What a data store is for
Make calls data stores its built-in database tool for storing and managing data across scenarios. [1] The typical jobs are small and scenario-facing: remembering which records were already processed, keeping a counter, or mapping one system's IDs to another's.
Because the data sits inside your Make organization, it suits data that only scenarios need. If a colleague who never opens Make needs to read or fix the data, a spreadsheet or Airtable base is usually the better home.
Data structures and keys
Every data store has a data structure, which Make describes as a document that describes the format of the data so the editor knows what each module sends or receives. [2] You create it when adding a new data store, either by hand or with a generator that builds it from a sample you paste in; you can edit the result afterwards. [2] The Data structures page in the left sidebar shows which data stores and scenarios use each structure. [2]
Records are fetched, checked, updated and deleted one at a time: Make's module descriptions say Get a record retrieves a specific record and Check the existence of a record checks whether a specific record exists. [3] You identify that record by its key, so choose a key you already have at lookup time, such as an order ID or an email address, rather than something you would have to search for.
- Keep the structure small: only the fields a later scenario run actually reads.
- Use a stable, unique identifier as the key: an order ID, not an order number that can be reused.
- Store dates as dates, not text, so filters can compare them.
The eight data store modules
Make's Data store app has seven actions and one search, and no triggers. [3] Each module run is an operation, billed at 1 credit by default. [4] Most search modules return up to 3,200 objects or 5 MB per run, [5] so filter Search records tightly.
| Module | What it does [3] | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Add/replace a record | Adds or replaces a record | Save that an order was processed |
| Get a record | Retrieves a specific record | Look up a stored value by its key |
| Check the existence of a record | Checks if a specific record exists | Duplicate guard before sending |
| Update a record | Updates a record | Change one field, such as a status |
| Search records | Returns records matching criteria | Find all records older than a date |
| Count records | Returns the count of all records | Monitor growth against your storage |
| Delete a record | Deletes a specific record | Clean up after a job finishes |
| Delete all records | Deletes all records | Reset a test store; dangerous in production |
How much storage you get
Data store space is part of Make's usage allowance, which scales with the credits you buy. The pricing FAQ says that for every 1,000 credits you get 1 MB of data storage, which it equates to one data store, so 10,000 credits a month means 10 MB. [6] The minimum size of one data store is 1 MB, and an organization can have up to 1,000 data stores regardless of plan. [6] The free plan's 1,000 credits equal 1 MB and one data store. [6]
- Make's pricing and help pages give storage in megabytes, not records, so run Count records monthly and watch how fast the store grows.
- Delete records you no longer need, such as order IDs older than your refund window.
| Credits licensed per month | Data store storage [6] | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 (Free) | 1 MB, one data store | One small lookup store |
| 10,000 | 10 MB | Up to ten 1 MB stores, or one larger store |
| 20,000 | 20 MB | Room for several stores |
| 40,000 | 40 MB | Enough for long-lived ID lists |
Data store, Google Sheets or Airtable?
All three cost about the same per lookup inside Make, because each lookup is one module run at 1 credit by default. [4] The difference is who else needs the data and how big it gets. A Google Sheets file can hold up to 20 million cells or 100 MB. [7] Airtable's paid Team plan is $20 per user per month billed annually, and it charges for every user with edit permission in the workspace. [8]
| Question | Data store | Google Sheets | Airtable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who reads or edits the data? | Scenarios, and people with access to your Make organization | Anyone you share the file with | Base collaborators; editors are billed on paid plans [8] |
| Size ceiling | 1 MB per 1,000 credits; each store at least 1 MB [6] | 20 million cells or 100 MB [7] | Check Airtable's plan limits |
| Credits per lookup in Make | 1 per module run [4] | 1 per module run [4] | 1 per module run [4] |
| Extra service to manage | None | A Google account and sharing settings | An Airtable workspace and seats |
| Best fit | Duplicate guards, counters, ID maps | Lists people review or edit | Structured records with views and permissions |
Worked example: remember which orders were already emailed
The problem: an order webhook sometimes fires twice, and customers get two confirmation emails. The fix is a duplicate guard keyed on the order ID. Create a data store whose structure has two fields, order ID and emailed at, and use the order ID as the record key.
In the scenario, put Check the existence of a record straight after the trigger, keyed on the order ID. Add a filter after it that only lets bundles through when the record does not exist; Make's basic filter operators include Exists and Not exists. [9] Then send the email, and finish with Add/replace a record to save the order ID and timestamp.
Credits per order: 1 for the trigger, 1 for the existence check, 1 for the email and 1 for saving the record, so 4 for a new order. A duplicate costs 2, because the filter stops it before the email and filters do not use credits. [10] At 500 orders a month with 50 duplicates, that is 2,000 plus 100, or 2,100 credits, against 1,100 for the scenario without a guard and 50 apologetic emails.
- Turn on Process data in order if two copies of the same webhook can arrive at once; webhooks run in parallel by default. [11]
- Add a monthly scenario that uses Search records to delete IDs older than 90 days, so the store does not grow forever.
- Test with Run once by sending the same order twice and confirming the second run stops at the filter.
Watch demos / Official walkthroughs
See how the tools work.
Videos load from YouTube only when you press play. These are provider videos, not our own product tests.
Make / Official video
Make—Building Your First Automated Workflow from Scratch
What to look for: Follow how modules connect and how data moves through the first workflow.
Watch on YouTubeQuestions before you decide
How much data store space does the Make free plan include?
Make's pricing FAQ says the free plan's 1,000 credits a month equal 1 MB of data storage and one data store. Paid plans get 1 MB per 1,000 credits, or 10 MB per 10,000 credits.
How many data stores can one Make organization have?
Make's pricing FAQ says you can use up to 1,000 data stores per organization regardless of plan, and the minimum size of one data store is 1 MB. Your storage allowance, not the store count, is usually the real limit.
Does reading from a data store cost credits?
Yes. A Get a record or Check the existence of a record step is a module run, and Make bills 1 credit per operation by default. A Google Sheets lookup module costs the same, so the choice between them is about who uses the data, not price per lookup.
What is a data structure in Make?
Make describes it as a document that defines the format of data so the scenario editor knows what each module sends and receives. You create one when adding a data store, either manually or with a generator that builds it from a sample.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Make Help Center: Data stores Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Make Help Center: Data structures Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Make integrations: Data store modules Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Make Help Center: Credits Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Make Help Center: Types of modules Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Make pricing and credits FAQ Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Google Drive Help: Files you can store in Google Drive Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Airtable pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Make Help Center: Filtering Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Make Academy: Credit consumption in Make Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Make Help Center: Scenario settings Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.