How to Use Formulas in Notion

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Notion is a powerful all-in-one workspace that offers a wide range of features to help you create and organize your digital workspace. One of Notion’s most versatile capabilities is the use of formulas in databases, allowing you to perform calculations, manipulate data, and even automate tasks directly within your workspace.

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Formulas in Notion are evaluated on a per-row basis. They are especially useful for computing values such as totals, averages, dates, and for setting up automated workflows based on conditions. For aggregations across rows, consider using Notion’s built-in summary functions or rollups. In this article, we’ll explore the basics of using formulas in Notion and provide several practical examples, updated to reflect current features and best practices.

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Understanding Formulas in Notion

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Notion formulas are written using a syntax reminiscent of spreadsheet formulas. They enable you to perform calculations on data within a database and display the results in a dedicated column. Notion uses its own custom formula language, which has evolved to include a broader range of functions and operators. Recent updates have added even more functionality, such as enhanced date manipulation and string operations.

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Using Formulas in Databases

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To use formulas in Notion, start by creating a new database or opening an existing one. Within the database properties, add a new column and select the Formula type. Once your formula column is added, write your custom formulas using Notion’s functions and operators. Best practices include starting with simple calculations and gradually incorporating more complex logic as required.

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Basic Formulas

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Notion formulas support a mix of functions, operators, and values. Here are some basic examples:

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• SUM/AGGREGATE: While the formula column operates on a per-row basis, you can display sums or other aggregates at the bottom of the table using built-in summary functions. For linked databases, use rollups to sum numbers across related rows.
• AVERAGE: Calculate column averages using built-in summary functions. For per-row calculations within a rollup, you might use functions like mean() on computed values.
• COUNT: To count items in a column, rely on the built-in aggregation options. For conditional counting within a row, combine formula logic with if() statements.
• DATE: To display the current date and time, use the now() function. Simply writing now() in a formula column will output the current date and time.

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Advanced Formulas

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Notion’s formula language now supports a range of advanced operations, including conditional logic, date manipulation, and string operations. Here are some examples:

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• Conditional Logic with IF: Use the syntax if(condition, truevalue, falsevalue) for conditional calculations. For example,  

  if(prop("Status") == "Completed", "Done", "Not Done")  

  returns "Done" if the Status property is "Completed" and "Not Done" otherwise.

• Date Differences with dateBetween: Calculate the difference between dates using:  

  dateBetween(prop("Start Date"), prop("End Date"), "days")  

  This returns the number of days between the Start Date and End Date properties.

• Concatenation with concat: To combine strings, use:  

  concat(prop("First Name"), " ", prop("Last Name"))  

  This merges the First Name and Last Name properties with a space in between.

• Additional Functions: Recent updates have introduced functions like dateAdd(), dateSubtract(), round(), abs(), and formatDate(). These functions provide more refined calculations and date manipulations, along with enhanced string and mathematical operations.

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Implementing Formulas in Workflows

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Using formulas in Notion can greatly enhance your productivity and automate tasks within your workspace. Consider these practical examples:

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1. Automatically Calculating Totals – Use summary functions or rollups to automatically calculate totals for numerical data, which is perfect for tracking expenses, sales figures, or other key metrics.
2. Conditional Formatting – Leverage the if() formula to apply conditional logic for formatting rows based on specific criteria. For example, you can visually highlight overdue tasks or categorize items based on their status.
3. Date-Based Automations – Implement date functions such as now(), dateAdd(), and dateBetween() to set up reminders for upcoming events, schedule tasks, or automatically update properties based on the current date. For more details on setting reminders, check out this guide.

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Conclusion

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Formulas in Notion offer a robust way to manipulate and compute data directly within your workspace. Whether you’re performing straightforward calculations or automating complex workflows with conditional logic and dynamic date manipulations, Notion’s enhanced formula features provide the flexibility you need. By mastering the basics and exploring advanced applications, you can unlock new levels of efficiency and organization in your digital workspace.