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What is an active table?

An active table is a spreadsheet-database hybrid where columns execute work, calling HTTP APIs, computing formulas, performing lookups, and pushing to integrations, automatically for every record.

Traditional tables hold data. Active tables do things. Hypertab coined the term in 2026 to describe a category between databases (passive storage) and workflow tools (event-driven execution). The active table is a third pattern: persistent data with columns that execute logic per record.

Active table vs. database vs. workflow tool

Three distinct categories. Understand the trade-offs.

Pattern Examples What columns do Best for
Database Postgres, MySQL, Supabase Hold data only Transactional apps, analytics
Spreadsheet Google Sheets, Excel, Airtable Hold data + compute local formulas Light data work, ad-hoc analysis
Workflow tool n8n, Zapier, Make N/A, execute graph per event Event-driven automations
Active table Hypertab, Clay (subset) Hold data + execute work per record Batch enrichment, AI ops, GTM pipelines

The eight column kinds in Hypertab

Every column has a kind field that determines its behavior.

static
Holds data
e.g. Name, email, status
http
Calls an API per record, extracts response
e.g. Hit Clearbit /enrich endpoint, save to record
formula
Computes from other columns
e.g. `{{first_name}} {{last_name}}` → full name
integration
Pushes to external service per record
e.g. Sync to HubSpot when score > 80
waterfall
Tries sources in order, uses first match
e.g. Try Apollo, then Hunter, then ZoomInfo
lookup
Cross-table VLOOKUP
e.g. Match deal to account by domain
extract
Pull a JSON field from upstream column (zero API cost)
e.g. Extract `.company.name` from raw HTTP response

How execution works: record DAG

Smart columns don't run in isolation. Hypertab builds a dependency graph from column references ({{col_name}} in prompts, URLs, formulas). Records flow through this graph in topological order: A → B → C → D, per record, in parallel across records.

  1. 1. Insert record via webhook, MCP, CSV, or REST.
  2. 2. DAG fires if any smart column has auto_run: true.
  3. 3. Topological layers execute, independent columns run in parallel within a layer.
  4. 4. Each cell stores its output, queryable like any database field.
  5. 5. Edits cascade, change an upstream cell, dependents recompute.

The current Free beta allows up to five concurrent record DAGs per Table, with provider and runtime controls applying additional bounds. Token-bucket controls reduce pressure on configured provider accounts but do not guarantee provider acceptance.

When NOT to use an active table

Honest caveats.

  • Real-time transactional apps: use Postgres or Supabase.
  • Long-running step functions with branching: use Temporal or Inngest.
  • Heavy collaboration / docs: use Notion or Coda.
  • BI dashboards on warehouse data: use Metabase, Hex, or Mode.

FAQ

What is an active table?
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An active table is a spreadsheet-database hybrid where columns execute work, calling APIs, computing formulas, and pushing to integrations for every record. Hypertab is operable by AI agents through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and by humans through a browser.
How is an active table different from a regular database?
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A regular database (Postgres, MySQL, Supabase) stores records and runs queries. An active table also stores records, but each column can also do work: call an API, compute a formula, or push to another service. Logic lives with the data, not in a separate workflow tool.
How is an active table different from a spreadsheet?
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Spreadsheets (Google Sheets, Excel) compute formulas locally. Active tables also call external APIs and push to integrations at table scale, with rate limiting, retries, and dependency graphs. Formulas are one of several column kinds, not the only one.
How is an active table different from a workflow tool like n8n or Zapier?
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Workflow tools execute an explicit graph per event. An active Table keeps bounded per-record work and its outputs together as queryable cells, so you can rerun, edit, and inspect results like database fields. Supported size depends on the current plan, provider behavior, record width, and deployed runtime capacity.
Where did the term "active table" come from?
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Hypertab coined the term in 2026 to describe a category between databases (passive storage) and workflow tools (event-driven execution). The active table is a third pattern: persistent data with columns that execute logic per record.

Try the active table

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