Implementation BlueprintExecution layer

AT Migrator Airtable-to-PostgreSQL Cutover Sprint (7-10 days)

A fixed-scope project that moves a client's Airtable base into their own PostgreSQL database using AT Migrator, converting linked records into foreign keys and rebuilding formulas, rollups, and lookups as native SQL views. Priced as a one-time delivery, not a retainer, because AT Migrator is a one-way cutover tool. Time: 7-10 days.

By InnovaAI ResearchPublished

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Blueprint

AT Migrator Airtable-to-PostgreSQL Cutover Sprint (7-10 days)

A fixed-scope project that moves a client's Airtable base into their own PostgreSQL database using AT Migrator, converting linked records into foreign keys and rebuilding formulas, rollups, and lookups as native SQL views. Priced as a one-time delivery, not a retainer, because AT Migrator is a one-way cutover tool.

Prerequisites
  • Client Airtable base inventory: record count per table, field types, linked-record map, and every formula, rollup, and lookup dependency documented before quoting
  • Target PostgreSQL instance provisioned with credentials the agency controls, plus an S3-compatible bucket for attachment transfer
  • Read-only Airtable API token scoped to the base being migrated, confirmed to work against the client's workspace
  • Agreed cutover window sized with AT Migrator's migration time estimator so the client knows when Airtable writes must stop
  • Signed scope stating the engagement is one-way and one-time, with no ongoing sync obligation on either side
Execution Timeline
  • 1.Run AT Migrator against its published sample migrations (the 48,000+ record CRM base and the formula-heavy projects base) to verify foreign key output and SQL view behavior first-hand
  • 2.Confirm the zero-data-retention path: records stream through memory and write only to the client's PostgreSQL and S3-compatible storage
  • 3.Document the field-type mapping the client's base will produce, flagging any rollup or lookup that will not translate cleanly
  • 1.Audit the client base table by table and record the linked-record graph that will become foreign keys
  • 2.List every formula, rollup, and lookup with its intended PostgreSQL equivalent as a view or generated column
  • 3.Size the record count against AT Migrator plan tiers to pick Starter, Professional, or Business before purchase
  • 1.Stand up the target PostgreSQL database and the S3-compatible bucket, then test write access from the migration environment
  • 2.Create the read-only Airtable API connection and confirm AT Migrator can read the base without write scope
  • 3.Run the migration time estimator and lock the cutover window with the client
  • 1.Execute a dry-run migration into a staging PostgreSQL schema and inspect the generated foreign keys
  • 2.Check that formulas, rollups, and lookups landed as native SQL views rather than frozen values
  • 3.Verify attachment transfer completed into the S3-compatible bucket and that file references resolve
  • 1.Reconcile row counts and foreign key relationships between the source Airtable base and the staging schema
  • 2.Spot-check rollup totals and lookup outputs against the Airtable originals and log every mismatch
  • 3.Adjust field mappings and rerun the affected tables until the staging schema matches source intent
  • 1.Freeze client writes in Airtable at the start of the cutover window
  • 2.Run the production migration into the client's PostgreSQL database using the plan tier purchased for their record volume
  • 3.Download the migration script from the Professional or Business plan so the client keeps a reproducible record of the run
  • 1.Validate production data integrity: row counts, foreign keys, and view outputs against the frozen Airtable snapshot
  • 2.Hand the client a schema document covering tables, foreign keys, and the SQL views that replaced formulas, rollups, and lookups
  • 3.Walk the client's team through querying the new PostgreSQL views so they can retire their Airtable automations
  • 1.Close out with a written cutover report noting any field that needed manual handling and the exact AT Migrator plan used
  • 2.Confirm the client's Airtable base can be archived or downgraded now that PostgreSQL is the system of record
  • 3.Offer a separate, scoped PostgreSQL tuning engagement, since AT Migrator itself does not provide ongoing sync or managed service
AT Migrator license $199 (Starter, 5,000 records), $499 (Professional, 25,000 records), or $999 (Business, 100,000 records), each one-time, plus PostgreSQL and S3-compatible hosting billed by the client's cloud provider. Agency delivery time of 7-10 days is billed separately.7-10 days
ROI Logic

The tool cost is a one-time $199 to $999 depending on record volume, while the packaged SMB Starter offer is priced at $1,800 for roughly 16 hours of setup, so the license is a small fraction of the fee and the margin sits in the audit, cutover, and validation work. Because AT Migrator is a one-way migration tool, agencies should sell this as a fixed-scope project rather than a monthly retainer, and attach follow-on PostgreSQL work if the client wants ongoing support.

Deliverables
  • Field-type and linked-record audit of the client's Airtable base, mapped to the PostgreSQL schema AT Migrator will produce
  • Migrated PostgreSQL database with linked records converted to foreign keys and formulas, rollups, and lookups rebuilt as native SQL views
  • Attachment set transferred into the client's S3-compatible bucket with resolved file references
  • Downloaded AT Migrator migration script (Professional and Business plans) plus a cutover report documenting the run
  • Schema handoff document listing tables, foreign keys, and views so the client's team can query PostgreSQL without Airtable
Definition of Done

The client's PostgreSQL database returns the same row counts, foreign key relationships, and rollup and lookup results as the frozen Airtable base, with every formula, rollup, and lookup running as a native SQL view and the migration script archived.