Inconsistencies with last modified times when importing records into Airtable

This is an odd Airtable bug that has bitten one of my clients a few times:

  • If you create a new record in Airtable using the native grid view or the native interface view, Airtable always records the “creation time” and the “last modified time” as the exact same time.

  • If you create a new record in Airtable using the API, Airtable ALSO records the “creation time” and the “last modified time” as the exact same time.

  • If you import new records into Airtable using the CSV Import extension, Airtable ALSO records the “creation time” and the “last modified time” as the exact same time.

  • However, if you import new records into an Airtable table by right-clicking on the table name and choosing to import that way, Airtable only records the “creation time”. It leaves the “last modified time” completely blank.

This can cause major problems if you have written an automation that is triggered by the “last modified time”. If the user imports records into Airtable using one importing method as opposed to another importing method, then your automations will never trigger.