Organize · Tables
Database tables in your notes, with typed columns, filters and totals
Barside puts database tables in your notes. Type /database and you get a table whose columns know what they hold: text, numbers, choices, dates, checkboxes or links. Sort it, filter it, and add a total under any column.
Some notes are really lists of things with details: orders with prices, books with ratings, job applications with dates and stages. A plain table holds the words, but it cannot sort by price or count what is done. Barside adds database tables in your notes, like the databases in Notion: each column has a type, choices have colors, and you can sort, filter and total the rows. Type /database in any note to start. Barside is a free desktop app for Windows, Linux and Mac. Your tables are saved with your notes, on your own computer.
Why a database table in a note
- The details stay with the plan. A trip note holds the itinerary and a table of bookings with prices and dates.
- Answers at a glance. Sort applications by deadline, filter orders by status, and see the total spent under the Price column.
- No separate app. There is nothing to set up and no account: add a table where you are writing.
Add a database table
- Put your cursor where the table should go.
- Type
/and choose Database table, or press Insert a database table under More formatting in the note toolbar. - Give the table a title in Untitled table at the top.
A new table has three columns, Name, Status (with the choices Not started, In progress and Done) and Date, and three empty rows. New row, under the table, adds another.
Fill in cells
Click a cell to change it. Then:
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
Enter | Save and go to the cell below |
Tab and Shift+Tab | Save and go to the next or the previous cell |
Esc | Leave the cell as it was |
| Arrow keys | Move between cells |
| Typing a letter | Start writing in the cell you are on |
Delete | Clear the cell |
Space | Tick or untick a checkbox |
Ctrl+Z | Undo the last change (Cmd+Z on a Mac) |
A Choice cell opens a list of its options. Pick one, or type a new name and press Enter to add it with the next color. A Choices cell works the same way and holds several options. A Date cell opens a date picker, a Checkbox ticks with a click, and a Link cell shows a button that opens the address in your browser.
Columns and their types
Click a column's name for its menu:
- Name. Type a new name at the top.
- Type. Pick Text, Number, Choice, Choices, Date, Checkbox or Link. Values change with the type where they can: "1,250" becomes the number 1250, "yes" becomes a tick, and words become options.
- Format, for numbers: Number, Number with commas, Percent, US dollar or Euro.
- Options, for choices: rename an option, click its dot to change its color, or delete it.
- Sort ascending, Sort descending and Filter by this column.
- Insert left, Insert right and Delete column.
The + after the last column adds a new one, and dragging the edge of a column's name changes its width.
Sort, filter and total
Sort. Choose Sort ascending or Sort descending in a column's menu. A label above the table shows the sort, and its X stops it. Empty cells always go last.
Filter. Press Filter above the table, then Add a filter: pick a column, a rule and a value, like Status is Done or Price > 20. Every rule must match. The count above the table shows how many rows show, like 2 of 3 rows. A new row added while a filter is on starts with the filter's value, so it does not vanish.
Totals. Under each column, Calculate offers a total for the rows that show:
| Column type | Totals |
|---|---|
| Any | Count all, Count values, Count empty, Percent not empty |
| Number | Sum, Average, Min, Max |
| Date | Earliest, Latest |
| Checkbox | Checked, Not checked, Percent checked |
Rows
Point at a row and press ⋯ at its start for Insert above, Insert below, Duplicate and Delete row. Each change, like an edit, a sort or a deleted row, is its own step for Undo.
Plain table, database table or board?
Barside has three ways to lay out things side by side, each for a different job:
- A plain table (Insert table under More formatting) is part of the text. Its cells hold formatted writing, links and lists. Use it to compare options or lay out a schedule.
- A database table holds records. Every cell in a column has the same type, so the table can sort, filter and total them. Use it for anything you count, track or look up.
- A kanban board holds cards you drag between columns. Use it for work that moves through stages, like ideas, drafts and published pieces.
You can keep all three in the same note, next to the writing that explains them.
Examples
- A small shop keeps an orders table with Item, Status, Price in dollars and a Paid checkbox, filtered to Status is Waiting with the Sum under Price.
- A job seeker tracks applications with Company, Stage as a choice, Applied as a date and a Link to each posting, sorted by date.
- A reader logs books with Author, Rating as a number, Genres as choices and Finished as a date.
- A team lead keeps a table of the week's decisions in the meeting note, beside a kanban board of the open work.
Details that matter
- Limits. A table holds up to 50 columns and 2,000 rows, a cell up to 5,000 characters, and a choice column up to 100 options. Long tables show 100 rows at a time, with a button for the next ones.
- Copy and paste. Select a table with its grip and copy it into another note. Paste it into a spreadsheet or a document, and it arrives as an ordinary table of words.
- Search. The search box in All notes and the search bar find a note by the words in its cells.
- Backups and sync. Tables are part of their note, so ZIP backups include them, and with Barside Plus, cloud sync keeps them on all your computers.
- Systems. Tables work the same on Windows 10 and 11, on Linux and on Mac, with the same columns, filters and totals on each.
Privacy
A table is saved inside its note, in your library on your computer. Nothing is uploaded unless you turn on cloud sync or cloud backup with Barside Plus, or share the note to a Space. Your AI reads a table only when you ask it about your notes, with the AI you connect. Read the privacy guide.
How it compares
Notion's databases do more: relations between tables, formulas, and other views of the same data. Barside's tables cover the everyday part, typed columns, sorting, filters and totals, in a desktop app that keeps your notes on your computer. If you are choosing an app, read the Notion alternative guide and the list of the best note-taking apps. For notes in general, see the local-first note-taking app guide.
Works well with
FAQ
Questions and answers
How do I add a database table to a note?
Put your cursor where the table should go, type / and choose Database table, or press Insert a database table under More formatting in the note toolbar. It starts with Name, Status and Date columns and three empty rows.
What kinds of columns are there?
Text, Number, Choice, Choices, Date, Checkbox and Link. A Number column can show plain numbers, numbers with commas, percents, US dollars or euros. A Choice holds one option with a color, and Choices holds several.
Can I change a column's type later?
Yes. Click the column's name and pick another type. Barside keeps what it can: words become numbers, options, dates or ticks where they fit, and choices become their names as text.
How do filters and totals work together?
Filters hide the rows that do not match, and every rule must match. The totals under the columns, like a Sum or an Average, count only the rows that show, so a filter for one month gives that month's total.
Does a table have formulas, like a spreadsheet?
No. A database table is for records, like orders, books or applications, with typed columns, sorting, filters and totals. It has no cell formulas.
Can my AI read a table?
Yes, with the AI you connect. The assistant, Ask library and AI apps read a table as rows of words, so you can ask what is overdue or how much was spent. The assistant keeps the table as it is when it edits the note around it.
What happens when I share a note with a table to a Space?
The table goes as an ordinary table of its words, under its title, so every member can read it. It is a copy: changes in the Space do not change your table.