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How to Set Up FlowMattic Tables: Columns, Views and Workflows
This guide shows you how to set up FlowMattic Tables, the managed database for WordPress that keeps your workflow data off the WordPress database. Each site gets its own database on our managed infrastructure, wired into the workflow builder with five triggers and eleven actions, and a grid with 26 column types, saved views, card layouts and HTML templates for publishing the data.
It is for sites that have outgrown storing data in WordPress: a host that caps database size, an order log that keeps growing, a directory you publish to visitors, or an AI agent that needs memory. This guide explains how it differs from WP Tables, how to connect and build tables, every workflow step, and seven use cases.
What is FlowMattic Tables?
FlowMattic Tables is a database service FlowMattic runs for you. Your site gets a database of its own, separate from other customers and from your WordPress database, so heavy data does not slow the site or hit hosting limits. You manage it under FlowMattic → FlowMattic Tables, and workflows use it through the FlowMattic Tables app.
It sits beside WP Tables, not in place of it. WP Tables stays included and stores rows in your own database. FlowMattic Tables is an optional paid service, part of FlowMattic Cloud. Every license can start on the Free Cloud plan, and Tables is included from the Starter plan up, which you pick on the FlowMattic Cloud screen.
How to set up FlowMattic Tables
1. Connect your Cloud account and pick a plan
Open FlowMattic → FlowMattic Cloud and click Connect for free; the site starts on the Free plan. The Free plan does not include FlowMattic Tables, so pick Starter, Pro or Business on the same screen. When the site is eligible, a paid plan starts with a 7-day free trial, and at checkout you choose the Data region for your database: United States, Europe or India.
Your database is provisioned for you, and FlowMattic → FlowMattic Tables then shows your dashboard. Plans, upgrades and billing for Tables, Cloud Webhooks and the Scheduler all live on the FlowMattic Cloud screen. You can turn FlowMattic Tables off at any time under Settings → Core Modules; WP Tables and the rest of FlowMattic keep working.
2. Create or import a table
Create a table with a name and at least one field, or import a CSV of up to 20 MB. On top of the 13 column types every table has, FlowMattic Tables adds 13 managed-only types: Currency, Person, Tags, Attachment, Calculate (formula), Relation, AI Text, Percent, Phone, URL, Color, Created By (WP user) and Modified By (WP user).
- Relation: point a column at another table and a display field. Cells store the related row’s id and show that field.
- AI Text: write a prompt that references other columns with
{column_key}, then click Generate on a cell to fill it with your FlowMattic AI connection. - Shortcode: runs a shortcode for each row where the table is embedded, with
{{field_name}}filled from that row, such as an order button or a booking form. Each row can set its own shortcode is off by default; turn it on only for data you write yourself. - Formatting rules: tint a cell or the whole row when a value equals, contains, is empty, or is above or below a value. The first matching rule wins.
3. Organise and publish the data
In the grid, Views save filters, sorting and visible columns under a name, with one set as the default. Mark a view public and visitors can switch to it on a shared table. Layout turns each row into a card with the fields and order you choose, and a Button column on a card shows to logged-in users who can manage workflows. To publish, the Share dialog builds a shortcode where you can pin a saved view or card layout, let logged-in users edit cells or add rows, choose who can write, and show each user only their own rows.
For full control, an HTML Template renders your own header, row, footer and empty-state HTML through , with formats for dates, currency, percent, yes/no and tags, and CSS scoped to the template. A template can also be shared at a secret link that opens without a login and can be revoked at any time.
4. Use it in workflows
In the builder, choose FlowMattic Tables, pick an event, then pick the Table. Fields load from the table so you can map values directly.
Triggers, actions and key options
Triggers: New Row, Updated Row, Deleted Row, Updated Cell and Button Clicked.
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Insert Row | Adds a row from Row values. Currency takes whole minor units (1999 = $19.99), dates use YYYY-MM-DD. |
| Insert or Update Row | Finds the first row where Match field equals Match value and updates it, or inserts a new row. |
| Update Row / Update Cell | Changes fields on a row, or one column, by Row id. |
| Delete Row | Permanently removes a row by id. |
| Find Row / Find Rows | Filters with equals, greater or equal, less or equal or contains, plus Sort by and, for Find Rows, a Limit of up to 500. |
| Get Row | Fetches a row by id with a found flag for later steps. |
| Get Row Count | Counts all rows, or only those matching filters. |
| Raw SQL Query | One parameterised statement with ? placeholders and a Parameters (JSON array). String literals are rejected. |
| Continue on Approve or Reject | Pauses the workflow and emails an Approver email Approve and Reject links, with a subject, headline, message, a Wait up to limit and an option to require login. |
Usage, exports and API access
- Usage: the Tables screen shows records, writes this month, reads and tables against your plan. Reads are not capped. Hit a limit and you are told; nothing is billed as overage. Starter holds 100,000 records and 250,000 writes a month, Pro 500,000 and 2,000,000, Business 2,000,000 and 10,000,000.
