Notion Training: Advanced

Summary

This advanced demo explores how to use and customize databases in Notion, detailing the creation, customization, and various workflows. It shows how to create a database from scratch, add and manage properties, switch between different views, and create templates. The demo also covers linking multiple databases, using relations and roll-ups, and the advantages of linked databases. By the end, users will feel confident in setting up and organizing workflows across projects and teams using Notion's powerful database features.

Takeaways

• 📚 Databases in Notion are structured pages designed to store information in an organized manner.
• 🔍 Creating a database in Notion involves selecting the 'Table' type and customizing it with a name and icon.
• 📝 Each entry in a Notion database is a separate page, allowing for detailed information and content addition.
• 🏷️ Properties in Notion databases are used to define and store specific information about each entry, such as due dates or owners.
• 📈 Views in Notion databases allow for different perspectives of the data, such as tables, boards, calendars, galleries, and lists.
• 🔑 Filters and sorting options help in refining the data displayed within a database view for quick access to relevant information.
• 📝 Templates in Notion databases streamline the process of adding new entries by providing a pre-defined format.
• 🔗 The 'Relation' property in Notion enables linking of two databases, creating a dynamic connection between related data sets.
• 🔢 Roll-ups in Notion databases aggregate data from related entries in another database, providing a summary like total spent per customer.
• 🔄 Linked databases in Notion allow for the creation of filtered or customized views of an original database in different parts of the workspace.
• 🛠️ Notion's database features offer a powerful set of tools for organizing and managing information across various projects and teams.

Q & A

What is a database in Notion?

A database in Notion is a type of page designed to store information in a structured and accessible way. It allows users to organize and manage data efficiently.

How do you create a database in Notion?

To create a database in Notion, click on the plus button and select the type of database you want, such as a table. A new page is then created where you can add information to your database.

What is the significance of the first column in Notion databases?

In Notion databases, the first column is special because every entry in it is its own page. This allows users to access and edit detailed information for each entry by hovering and clicking 'open'.

What are properties in Notion databases?

Properties in Notion databases are pieces of information about each entry. They can include details like due dates, owners, company names, deal sizes, and more, depending on the type of entries.

How can you add properties to a Notion database?

You can add properties to a Notion database by clicking 'add a property', giving your new property a name, and selecting the property type, such as numbers, single select menus, multi-select menus, dates, people, etc.

What are database views in Notion and how are they useful?

Database views in Notion allow you to view your database in different ways, such as a table, board, calendar, gallery, or list. This helps in processing information more effectively and using it faster by presenting data in a more digestible format.

How can you create a board view in a Notion database?

To create a board view in a Notion database, click on the 'New View' button at the top left, select the type of view you want (e.g., board), give your new view a name, and then group by a property such as 'status'.

What is a template in Notion databases and how can it save time?

A template in Notion databases is a pre-designed format that can be instantly added to your database whenever you need to use a type of page repeatedly. This saves time by eliminating the need to recreate the same format each time.

How does the relation property in Notion help in connecting multiple databases?

The relation property in Notion allows you to connect two databases by creating a link between them. This enables you to see which customers purchased which items in one database and vice versa, enhancing data management and accessibility.

What are roll-ups in Notion and how do they work with relations?

Roll-ups in Notion are a feature that pulls data into a database based on the information in another connected database. For example, you can add a column that shows the total amount spent by each customer by using a roll-up property that sums up the prices of items from a related database.

What are linked databases in Notion and how can they be customized?

Linked databases in Notion are excerpts from an original database that can be placed and customized in different parts of your workspace. They allow you to see a filtered version of the original database, such as engineering meeting notes in an engineering wiki page, without affecting the original database.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Notion Databases

This paragraph introduces the concept of databases in Notion, explaining that they are a type of page designed to store information in a structured and accessible manner. The speaker demonstrates how to create a database from scratch by clicking the plus button and selecting 'Table'. Each entry in a Notion database is its own page, which can be accessed and edited. Properties, which are pieces of information about each entry, can be added to customize the database. Examples of properties include numbers, single and multi-select menus, dates, people, and more. The default properties in a new table are 'Files' and 'Tags'. The speaker also discusses how to add, edit, and delete properties, and how properties appear as columns in the database. Finally, the paragraph touches on database views, explaining that they allow users to view their data in different ways, such as a table or a board, and how to add filters to these views.

