Step 1: Creating a new base

In this course we will create a simple tool to record and manage your personal or professional expenses. When you're done, you'll be able to record expenses at any time, either on your computer or on your cell phone. Every time you pull out your wallet, you should then document this expense. The reward for this effort is that you can see at a glance what you have spent how much money on.

So let's start this online course by creating the necessary structure to be able to save these outputs. To do this, you will create an initial base and then some columns. You will see that the following steps are almost self-explanatory.

A little tip for working efficiently with this online course
I would like to recommend that you have two browser windows open on your monitor and place them next to each other. Open this article in one browser window and open your SeaTable in the other. This will make it much easier for you to follow the steps in this course without having to constantly switch windows.


Create new base

We start on the SeaTable start page. Create a new base with the name Expense Tracking button. Then click on this base to go to the Base Editor.

Change the name of the first table

By default, each base contains a table with the name Table 1which has a column with three rows .

  • Delete the three rows
  • Then change the name of the table to Expenses
Help if you get stuck
The operation of SeaTable should be intuitive in most cases. For example, you can delete rows in the same way as you are used to from many other software solutions: Select the rows and right-click. If you still need assistance, please refer to the help articles we have compiled for you at the bottom of the page. There you will find instructions for every step of this online course.

Customize the columns of the table and add new ones

Next, we turn to the columns of the table so that our base can record the desired data.

  • Change the name of the first column from Name on Reason
  • Now add three more columns

Column 1:

Name: Date
Column type: Date
Format: any
To the minute: Yes

Note: Instead of the column type Date the column type Created time can be used. While you have to fill in the date column manually, this would be filled in automatically with the current date. This of course saves time. However, the disadvantage would be that you would no longer be able to change the date value and, for example, could no longer retroactively enter expenses for other days.

Column 2:

Name: Amount
Column type: Number
Format: Euro

Column 3:

Name: Category
Column type: Single select

25 column types
So far you have only seen a fraction of the possible column types. One of SeaTable's greatest strengths is that you can really store any type of information thanks to the 25 column types currently available.

Add single selection options

Your single selection currently has no selection options. Therefore, next create a new selection for the Category the following four options:

  • Clothing
  • Groceries
  • Leisure
  • Travel

Short quality check

Fantastic. If you have followed the instructions exactly, your base should now look like this:

Let's briefly recap what you have just created with just a few mouse clicks: You now have a base in which you can record all your future expenses.

At the same time, by selecting the column types, you have ensured that only the appropriate information can be entered in the columns.

That was step 1 of this online course. Scroll to the end of this article and jump to Step 2: Creating a form.

Help article with further information