either import or filter it. For an imported field, you can set whether to map them to an existing field or create a new field.
Make sure you import the 'Result' field, which has the result of the currency conversion! Import any other fields you want. Then click 'Save & Run'.
Data Fetcher will create any fields that need to be created in the output table, then run the request and convert the currency for every record in the 'Transactions' table.
Convert Currency in Airtable Automatically
At the moment, we have to manually run the request to update the exchange rates. We can use Data Fetcher's scheduled requests feature to update them by converting currencies every 15 minutes/ hour/ day etc.
In Data Fetcher, scroll to Schedule and click 'Upgrade'.
A new tab will open where you can select a plan and enter your payment details to upgrade.
Return to the Data Fetcher extension and click 'I've done this'.
Under Schedule click '+ Authorize'.
A new window will open where you can authorize the particular Airtable bases for Data Fetcher to access.
By selecting 'All current and future bases in all current and future workspaces' you'll avoid having to authorize further bases for future use.
Click 'Grant access'.
You'll now see Schedule this request has toggled to on.
Select how often you want the request to run, e.g. 'Every 15 mins'. Click 'Save' The request will now run on the schedule and update the exchange rates automatically.