05:01

🔍 Customizing Database Views and Templates

This paragraph delves deeper into the customization of database views in Notion. The speaker explains how to create different views of a database, such as a board view for visualizing project flow or a calendar view for projects tagged as 'epic'. Filters can be applied to these views to display only relevant data, such as tasks or projects assigned to a specific person. The paragraph also introduces the concept of database templates, which can be used to save time by pre-formatting pages with the same information repeatedly. Templates can be created by editing a 'New Template' and can be easily added to a database whenever needed. The speaker further discusses the use of relation properties to connect data across multiple databases, demonstrating how to add a relation property to a database and how it can be used to link items purchased to customers in a retail clothing business example.

10:03

🔗 Leveraging Relations and Roll-ups in Notion

This paragraph focuses on the advanced features of relations and roll-ups in Notion databases. The speaker shows how to add a roll-up property to a database to calculate totals, such as the total amount spent by each customer, by pulling data from another related database. Relations and roll-ups are highlighted as powerful tools for creating systems or complex workflows. The paragraph also introduces linked databases, which are copies of the same database that can be added throughout a workspace. Linked databases allow users to filter and customize the view of data without affecting the original database. The speaker provides examples of how linked databases can be used, such as displaying engineering meeting notes in an engineering wiki page or creating a personalized view of team tasks in a shared database.

Keywords

💡Database

A database in the context of the video refers to a type of page in Notion that helps store information in a structured and accessible manner. It is central to the video's theme of organizing and managing data efficiently. For example, the script describes creating a database by clicking on the plus button and selecting 'table' as the type.

💡Properties

Properties are defined as pieces of information about each entry in a Notion database. They are integral to customizing databases to fit specific needs, such as adding due dates or owners to tasks. The script illustrates this by showing how to add a 'date' property for deadlines and a 'person' property to assign tasks in a task database.

💡Views

Views in the video are different ways to display a database, allowing for various perspectives on the data. They are crucial for making sense of complex information and are exemplified in the script by showing how to add a board view to visualize projects in a development process and how to filter views to show only tasks.

💡Templates

Templates in Notion are time-saving tools that allow users to add the same type of information repeatedly without recreating the format each time. They are highlighted in the script as a way to streamline data entry, such as creating a 'bug report' template with predefined headlines and properties.

💡Relation Property

The relation property is used to connect two databases, allowing for the management of related data across different databases. In the video, it is demonstrated by linking a 'customers' database to an 'items' database to track which customers purchased which items, enhancing the organization of interconnected data.

💡Roll-ups

Roll-ups are a feature that pulls data from a related database into another based on the connected information. They are shown in the script as a way to aggregate data, such as calculating the total amount spent by each customer by summing up the prices of items from the 'items' database.

💡Linked Databases

Linked databases are copies of the same database that can be added to different parts of a workspace for customized use. They are introduced in the script as a way to maintain a shared resource while focusing on relevant information, such as creating a linked database for 'engineering meeting notes'.

💡Customization

Customization is a key concept in the video, referring to the ability to tailor databases, properties, and views to fit specific organizational needs. It is exemplified by the various ways the script describes modifying databases, such as adding properties, creating views, and editing templates.

💡Workflows

Workflows are the processes or sequences of tasks that are created using Notion's databases and properties. The video emphasizes the wide variety of workflows that can be established to improve organization and productivity, such as using databases for project management or tracking customer purchases.

💡Accessibility

Accessibility in the video pertains to the ease with which information can be stored and retrieved within Notion's databases. It is highlighted as a benefit of using databases, allowing users to quickly access and edit entry information, as shown when the script mentions opening an entry's page to add or edit content.

Highlights

Introduction to advanced database usage in Notion, including building and customizing databases and creating various workflows.

Creating a database in Notion is initiated by clicking the plus button and selecting a database type, such as a table.

Every entry in a Notion database is its own page, accessible for adding and editing information.

Properties are used to add specific information about each entry, such as due dates or owners for tasks.

New tables in Notion come with default properties 'Files' for attachments and 'Tags' for keywords.

Properties can be customized and deleted, and new ones can be added by specifying a name and type.

Properties appear as columns in the database view, allowing for structured data organization.

