organize-database

Organize Database

Transform unstructured Notion pages into a well-designed, queryable database.

Property Type Decision Guide

Choose the right property type -- LLMs frequently pick the wrong one:

Data pattern	Correct type	Wrong choice (common mistake)
Fixed categories (status, priority)	select	rich_text (loses filtering)
Multiple tags per item	multi_select	select (only allows one)
References to other DBs	relation	rich_text (breaks linking)
Computed from relations	rollup	formula (can't aggregate across DBs)
True/false flags	checkbox	select with Yes/No (over-engineered)
Long-form content	Page body (blocks)	rich_text property (2000 char limit)

Property Format Reference

Every property value MUST use the correct nested format. The Notion API rejects flat values.

// WRONG -- flat values (API will error or silently fail)
{
  "Tags": "engineering",
  "Status": "In Progress",
  "Description": "Some text"
}

// CORRECT -- properly typed nested objects
{
  "Tags": { "multi_select": [{ "name": "engineering" }] },
  "Status": { "select": { "name": "In Progress" } },
  "Description": { "rich_text": [{ "text": { "content": "Some text" } }] },
  "Name": { "title": [{ "text": { "content": "Page title" } }] },
  "Done": { "checkbox": true },
  "Due Date": { "date": { "start": "2026-03-23" } },
  "URL": { "url": "https://example.com" },
  "Count": { "number": 42 },
  "Contact": { "email": "user@example.com" }
}

Key gotcha: rich_text is an ARRAY of text objects, never a plain string.

Migration Pattern

1. Audit existing content -- find the pages to organize:

   • pages(action="search", query="<topic>") to locate scattered pages
   • Read each page's blocks to understand content structure
   • Identify common fields across pages (these become DB properties)

2. Design schema -- create the database with identified properties:

   databases(action="create", parent_id="<parent_page_id>", title="...", properties={
     "Name": { "title": {} },
     "Category": { "select": { "options": [{ "name": "..." }] } },
     "Tags": { "multi_select": { "options": [{ "name": "..." }] } },
     ...
   })
   

   • Start with 5-7 properties max. Users can add more later.
   • Always include a select for status/category -- it enables Notion's board view.

3. Bulk-create pages from existing content:

   • For each source page, extract content and create a new DB entry: pages(action="create", parent_id="<database_id>", properties={...}, content=[...])
   • Preserve the original content as page body blocks
   • Map existing content to the new properties

4. Archive old pages (only after user confirms migration looks correct):

   • blocks(action="delete", block_id="<old_page_block_id>") or move to archive page
   • Never delete originals without explicit user confirmation

5. Verify the new database:

   • databases(action="query", database_id="<id>") to list all entries
   • Present count and sample entries to user

When to Use

• User has scattered pages about a topic and wants them organized
• Existing flat pages need structure (tags, categories, status tracking)
• Converting a list-style page into a proper database
• Setting up a new organized workspace area