To create a database in Notion, open a page and type /database, or create a new page and choose Table under Get started with. Then add a first item, add properties such as status and due date, and create views to filter and sort it. You can also ask Notion AI to build one from a prompt.
A Notion database is the thing that turns Notion from a notes app into a system that runs your business. It's a collection of pages, each with properties like status, owner or due date, that you can view as a table, board, calendar or list. Here's how to create one, the choice you'll make between inline and full page, and how to set it up so you'll keep using it.
Three ways to create a database
| Starting point | How | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| From scratch | Type /database on any page, or choose Table on a new page | When you know what you want to track |
| Build with AI | Pick Build with AI and describe what you need | A quick first draft you then tidy |
| Suggested template | Choose a template when creating | Common setups like task trackers |
Notion also lets you start from an existing data source in your workspace, which helps if you want a variation of a database you already have.
Set it up in four steps
- Add your first item. Click New page. In a task tracker, that's your first task.
- Add properties. Give items a status, a due date, an owner, tags or whatever you need to organise them.
- Add a view. Databases open in Table view, but you can add as many views as you like: a board for status, a calendar for dates.
- Edit each view. Choose which properties show, and filter, sort or group items. A 'This week' view filtered by due date is a good one to start with.
Inline or full page?
This decision confuses a lot of people, but it's simple. A full page database is a page of its own and appears in your sidebar. An inline database lives inside another page, alongside text and other blocks, and its controls only appear when you hover over it. Neither is permanent: Notion lets you expand an inline database to full page, or drag a full page database into another page and choose Turn into inline.
- Use full page for your core systems: clients, content, tasks.
- Use inline when the database belongs to a page, such as a list of actions inside a project page.
Every item is a page
Click any item and it opens as a page. The properties sit at the top, and underneath is free space for notes, files, checklists and even another database. You can choose for each property to Always show, Hide when empty or Always hide, which keeps busy items tidy. Notion suggests hiding properties when a database has dozens of them, and I'd agree.
Stop people breaking it
If you share a database with a team or a freelancer, lock it. In a full page database, click the three-dot menu at the top and choose Lock database. Notion says that stops other people changing the properties and value options you've set up. It's the difference between a system that stays clean and one that gets five slightly different versions of 'In progress'.
Connect databases together
Once you have more than one database, link them. Notion's own example is linking a goals database into a projects and tasks database so you can see progress side by side without jumping around your workspace. For a small business, linking clients to projects, or content ideas to published posts, is where Notion starts to save serious time.
A quirk worth knowing
Notion says that once a database has more than 1,000 items, new pages may appear in the middle of the list instead of at the end. If you're running a big database and can't find something you've just added, sort by created date or use search rather than scrolling to the bottom.
Databases worth building first
- A content plan with status, platform and publish date, viewed as a calendar.
- A client list linked to projects.
- A task tracker with a board view by status.
- A meeting notes database, so every meeting has a dated page you can find later.
If you're planning content, my weekly content batching template gives you a structure that works well as a Notion database, and my guide to what to look for in a productivity template helps you keep it simple enough to use every day.
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Keep it simple at the start
The biggest mistake I see is building a database with twenty properties on day one. You won't fill them in, and an empty database feels like a failure. Start with a name, a status and a date. Use it for a fortnight. Then add the property you keep wishing you had. Databases that grow from real use beat ones designed in theory every time.
My verdict
Type /database, or choose Table on a new page, add your first item, a couple of properties and a useful view. Use full page for core systems and inline for project pages, lock anything shared, and link databases once you have more than one. That's when Notion starts running your business with you.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a database in Notion?
Type /database on any page, or create a new page and choose Table under Get started with.
What's the difference between an inline and a full page database in Notion?
A full page database is its own page in your sidebar. An inline database sits inside another page with other content.
Can Notion AI create a database for me?
Yes. When you create a database you can choose Build with AI and describe what you need.
How do I stop people changing my Notion database?
In a full page database, click the three-dot menu and choose Lock database. Others then can't change its properties and value options.
Can I change an inline database to a full page database in Notion?
Yes. Expand it to full page, or drag it into the sidebar as a top-level page.
