Databases basics

Databases hold the structured side of your work — tasks, contacts, content calendars, inventory, deals. Where a page is prose, a database is records: rows of the same shape that you can filter, sort, group, and roll up. This page is the overview; the deeper guides are linked at the end.

Typed fields

Every field has a type, and the type is what keeps a database trustworthy. Choose from text, number, select and multi-select, date, checkbox, person, file, URL, and more. Types drive everything downstream: a date field powers “due this week” filters, a select field becomes board columns and colored pills, a number field can be summed at the bottom of a column.

Editing many records at once

Select rows with the checkboxes in a table, or select them all from the header, and choose Set value in the bar that appears. Pick a property and a value, and every selected record gets it in one step; leave the value empty to clear that property instead. The change applies to all selected records or, if one of them can’t take the value, to none.

One database, many views

A database stores records once and lets you look at them in as many views as you need. Each view carries its own filters, sorts, grouping, and visible fields — a table for triage, a board grouped by status, a filtered list per teammate, a chart of the totals. Switching views never changes the data underneath; it changes the question you’re asking of it. Views and filters covers each layout in depth.

Relations and formulas

Databases get powerful when they stop being islands. A relation field links records across databases — tasks to a project, invoices to a client — and the link is two-way, so each side can see the other. A formula field computes a value from other fields on the same record, from simple arithmetic like price * quantity to conditions and rollups across relations, and it stays up to date automatically. Relations and formulas shows the patterns that carry most teams.

Getting data in and out

You type records directly, but you don’t have to be the only source. Point a form at a database to collect submissions from anyone, including people outside your workspace. Connect an external data source to sync a service’s records into a database on a schedule. And the AI assistant can create and edit records for you on request.

Go deeper

• Sub-records and task progress — break work into subtasks and track completion.
• Views and filters — table, board, list, and chart layouts.
• Relations and formulas — connect databases and compute values.
• Collect data with forms — submissions straight into a database.
• Connect external data — sync outside sources in.