After working on hundreds of Glide builds, I have learned something that may seem obvious, but that most people still overlook. Your app does not become slow because your screens are ugly. It becomes slow because your data foundation is doing the wrong job.
Many builders choose a data source because it feels familiar. They start in Google Sheets or Airtable because it is comfortable. The app works initially, adoption grows, the tables expand, and then performance and maintainability begin to slip.
This article presents my practical approach to thinking about Glide data sources and architecture, ensuring your app remains fast, your structure remains clean, and you avoid the painful moment when you realize you built the whole thing on the wrong engine.
Start with process, not components
When builders struggle, it is usually not because they lack features; rather, it is often because they lack the necessary expertise. It is because they skipped the order of operations.
That is why I teach the S.T.A.R.T. framework:
- Specification
- Tables
- App Layout
- Run Actions and Automations
- Testing and Transfer
The point is simple: if you design screens before your tables are stable, you create data debt. And later, every improvement becomes harder because the foundation is unstable. So before we talk about Glide Tables, Big Tables, or external sources, lock in this mindset:
Tables come before screens.
The performance killer is data movement
The fastest Glide apps are the ones that move the least amount of data.
Every time your app has to fetch data from outside Glide, wait, then send changes back, you add friction. Users feel that friction as lag, delayed collaboration, and the annoying moment where someone says, “I changed it, why do you not see it yet?” Reducing data movement is one of the most reliable ways to improve speed and reduce complexity. It also helps keep usage predictable by avoiding unnecessary syncing behavior.
When I audit an app, I start with one question: How far does the data need to travel when a user taps the Save button?
Answer that honestly, and you will immediately see where the architecture needs to change.
Glide Tables: the default engine for operational work
When possible, I prefer Glide Tables for the data that powers the day-to-day operations of the business.
This is your working set:
- Users and roles
- Customers and accounts
- Active tasks, jobs, and projects
- Inventory that changes often
- Approvals, assignments, and status changes
Why this matters: Operational data is edited constantly. People are collaborating in real time. They want instant feedback. Internal data loads faster and reduces user waiting time, especially as your dataset grows.
What Glide Tables are best at
- Fast loading and fast interactions
- Clean structure for relationships between tables
- Logic that supports real workflows
- Collaboration where teammates need to see changes quickly
If your app is a living workflow, Glide Tables are usually the best place to keep the workflow data.
Big Tables: where history belongs
Most apps slow down for a very predictable reason. History piles up.
Completed tasks, activity logs, message history, audit trails, and past transactions can grow endlessly. If you keep all of that mixed into your operational layer, your app gets heavier over time. This is where Big Tables excel as a solution for storing large volumes of historical records while keeping the operational layer lean. The practical rule I use is, if the data is written once and rarely edited after, it belongs in the history layer.
Examples that fit well:
- Activity logs
- Audit trails
- Message history
- Check in events
- Completed transactions
- Archived projects
One tactical habit that helps performance when working with large datasets: refresh queries intentionally and only when needed, especially after adding or editing records.
External sources: comfort is not a strategy
Google Sheets and Airtable are popular starting points because they feel familiar. But familiarity is not the same as good architecture.
External sources introduce two consistent issues:
- Data retrieval and editing require communication outside of Glide
- Collaboration can feel delayed because changes take time to appear for other users
Airtable is a database product, but in practice, it can behave like a spreadsheet API when connected to an app, and that pairing can feel sluggish in real workflows.
When external sources still make sense
I still recommend external sources in specific situations, usually when the business requires it:
- A legacy workflow that must stay in Sheets for a while
- A reporting requirement where someone insists on spreadsheet output
- External logging of digital breadcrumbs so you do not overload your operational tables with history
The key is to use external sources as a bridge or an output surface, not as the core engine of an operational app.
A cleaner way to connect
When you do need to work with external systems, a simpler, more controlled connection strategy can reduce complexity. In many cases, connecting through Glide API style workflows is cleaner than relying on direct spreadsheet-style syncing.
The query mistake that quietly slows apps
If I had to name one pattern that causes avoidable slowness, it is this: Builders query entire tables when they only need a small related subset. Queries require processing. Heavy queries on big datasets create slow screens and slow components.
A better approach is usually:
- Build relationships between tables
- Work from the related list
- Filter only the smaller list you actually need
Example:
Instead of querying the full Tasks table to show tasks for one project, relate Tasks to Projects and display only the tasks connected to that project. This single change often improves performance immediately, and it also makes your database easier to understand.
The hybrid architecture I use in production apps
Most serious Glide systems I build use a hybrid approach. Not because it is fancy, but because it is stable. I structure data in three layers.
Layer one: Operational data
This is the working set. It is edited constantly. It needs to be fast. Glide Tables are usually the best home here.
Layer two: History and logs
This is the memory of the system. It grows endlessly. Big Tables are usually the best home here.
Layer three: Sharing and reporting
This is where external tools can live when the business requires them. Sheets and Airtable belong here when needed, not in the operational core. This architecture keeps the app fast today and keeps it manageable a year from now.
A speed move most builders ignore: multiple apps by user type
One of the strongest ways to speed up an experience is to reduce what each user has to load. Instead of one giant app that tries to serve everyone, consider separate apps for each user type:
- A customer portal app
- An internal team operations app
- An admin app for leadership and reporting
This improves privacy and access control, and it often speeds things up because each app is focused and loads only what the user needs.
Data hygiene: the boring habit that keeps apps scalable
Speed is not only about where your data lives. It is also about how clean your structure is. Good data hygiene ensures that apps can scale. Messy data creates messy logic. Messy logic creates slow apps and painful maintenance. Here are the habits I apply consistently:
- Use consistent naming so tables stay readable as they grow
- Group columns so related fields are easy to scan
- Remove unused columns regularly instead of letting clutter accumulate
- Keep relationships clear so you do not duplicate data unnecessarily
- Avoid building multiple ways to edit the same field in different places
A clean database is easier to maintain, easier to debug, and easier to scale.
A simple checklist you can apply today
If your Glide app feels slow or complicated, audit these areas:
- Is your operational data in Glide Tables whenever possible
- Are you storing history in a separate layer instead of bloating operational tables
- Are you querying whole tables when you could work from relationships
- Are you loading too much data for each user type in one app
- Are unused columns and old tables accumulating over time
Fixing even one of these often produces an immediate improvement.
More about data management and hygiene
Read the guideBuild faster apps on Glide
If you want your Glide app to stay fast as your business grows, treat your data source like an engine choice, not a convenience choice.
Start with solid tables. Reduce data movement. Keep operational data lean. Push history into a dedicated layer. Build relationships instead of heavy queries. And when it makes sense, split apps by user type. That is how you build Glide apps that feel professional, stay maintainable, and scale without a rebuild.