Different views of a database can be created and switched between, such as a board view for project management.

Filters can be applied to database views to display only relevant data, like tasks of a specific type.

Sorting can be implemented in views to organize data by properties like priority in ascending order.

Database views can be customized to show only certain properties, hiding others as needed.

Templates can save time by providing a consistent format for repeatedly adding the same type of information to a database.

Templates are created by setting up a format and saved for quick use in the 'New Template' menu.

Relation properties in Notion allow connecting data across multiple databases, enhancing data organization and accessibility.

Roll-ups feature pulls data from a related database into a column based on connected information.

Linked databases act as excerpts from an original database, allowing for customized and filtered views without affecting the original.

Linked databases ensure shared resources stay up-to-date while focusing on relevant information for individual teams.

Final summary emphasizes the confidence to create databases in Notion and utilize powerful tools for organized workflows.

Transcripts

welcome to our advanced demo well go

into detail about how to use databases

and notion what they are how to build

them customize them and the wide variety

of workflows you can create with them

first I'll show you what databases look

like in notion and how to create one

from scratch a database is a type of

page that helps you to store information

in a structured and accessible way

creating a database in notion is as

simple as clicking on the plus button

and selecting a type of database here

let's choose table we'll go into the

others later a new page is created you

can give it a name and an icon and start

adding information to your database in

the first column in all notion databases

every entry is its own page which you

can access by hovering here and clicking

open you can use this page to add and

edit all the information you want to

each entry the body of the page here can

be used like any other notion page add

whatever type of content you want like

text images sub pages and even other

databases at the top of the page you'll

find what we call properties properties

are pieces of information about each

entry in your database for instance if

entries aren't tasks you can use

properties to add due dates or owners if

entries are customers properties can

show what company they work at deal size

etc notion lets you add all kinds of

different properties like numbers single

select menus like tags multi select

menus dates people and more new tables

give you two default properties files

and tags the first is for adding

attachments from your computer

the second is for adding any keywords

associated with the page add more by

clicking add a property give your new

property a name and select the property

type let's say this is a task database

I'll add a date property to capture a

deadline and a person property to show

who it's assigned to to add information

click on the field you'll see the date

property brings up the date picker and

the person property lets you type the

name of anyone on your team to tag them

to delete a property click on the six

dot icon next to it and go here

everything about properties is fully

customizable now if you go back to your

table database you'll notice that our

newly added properties appear as columns

here's what a more filled out version of

this database could look like you can

also add and delete properties directly

in your page like this

now onto database views you can view any

one database you create a number of

different ways and you can switch

between these views instantly so here's

a table database this is a hypothetical

road map for an engineering team every

data entry here is a project and every

column is a different project property

they show who the product manager is the

engineer is type of project priority

status and timeline if applicable all of

this information is a lot to process at

once but if this information is shown to

you in different ways you'll be able to

make a better sense of it and use it

faster to add a different database view

click on out of you at the top left

select the type of you you want here

we'll add a board so we can see our

projects flowing through a development

process give your new view a name

hover over the group by section of your

board and say group by status you can

also create views that show your data

filtered in a useful way in this

particular database there are three

types of projects tasks epics and bugs

if all you want to see in this board are

tasks create a new view then add a

filter click on filter

then say type is task now this board

only displays projects that are tasks

you may also want to view your tasks in

order of priority as you can see

priority is another property in this

database and ranges from P 1 to P 5 to

do this create another view this time

let's use a table again name it by

priority then click on sort add a sort

and say priority is ascending now the

most pressing tasks are listed at the

top of each column whenever you click on

this menu you'll see all the views

you've created so you can toggle between

them and find what you need fast no need

to apply this same filter again and

again always have the right data set at

the right time one more thing you don't

have to display all properties in your

database if you don't want to to only

show the ones you want to see click on

properties toggle on the ones you want

to see and toggle off the ones you'd

rather hide with database views you can

create very custom subsets of data

like a calendar view only for the

projects that are tagged as epic

or a ListView only displaying projects

where you are the product manager

you can call this view assigned to me

finally a gallery view comes in handy

when you want your data to be showcased

through visuals and other images a road

map may not be the best example to

illustrate this but picture an employee

directory like this one

now that you know how to build your own

database from scratch let's talk about

