Before diving into complex automations, you need a solid foundation. This step ensures your workspace is optimized for automation and you understand the core building blocks that make everything else possible.

Key database concepts to understand:

• Views: Different ways to visualize the same data (Table view, Board view, Calendar view, etc.)
• Filters: Show only database entries that meet specific criteria
• Sorts: Arrange entries by any property in ascending or descending order
• Relations: Connect entries across different databases
• Rollups: Pull and aggregate data from related databases

Formulas are the engine of Notion automation. They transform static data into dynamic, automated information. Mastering formulas will elevate your databases from simple lists to intelligent systems that calculate, categorize, and update automatically.

Let's create a practical project status formula:

// Project Status Formula
if(
  and(
    prop("Due Date") < now(),
    prop("Status") != "Done"
  ),
  "🔴 Overdue",
  if(
    prop("Status") == "Done",
    "✅ Complete",
    if(
      and(
        prop("Start Date") <= now(),
        prop("Due Date") >= now()
      ),
      "🟡 In Progress",
      "⏳ Planned"
    )
  )
)

Project management automation is where Notion truly shines. By combining databases, relations, and formulas, you can create a system that tracks progress, calculates timelines, and provides real-time project insights automatically.

Essential automation formulas for project management:

// 1. Project Progress (automatically calculated from tasks)
round(
  100 *
  (prop("Completed Tasks") / prop("Total Tasks"))
) / 100

// 2. Days Until Deadline
dateBetween(prop("Due Date"), now(), "days")

// 3. Project Status (automatically determined)
if(
  prop("Progress") == 1, "Completed",
  if(
    prop("Progress") > 0, "In Progress",
    if(
      dateBetween(now(), prop("Start Date"), "days") > 0, "Overdue",
      "Not Started"
    )
  )
)

// 4. Budget Status
if(
  prop("Spent") > prop("Budget"), "🔴 Over Budget",
  if(
    prop("Spent") > (prop("Budget") * 0.8), "🟡 At Limit",
    "🟢 Under Budget"
  )
)

Templates automate repetitive data entry and ensure consistency across your databases. A well-designed template can save hours of manual work and standardize your workflows across team members or personal projects.

Example: Meeting Template Button Configuration

// Button Name: "New Meeting"

// Template Content:
**Meeting Title:**
**Date:** {date now}
**Duration:** 60 minutes
**Attendees:**
**Agenda:**
1.
2.
3.
**Action Items:**
-
**Follow-up Date:** {date now + 7 days}
**Status:** Scheduled
**Priority:** Medium

Advanced template automation example:

// Auto-priority formula based on meeting type
if(
  contains(prop("Title"), "Board") or contains(prop("Title"), "Executive"),
  "High",
  if(
    contains(prop("Title"), "Team"),
    "Medium",
    "Low"
  )
)

// Follow-up date calculation (automatically 7 days after meeting)
dateBetween(
  prop("Date"),
  now(),
  "days"
) + 7

Regular reviews are crucial for maintaining system health, but they're often skipped due to the manual effort involved. Automation can create intelligent review systems that surface the right information at the right time.

Essential review automation formulas:

// 1. Weekly Completion Rate
round(
  100 *
  (prop("Tasks Completed This Week") / prop("Tasks Planned This Week"))
) / 100

// 2. Productivity Trend
if(
  prop("This Week's Rate") > prop("Last Week's Rate"),
  "📈 Improving",
  if(
    prop("This Week's Rate") == prop("Last Week's Rate"),
    "➡️ Stable",
    "📉 Declining"
  )
)

// 3. Goal Progress Tracking
if(
  now() >= prop("Quarter End"),
  if(
    prop("Progress") >= 1,
    "✅ Goal Achieved",
    "❌ Goal Not Met"
  ),
  format(
    round(
      100 *
      (dateBetween(now(), prop("Quarter Start"), "days") /
       dateBetween(prop("Quarter End"), prop("Quarter Start"), "days"))
    ),
    "Q{} Progress: {}%"
  )
)

Relations and rollups transform disconnected databases into an interconnected ecosystem. This advanced technique allows you to create sophisticated data relationships that power complex automations and insights.

Powerful rollup formulas for aggregated insights:

// 1. Total Project Value (sum of all opportunity values)
sum(
  map(
    prop("Related Opportunities"),
    current.prop("Value")
  )
)

// 2. Project Completion Status (based on tasks)
if(
  all(
    map(
      prop("Tasks"),
      current.prop("Status") == "Done"
    )
  ),
  "Completed",
  if(
    any(
      map(
        prop("Tasks"),
        current.prop("Status") == "In Progress"
      )
    ),
    "In Progress",
    "Not Started"
  )
)

// 3. Team Capacity Check
sum(
  map(
    prop("Team Members"),
    current.prop("Weekly Hours Available")
  )
) - sum(
  map(
    prop("Active Projects"),
    current.prop("Weekly Hours Required")
  )
)

// 4. Monthly Revenue Forecast
sum(
  map(
    prop("Monthly Subscriptions"),
    current.prop("Amount")
  )
) + sum(
  map(
    prop("One-time Sales"),
    if(
      month(prop("Closing Date")) == month(now()),
      current.prop("Amount"),
      0
    )
  )
)

While Notion is powerful on its own, connecting it to external tools creates a true automation powerhouse. Integrations allow Notion to communicate with your email, calendar, CRM, and hundreds of other services.

Popular automation workflows:

• Gmail to Notion: Automatically save important emails to project databases
• Calendar Sync: Create Notion events from calendar invitations
• CRM Integration: Sync customer data between Notion and Salesforce
• Social Media: Save tweets or posts related to projects
• File Management: Automatically organize attachments from cloud services

Transform your data into actionable insights with interactive dashboards. A well-designed dashboard provides at-a-glance understanding of complex systems and helps you make data-driven decisions quickly.

Essential dashboard formulas:

// 1. Health Score (0-100)
round(
  (
    (prop("Task Completion Rate") * 0.4) +
    (prop("On-Time Delivery Rate") * 0.3) +
    (prop("Budget Performance") * 0.3)
  )
)

// 2. Trend Indicator
if(
  prop("This Month") > prop("Last Month"),
  "📈",
  if(
    prop("This Month") == prop("Last Month"),
    "➡️",
    "📉"
  )
)

// 3. Status Color Coding
if(
  prop("Health Score") >= 80, "🟢",
  if(
    prop("Health Score") >= 60, "🟡",
    "🔴"
  )
)

// 4. Deadline Countdown
if(
  dateBetween(prop("Due Date"), now(), "days") < 0,
  format(-dateBetween(prop("Due Date"), now(), "days"), "{} days overdue"),
  format(dateBetween(prop("Due Date"), now(), "days"), "{} days remaining")
)

Even automated systems need regular maintenance to remain effective. This final step establishes practices for keeping your automation system healthy, efficient, and growing with your needs.