Databases
Create a database, edit values and entry pages, change its schema and import a complete database safely.
A database combines a table of typed properties with a full page for each entry. Create columns and edit entries manually or import an existing database into an empty target. Before changing a property type or deleting a column, review which stored values will be replaced or lost.
Create a database and its columns
The new-database setup area offers two cards: Create with Numo to prepare the structure, and Import an existing database. Its close control, labeled Dismiss database setup, dismisses these suggestions; manual editing remains available.
As the project owner or a Member, open Pages, use + and choose a database. A new database has its entry name and no optional columns. Its new-database banner offers setup with Numo or importing an existing database. Manual setup remains available without AI. Choosing Create with Numo opens a prepared request with this database as page context, after its creation has settled. Review and send that request to ask for the structure you need; merely opening the conversation does not complete the setup. Actual AI work needs a configured provider and available usage or a compatible personal key. Inspect the resulting schema and entries before relying on them.
Open Columns and choose Add column, or use the + column at the table's right edge. Name the column and choose Text, Number, Select, Multi-select, Created at, Date, People or Checkbox. Use the searchable type picker to find it. Save, add an entry and verify that the column appears in the table and entry page.
Choose types and respect limits
A database supports up to 30 property columns besides the entry name. Select permits one option; Multi-select permits several, with up to 100 options per column. Text cells support 2,000 characters. Number accepts signed decimals with a dot or comma and rejects letters. Created at is the original entry timestamp and cannot be edited.
People selects project members rather than arbitrary account emails. Newly mentioned members can receive notifications. A database entry is also a full page with normal content, comments and attachments.
Advanced formulas and additional database views are not available. Choose a text property or a linked document when the required data does not fit a supported type; do not describe an unsupported formula as a functioning column.
Edit database values and entry pages
In the option editor, add an option below the existing rows, even when the list is empty. Give each option a distinct, nonempty name and save. This works for both Select and Multi-select.
Click a table cell or the property above an entry's page body. Enter saves, Escape cancels, and Shift+Enter inserts a text line. Leaving the editor saves. An invalid number keeps the editor open until fixed; a failed save reverts the value and reports an error.
Use a Select cell for one option or Multi-select for several. Search existing options or create a new option from the menu. Open Edit options from a cell, or from the menu of a Select or Multi-select column header (click the column name), to rename or recolor options, then save together or cancel. Date, People and Checkbox use their matching controls; Created at stays read-only.
New options receive a random palette color that is not yet used in the column, whether you create them from a cell or in the options dialog. Once all ten colors are used, colors can repeat. You can still choose a color manually.
In Edit options, use the up and down buttons beside a row to reorder options. Use its trash button to remove an option. Save applies names, colors, order and deletions together; when you deleted options, it first lists them and asks you to confirm with Delete and save, because the deletion cannot be undone. Deleting an option removes it from every entry that uses it, including entries in the trash; other selected options remain. Cancel discards the draft changes.
Choose a day in Date. To include a time, turn on Add a time and fill Time. The value saves as you edit, and the picker stays open. Timed values appear in your device’s time zone, including midnight. Turning off Add a time keeps the displayed day as a date without a time. Date filters match the displayed calendar day.
Open, select and insert entries
An empty entry body displays a placeholder so you can locate the writing area. From a row action or a multi-row selection, duplication asks for confirmation before creating copies. Moving entries to the trash also asks for confirmation and preserves the recoverable trash workflow rather than permanently deleting them.
Open an entry to edit its full page in a floating panel. Extend opens it as a full page after pending document saves finish. If saving fails, the panel stays open so you can resolve it. An empty entry stays in the database until deleted.
Use row checkboxes for a selection and Shift-click for a range. The handle opens actions and can reorder entries in manual order. The gutter + inserts below an entry; Option/Alt inserts above. Adjacent insertion switches back to manual order and clears filters so the new entry is visible.
From the handle menu of a single entry, the owner or a Member can choose Promote to issue to have Numo turn that entry, its content and its properties into one issue. The entry stays in the database. The action is absent when the menu targets several selected rows; there is no bulk promotion, so promote each entry separately. The Pages guide describes Numo’s questions and what to do when the entry cannot be saved first.
Display preferences
Search, filter, sort and hide columns in the single list view. These preferences are remembered on your device; manual order is shared with the page tree. Scroll horizontally with a trackpad gesture, Shift plus mouse wheel, touch or the bottom scrollbar. A clipped text preview does not shorten the stored value. Entries with column values can be reordered within their database but cannot be moved outside it.
Change a database schema safely
Column dragging starts after pointer movement and stays horizontal. The grabbing cursor appears only while dragging; a normal click still opens the column actions. With a column header focused, Enter or Space opens its actions. Press F8 to start keyboard reordering, use Left or Right, then Enter to confirm or Escape to cancel.
Use Columns to show or hide properties with the eye control. Click a header to rename it or drag headers to reorder them; the entry-name column stays first. Select or Multi-select options can be edited from the cell menu or Columns, with names and colors saved together.
Hiding a column changes display preferences rather than deleting its values. Deleting a custom column removes its values from every entry and cannot be undone. Read that consequence before confirming deletion.
Convert a property type
Choose Edit column for a custom property and select its new type. The edit dialog converts existing values when saved. If some values are incompatible, its warning states how many cells will be cleared. Continue only if losing those values is acceptable, or cancel to keep the old type and all values.
Changing to Created at uses each entry's original creation date and warns before replacing existing values. Review representative entries after conversion, especially where a number, selection or date might be interpreted differently.
Agent schema edits use the current database revision and a conversion preview token. Concurrent changes invalidate that preview. Re-read and preview again instead of forcing an old conversion; clearing incompatible values requires explicit confirmation.
Import a database with its entry content
Create a database with no optional columns or existing entries. From its new-database banner, choose Import an existing database. Upload a Notion Markdown & CSV ZIP with subpages, a database CSV or a minddy database archive. If the archive contains several databases, select the one to import.
Review suggested column names and types, then the page count, before confirming. Numo can suggest types from a small sample when import assistance is configured; manual mapping remains available. Unsupported source properties stay as text. Incompatible values block import rather than being silently cleared.
What is preserved and what needs checking
Import includes entry bodies, nested documents and local files present in the archive. A minddy archive also preserves exact schema and option colors, and remaps internal page/file links. People can be matched to destination project members. A Notion export does not contain its original schema, option colors or formula definitions, so those cannot be recovered from absent information.
Archives are limited to 20 MB compressed, 50 MB expanded, 1,000 pages and 100 attachments. Each attachment retains the 10 MB page-file limit. The database write is transactional. A retry of the same attempt in the open dialog keeps its request identifier, so a completed attempt is returned without duplicating rows. Loading another file or reopening a fresh dialog can create a new attempt. After an uncertain network result, inspect the destination before restarting; an already populated database no longer satisfies the empty-target prerequisite.
After success, inspect sample entries, values, nested pages and attachments. Keep the original archive until that check passes. If import fails, read the first error and correct the format or mapping before retrying; do not fill the destination manually and then assume it still meets the empty-database requirement.
Routines for new entries
The project owner can choose this database as a routine trigger in Routines. Conditions use the entry’s typed properties. An empty entry can stay waiting until its properties are filled. Creation, duplication, database import and an allowed move into the database count as arrivals; restoration does not. Removing a referenced property or changing its type requires correcting the routine filter.