How to Let Approvers Update Status Without Giving Editor Access in Airtable

Imagine you run an internal Purchase Request process. Employees submit requests for equipment, software, or materials. Each request lands in a central table waiting for a manager to review it.

Only after the Status changes to Approved can the finance team place the order and move the workflow forward.

The natural question is what level of access the manager needs to perform that approval?

Do they really need full editor access to the entire base, or is there a simpler way for them to just update the Status field without touching anything else.

The challenge with giving editor access

The most straightforward solution is to give approvers editor access so they can open the record and manually update the Status field from Not Approved to Approved.

This works, but it also opens up the entire base. They could accidentally edit other data, delete something, or change values they should not touch.

If the only action an approver needs to perform is changing a single field like the Status field, giving full editor access is unnecessary. A more secure approach is to allow them to update only the required field without exposing everything.

A cleaner alternative using Fillout forms

Use Fillout forms to update existing records.

You can create an update form in Fillout and choose only the fields you want the approver to edit. Once the form is ready, Fillout gives you a link to that update form.

Add a button field inside your Airtable table that opens the Fillout update form link. When the approver clicks the button, the form appears and shows only the fields you included. For example, you might include only the Status field.

The approver selects Approved, submits the form, and Fillout updates the record directly in Airtable. They never access the base and do not need editor permissions.

This approach keeps your data safe, reduces mistakes, and still enables smooth approvals. You maintain control while giving approvers a clean and focused experience that makes the process simple and secure.