- Exports: export the whole database (.sql) or a single table (.csv). The latest database export shows on the dashboard and its link is emailed to you; Starter allows one database export a day.
- Point-in-time restore: on plans that include it, the database can be rolled back to an earlier moment. The service takes a snapshot first.
- Tables API Keys: scoped, revocable keys for the Tables REST API, limited to chosen operations and tables, shown once at creation, with optional request logging pruned after 30 days.
Use cases for a managed database for WordPress
Keep a growing order log off WordPress
A busy store writes every order and its fulfilment status to FlowMattic Tables instead of the site database, so WordPress stays lean while the log grows.
WooCommerce New Order Created → Insert or Update Row (match: order_id)
Publish a member directory
A professional association stores members with Tags and Person columns, and publishes them through an HTML Template as a card grid on the members page.
New Form Submission → Insert Row → on the directory page
Client portals for agencies
An agency tracks deliverables in one table with a Created By column. The shared table shows each logged-in client only their own rows, and lets them update the status column.
Updated Cell (status) → Slack → Send Template Email
Approvals by email
Purchase requests land as rows. Continue on Approve or Reject emails the finance lead, waits up to two days, and resumes down the right path, updating the row with the decision.
New Row → Continue on Approve or Reject → Router → Update Cell · Send Email
Monthly revenue reports with SQL
A SaaS team runs one parameterised query on the first of the month to total paid invoices by plan, then posts the summary to Slack.
Schedule → Raw SQL Query → AI Agent (summary) → Slack
Memory for AI agents
A support agent stores a summary of each conversation and reads a customer’s past rows before replying. Because reads are not capped, looking things up all day costs nothing extra.
Webhook → Find Rows (customer email) → AI Agent → Insert Row
Enrich leads with an AI Text column
Marketing imports a lead list from Northwind’s event and adds an AI Text column that drafts a one-line opener from the company and role. A rep clicks Generate on the cells they want, reviews the text, then clicks the row’s button to send the lead to the CRM.
Button Clicked → FluentCRM → Update Cell (status: Sent)
Tips and gotchas
- Writes and records are what count. Plan limits apply to records stored and writes per month, so batch updates with Insert or Update Row rather than deleting and reinserting.
- SQL is one statement with placeholders. Put every value in Parameters; quoted string literals are rejected, and structure changes go through the tables UI.
- Filters are indexed for you. When you save a workflow, fields used in Find Rows filters get indexes automatically.
- Deleting a field deletes its data. Export the table before removing a column you might need.
- Table names are strict. Letters, numbers and underscores, starting with a letter, up to 63 characters. A site can have up to 500 tables with 100 fields each.
- HTML Templates need trusted authors. Saving template HTML requires an administrator who can post unfiltered HTML.
- Table shortcodes render only for trusted post authors.
andfor FlowMattic Tables show only in posts and pages written by an administrator. Theme templates and widgets are not affected, and developers can change the rule with theflowmattic_table_shortcode_author_capandflowmattic_table_shortcode_author_trustedfilters.
Related features
- WP Tables: the included database in your own WordPress or MySQL database.
- FlowMattic Cloud: the account that holds your Tables plan, Cloud Webhooks and the Scheduler.
- Human in the Loop: more ways to pause a workflow for a decision.
- MCP Server: let AI clients read and write your tables.
FAQ
Where does FlowMattic Tables store my data?
As a managed database for WordPress, it stores rows in a database for your site alone on our managed infrastructure, in the data region you pick at checkout (United States, Europe or India), separate from your WordPress database and from other customers. You can export a table whenever you like.
Why is FlowMattic Tables billed separately from my license?
Your license covers software that runs on your own hosting. FlowMattic Tables is a service FlowMattic runs for you, with storage and backups that cost money to operate every day. It is included from the Cloud Starter plan; every license can start on the Free Cloud plan, and WP Tables remains included if you prefer to keep data in WordPress.
What happens when I reach my plan’s limit?
The dashboard tells you, and writes beyond the limit are refused rather than billed as overage. Reads keep working, so your workflows can still look data up.
Can visitors see a table without logging in?
Yes. Embed it with a shortcode, render an HTML Template with , or share a template at a secret link that opens without a login and can be revoked.
Can I move from WP Tables to FlowMattic Tables later?
Yes. Export the WP Table as CSV and import it into FlowMattic Tables, then switch the workflow steps from the WP Tables app to the FlowMattic Tables app.
Set up FlowMattic Tables and get a managed database for WordPress without running a server. Read more on the FlowMattic Tables page and compare plans.
