Notion databases are special for three reasons:

They're highly customizable — you can add whatever types of data you want!
Every item you add is its own Notion page to organize even more information.
You can view the same database a number of different ways to get work done.

You'll see what we mean👇

1. Create a new table
2. Add data to your table
3. Open a row as a page
4. Create a view
5. Filter your data
6. Sort your data

1. Create a new table

Add a new page and select Table.
The first column is where you enter your database items.
Each column in a Notion table corresponds to a property that gives your item context.
Define different properties (i.e. date, person, etc.) to add specific context to each item.
Click a property heading, then the menu under Property Type to see all of your property choices.

Here are just a few examples of properties:

Multi-select: Lets you add multiple tags (that you create) to your data.
Date: Associates dates with your items, like due dates or event dates.
Person: Inserts people on your team, for example who has been assigned a task.
Files & Media: Lets you upload files, images, and other media related to your data.
Checkbox: Denotes whether something related to a database item has been done.
Full guide on properties here →

Here's how a database with several different types of properties looks:

2. Add data to your table

For this example, we'll create a task database.
Add some projects you're working on in the Name column.
Now add some values to the Tags column using the multi-select property. Suggestion: P1, P2 and P3 to indicate priority of the task.
Add a new property using the + button to the right of the Tag heading.
Change its name to Due Date. And under Property Type, select Date from the menu.

Now when you click on a cell under Due Date, you'll see the date picker. Every property type will bring up a different set of options.

Other examples:

File properties will prompt you to upload a file.
Person properties will bring up a menu to select people in your workspace.

3. Open a row as a page

Every item in a Notion database is also a whole page of its own! You can add any content you want inside, including other databases.
In our task database example, this would let you keep all notes and content related to a task neatly bundled inside that task.
To open a row as a page, hover over a cell in the Name column and click ⤢ OPEN. It will look like this:

You can add or edit any properties. And you can add any content into the body of the page:

4. Create a view

You can create different views of the same data. Put it into a board, a calendar, a list, a gallery, or a timeline — depending on your needs. Let's try one.
Click + Add a View at the top left of your table.
Give your view a name and choose Board from the dropdown.

This turns rows from your table into cards on a board, grouped by tag. Clicking on a card still opens it as a page.
There are many ways to customize the way your board looks:

Hide or edit any column by clicking the ••• icon to the right of its heading.
Add new cards by clicking + at the top of columns, or + New at the bottom.
To rearrange columns, drag and drop their headings.
Go to Properties at the top right to switch on the properties you want displayed on your cards (or to add new ones).
You can also group your cards by a different property by clicking Group By.

Learn more about boards here →

Now let's turn our board into a calendar so you can see when tasks are due.
Click on the name of your current view to switch between your views or add a new one.

Calendars let you view when things are happening, when projects are due, etc. Cards appear on the dates you choose:

Clicking on any card opens it as a page.
Use the Properties menu to switch on the properties you want on your cards.
Learn more about calendars here →
Different views are good for different things:

Gallery view is great if you're storing images in your database. More on galleries →
Lists are helpful for minimalist storage of documentation. More on lists →
Timelines are useful for visualizing project dates and length. More on timelines →

5. Filter your data

Filter by property to focus on specific parts of your database.
Let's go back to our table view for this.
Now, click Filter at the top of your table, then + Add a filter.
Choose the property you want to filter by and the criteria that needs to be met.

The middle dropdown will give you different options depending on the property.
In this case, let's choose Tags as the property, and say it must contain P2.

You'll see your database change in real time based on your filter criteria.
You can add as many filters as you want.
To turn a filter off, go back to the Filter menu and click the X.
You can create views based on various filters:

Add a new view and title it.
In that view, filter your database however you want.
Toggle between views to see your data filtered different ways! ✨
Examples: Only see tasks assigned to you, or only P1 tasks, or only tasks tagged in a certain project.

6. Sort your data

Sorts let you reorder your database depending on the values in certain properties.
Click Sort at the top of your table, then + Add a sort
Choose the property you want to sort your database by. For example, choose Due Date and then Ascending. This reorders tasks from closest to furthest due date.

Sorts are helpful for quickly ordering your data by priority, date, tags, etc.
Similar to filters, you can apply multiple sorts and always turn them off in the same menu.
You can also create new views showing different sorts.

Now that you've created a couple different types of pages, let's move on to how to find and arrange them in your workspace!

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Read next:

Something we didn't cover? Message us in the app by clicking ? at the bottom right on desktop (or in your sidebar on mobile). Or email us at team@makenotion.com ✌️