A Beginner’s Guide to Databases in Notion — Accelerate your Productivity Journey

Create Databases in Notion to get to the next level at work and in life

Photo by Windows on Unsplash

Notion is a powerful note-taking app. If you compare Notion to similar apps one feature strikes out, specifically.

The endless options to use databases.

But before I go into the details let’s quickly establish what a database is:

Databases are collections of information that are organized and stored in a way that makes it easy to access, manage, and update. They are used to store structured data, such as customer information, inventory lists, project timelines, and more.

Notion allows you to use databases for a number of use cases such as Journaling, Project management, or To-Do lists to only name a few. This is really remarkable as I am not aware of any other FREE tool that lets you do that.

Before we can edit, tweak, sort, and filter our database we first have to create one.

The easiest way to add a database to your page is by typing Slash / in your Notion app and searching for the word “Database”

Screenshot by the author

You can now decide what kind of database you would like to add to your page by just clicking on it.

And just like that, you have created your first database. I added a simple Inline — Database to my page.

Screenshot by the author

Properties

This Database has already two columns with “Name” and “Tags”. You can add more of these columns which are called Properties. Properties are the individual data fields of your database. They can include context data like date, owners, text, status, and links.

For each property, Notion defines what data types can be stored in the specific field, so if you have selected a “Number” property of course you cannot save any text in that field.

Depending on what you want to know you can then filter your properties or sort for your data.

For example, if you want to create a database that includes summaries of all the books that you read, you might add properties like “Book Title”, “Tags” and “Creation Date”.

You can then sort the database to see the most recent summary at the top of the table by sorting on the “Summary Creation Date”.

To give you a better overview, here is a selection of the most used properties:

• Text: This is a property type that allows you to add text. Examples are adding addresses, names, or Book titles.
• Checkbox: Adding checkboxes to your database can be used to demonstrate if a task has been completed or what is the status of your book summary.
• Number: You can add numerical values to your database using this property type. You can use it for things like prices, quantities, and ratings.
• Select or Multi-Select: I have used this property in the book database example. You can add tags to your book database to add in which category they fit.
• Date: Adding dates to your database can be really helpful to add due dates, and reminders or to track when you have completed a task.

There are also advanced properties such as formulas, roll-ups, and relations which I will explain in a more detailed article.

Views

You can also add different views to your database, including calendar view, table view, and board view. Each of these views allows you to see your data in different ways:

• Table view: This is the standard view for your Notion database. It is the same view that you have also seen above in the screenshots. It shows your data in a spreadsheet-like format.
• Board view: The board view displays your records as cards that you can move around on a virtual board. You can use the board view for project management or for task tracking.
• Calendar view: This view displays your records as events on a calendar. I found this view very helpful for Journaling but you can also keep track of important dates.

The more advanced option is to create your own database views. You can also save them so you can use them for a specific way of looking at your frequently used data.

But the even more interesting part is: For what can you actually use databases?

Templates

Some real-life examples would be the usage of Templates as most of these are based on databases:

• Habit Tracker Template
  To track your daily habits and a few steps closer to your goals you can use the “Ultimate Habit Tracker” template. This template allows you to set up your habit-tracking system and track your progress over time. You can use multiple views including a progress bar. This template helps you stay accountable and motivated to achieve your goals.
• Book Tracker Template
  Tracking the books that I read helped me to remember things. The “Digital Library” template is a great template for Notion that allows you to keep track of the books you’ve read and keep a yearly record of your reading progress. You can also track the books that you want to read, rate how you like the books, and add them to different categories.
• Recipe Database Template
  The “Recipes Shopping List, and Meal Plan” Template is a great template for organizing your recipes, planning your meals, and establishing a shopping list. This template allows you to create a database of your favorite recipes, including ingredients, cooking instructions, and meal plans. It helps me to save time and never forget about the great recipes you once found on the Internet.

You can find more examples in the article that I wrote on “Organize Your Life With These 7 Free Notion Templates”

Overall, databases are a powerful tool in Notion that can help you organize your work and personal life. Notion makes it easy to create and manage databases, and you can use them for a variety of purposes, from tracking your to-do list to managing your recipes. By using databases in Notion, you can improve your productivity, stay organized, and gain insights into your work.

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