the actual items you can add to them and

how to make that easier this is where

database templates can be great

time-saving tools let's say you want to

add the same type of info to your

database again and again like in our

roadmap example you always want to

report bugs the same way or you want to

ensure that every task starts with the

same background information on the

problem goals and metrics you may want

to use a format like this every single

time but you definitely don't have to

recreate it every time I'll show you how

to create a template you can instantly

add to your database whenever you need

to use a type of page repeatedly first

click the down arrow to the right of the

blue new button then click new template

a window will open with the spar at the

top indicating that you are editing a

template give it the title bug report

this is where you should create whatever

format you want

for example we'd add these headlines to

create a bug report template

we'd also enter bug in the type property

click out of this window to

automatically save and close it now next

time there's a book to report you can

simply go back to that down arrow menu

on the new button and click bug report a

new page will appear in your database

and when you open it you'll have that

format ready to go including the

property you add it to the template

you can always go back to edit duplicate

or delete a template by opening the new

template menu and clicking the 3d icon

to the right you can use this all types

of ways you could have a database for

meeting notes we're creating a new

meeting automatically adds usual

attendees or a database for design specs

where a template prompts you to add user

insights and hypotheses now you can

spend your time getting work done not

doing work about work notion gets even

more powerful when you connect data

across multiple databases this is

possible with notions relation property

to demonstrate this I'm going to use

these two databases used for managing a

retail clothing business one of them

tracks items that were purchased and the

other attracts customers in the items

database you'll want to know which

customers purchased which items and in

the customers database you'll want to

know which items were bought by which

customers to relate these two databases

you'll need to add a new relation

property to your items database click on

the plus sign to add a property then

select relation as the property type

this will automatically open a window

where you'll be prompted to choose

another database you want to connect to

in this case select the customers

database and hit create relation a new

column is added to your items table

rename it customers click inside those

cells and you'll be prompted to select

which customers bought every item for

example here Aileen Leonor and Nicholas

bought a shirt

every customer who bought a pair of

shoes now neatly shows up here and the

ones who purchased a hat are listed here

now if you go to your customers database

you can see the list of items each

person bought in this new relation

column that appear at the instant you

connected these databases you can rename

this column items what's more you can

access pages in the other database this

way if you're in the customers database

just click on any of these items to open

the corresponding pages there's no need

to go to the other database to find them

now let me tell you about roll-ups which

go hand in hand with relations this

feature allows you to pull data into a

database based on the information in

another that's connected to it say you

would like to add another column that

shows how much every customer has spent

in total and the price of every item is

listed in the items database add a

property by clicking on the plus sign

and select rollup as the property type

give it the name order total click on

any empty cell under your new column and

you will be prompted to select three

things the related database where you

can find the price of every item the

property you would like to pull from

this database in this case price and the

calculation you would like to make in

this case a simple sum your new column

will display the total cost of every

customers order relations and roll-ups

have endless applications depending on

what you want to do create simple

systems or complex workflows it's up to

you in this last section I'll show you

how you can add copies of the same

database throughout your workspace

wherever you want them and customize

however you need these are called linked

databases think of them as excerpts from

an original database that lives

somewhere else in notion let's say your

entire company stores meeting notes in

the same database there's a chance that

you would like to see a filtered version

of this database somewhere else for

example you would want to bring up all

engineering meeting notes here at the

top of this engineering wiki page place

your cursor at the top of the page

type the fort /ki then the word linked

and the create linked database option

will show up press ENTER and then start

typing the name of the database you want

to link select it from the drop-down and

here's your meeting notes database again

it's an exact copy if all we want to see

here our engineering meeting notes we'll

need to apply a filter click on the 3d

con at the top right of the database

then select filter and add a filter

team is engineering

you can add the filters sorts and views

you want to a linked database without

having it affect any of these qualities

of the original database however if you

edit any content in the database these

changes will be reflected in the

original it's a great way to keep a

shared resource up-to-date while only

focusing on the information that's

relevant to you and your team one more

example might be a shared team tasks

database where every individual can

create a linked database view of their

own tasks in their own page

you

and that's everything for this video you

should now feel confident about creating

a database in notion and using the many

powerful tools I showed you to set up

workflows and stay organized across many

projects people and teams

you