_Ready to design your perfect productivity system in Notion? Our upcoming course[Supercharge Your Productivity]() is your first step to transforming your life and career._ Do you prefer video instructions to a written blog post? No worries, we’ve got you covered: Everything in our lives is powered by databases. Whether your browsing Amazon, listening to Spotify’s _Discover Weekly_ or browsing the New York Times’ home page, behind the scenes they’re all powered by Databases. There’s a common misconception that databases are complex and can only be created by software engineers. __It’s wrong.__ Databases are nothing more than two (or more) spreadsheets strung together. And thanks to no-code apps like [Notion](), anyone can create a database without a lick of coding experience and create a CRM, [personal wikis](), [productivity system]() or invoicing system. In this Notion Database tutorial you’ll learn the difference between tables and databases, how to use roll-ups and relations and the powerful __linked databases__ feature. Using the __learning by building__ approach I use in my [Notion course]() _Supercharge your Productivity_ you’ll build a __music library__(i.e. an artist and song catalog) while incorporating Notion’s unique properties, views and [formulas](). _So let’s dive in!_ ## What is a database? I love the _[Explain it like I’m 5]()_ (ELI5) sub-reddit and here’s how I would explain a database to my 6 year old daughter: > A database is a series (i.e. 2 or more) interconnected spreadsheets. Each spreadsheet has columns and rows and they are connected using a primary key. By linking spreadsheets, you avoid having to enter the same information twice. What makes databases so much more powerful than spreadsheets (and [traditional note-taking apps like Evernote]()) is that they can manage large amounts of inter-connected data while giving users the ability to query and filter the data based on their specific situation and use cases. ## The difference between tables and databases We’ll jump into our tutorial with tables (and if you’re a newbie we recommend our introductory [Notion tutorial]() covering the basics). In Notion _parlance_ , a spreadsheet is called a table and we’ll begin our __Music Library__ by adding a few artists. First, create a table (__Artist Table__) with a series of columns (highlighting Notion’s various property types): * Artist Name (Page) * Birthday (Date) * Photo (File) * Genre (Multi-select) Tables are the building blocks of Notion databases. Next, we’ll create a second table (__Album Table__) with the Album name, Release date, copies sold and Album art columns. Notice we didn’t type in artist name again Now you probably noticed that we didn’t include Artists in the table. If had included the column, we’d have to type in the artist name multiple times – a process that is tedious, cannot be updated and prone to data errors. Which sets us up for some Notion magic, using the advanced __Relation__ property. ## Creating your first relational database ### Set up the Relation They say you never forget your first database. (Actually, I just made that up… but trust me, it is a delightful feeling.) You’ve also astutely observed that we still just have two distinct spreadsheets – which is still not a database. Next, we’ll stay on our __Album Table__ and “assign” an artist to each album by creating a new column and using the __Relation Property__. Once the column is created, it will ask you to find the database to link to (the __Artists Table__ in our example). Then, once you click on each cell, you’ll be asked to pick the Artist that corresponds to the Album. And if you need to create a new artist, you can create it directly from that same view. ![relation property links notion databases such as an album table and music artist table](/images/blog/Copy-of-image-3.png)Use the Relation Property, and like magic your Notion databases are linked. Voila, now if you visit each table, you’ll see that the a column has been added with the corresponding Artist/Album. ![table showing successful link of notion databases using relation property](/images/blog/Copy-of-image-4.png)The information you need, when and where you need it. ### Create your first roll-up Roll-ups aggregate data over similarly defined rows. Now that we’ve linked the tables into a database, we can run calculations (sum, average, count) that replicate the functionality of pivot tables (within Spreadsheets). We’ll create a roll-up that will aggregate the copies sold at the artist level (i.e. they _roll up_ to the artist). This will entail adding a column in the __Artists Table__ with the __Roll Up__ property type and the following steps: 1. Setting the Relation as __Album Table__ 2. Setting the Property as __Copies Sold__ 3. Setting Calculate to __Sum__ [Supercharge Your Productivity]() ## The magic of Linked Databases Now that we’ve created our first Notion database, we can apply Notion’s most powerful feature: __Linked Databases.__ This feature lets you access the data in any table _as it’s own individual block_ and customize how the data is presented using views such as Gallery, Kanban, List or Calendar or Table. So now your data doesn’t just live in one place – instead, you can [build powerful Notion Dashboards]() and decide exactly what you want to display where. For our Music library, we’ll select a Gallery view, which will let us maximize the great images we have for each artist. To [Create a Linked Database](), you need to start on an exiting page (or create a new one) and follow these instructions: 1. Hit the __+__ sign to add a new block and select__Create Linked Database__. 2. Pick __Artists Table__ from the list of tables 3. On the linked table, click the __Add a View__ and select __Gallery__ (while naming it _Gallery View_) 4. Customize the properties by selecting the __Card Preview__ and toggling the properties you want to display A linked database puts stunning table views at your fingertips. ## Should I create a table or database? With Notion’s rich feature set we should be vigilant about not falling into the trap of [Shiny New Toy Syndrome]() (SNTS). Unless you’re setting up a complex productivity system like [PARA]() or [GTD]() or creating detailed [money trackers]() there’s a good chance that a table will be more than enough. But if you’re confused about whether you should use a table or database here’s a simple test: > Will I have to type in the same data more than once? If the answer is yes, a database would be appropriate. So if you have a table of clients, you probably will want a separate table for company names. Similarly, you’d want to use a database if you have a table of meeting notes that need to be linked to a table of clients. But if you want to create a massive list of blog post ideas for an editorial calendar, a table with many columns will be sufficient. You’re now ready to rip using Notion’s most advanced features to create your own databases and if you need inspiration, check out the [real Music Table example]() from this post and our full [template gallery](). You could even [run your whole business in Notion]() (And don’t miss our top [Notion tips and tricks]().) Next, your Notion learning journey continues with [Notion integrations](). 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