Databases Enterprise Grid

A database is a spreadsheet-style grid that lives inside a page. Each row is an entry and each column is a typed property, such as text, a date, a person, or a linked work item. Use databases for lightweight trackers, inventories, or decision logs that sit next to the writing they belong to.

Databases work in wiki pages, project pages, and teamspace pages.

Insert a database

1. In a page, type /database (or /spreadsheet, /grid).
2. Choose Database.

Plane creates the database and adds it to the page. A new database is named Untitled database and starts with three empty rows and three columns:

• Name, a text column
• Work item, a work item column
• Assignee, a people column that holds one person

To rename the database, click its name above the grid, type a new one, and press Enter. Press Escape to cancel. If you clear the name, it goes back to Untitled database.

If Plane can't create the database, you see Couldn't create database. If the page is still loading, wait a moment and try again.

Column types

Type	What it holds
Text	Free text.
Number	A number.
Single select	One option from a list you define.
Multi select	Any number of options from a list you define.
Checkbox	Checked or unchecked.
Date	A date.
People	Workspace members. One person, or several if you turn on multi selection.
URL	A web address.
Email	An email address.
Work item	A link to a work item from any project in the workspace.

Plane checks URL and email values when you save them and rejects ones that aren't valid.

Work with columns

Click a column header, or right-click it, to open the column menu.

Add a column

• Click the + header at the end of the grid and pick a type. You can search the list.
• From a column's menu, choose Insert column left or Insert column right and pick a type.

The new column is named after its type, for example Date. Plane scrolls it into view.

Rename a column

1. Open the column menu and choose Edit column.
2. Change the Column name and press Enter.

Change a column's type

You pick a column's type when you add it. The only type change available from the column menu is for People columns: open Edit column and turn Allow multi selection on or off. With it off, each cell holds one person.

To use a different type, add a new column of that type.

Manage options

For Single select and Multi select columns, Edit column lists the column's options.

• Type in Add option and press Enter to add one.
• Rename an option in place.
• Drag an option by its handle to reorder it.
• Click the delete icon next to an option to remove it.

You can also add an option while editing a cell. Type a name that doesn't exist yet and pick it from the list. When a column has no options, the picker shows No options yet. Type to add.

Reorder columns

Drag a column header left or right. You can also reorder columns from the columns menu, described in the next section.

Show or hide columns

Click Show or hide columns in the database toolbar. The Columns visible list shows every column, including hidden ones.

• Check or uncheck a column to show or hide it.
• Drag a column by its handle to change its position. With the handle focused, ↑ and ↓ move it.

To hide a single column, you can also choose Hide column from its menu.

At least one column must stay visible. When only one is left, you can't hide it, and Plane shows At least 1 column must stay visible. Hiding a column doesn't remove its values.

Resize a column

Drag the edge of a column header. Plane saves the width.

Duplicate a column

Choose Duplicate column from the column menu. The copy is named "{column name} copy" and keeps the original's type, options, and values.

Clear a column's values

1. Choose Clear values from the column menu.
2. Confirm with Clear values.

Every entry loses its value in that column, including entries hidden by filters. The column stays, and so do its options for select columns. When it's done, Plane shows a toast with how many entries it cleared.

Delete a column

1. Choose Delete column from the column menu.
2. Confirm in the Delete column dialog.

This deletes the column and all its values from the database. Any filters or sorts on the column are removed too.

Work with rows

Add a row

Click Add row in the toolbar, or New row below the grid.

Edit a cell

Click a cell to select it. Text, number, URL, and email cells are edited in place. Select, date, people, and work item cells open a picker.

• Work item cells search work items across the workspace. Once a cell holds a work item, click the chip to open the work item's peek view, or hover over it to see its details.
• Right-click a cell and choose Clear cell to empty it.
• Select one or more cells and press Delete or Backspace to clear them.
• Paste values from the clipboard into the grid.
• Drag the fill handle at the corner of a selected cell down to copy its value into the cells below.

Open an entry

Hover over the first cell of a row and click Open peek view. The entry opens in a side panel with every visible column as a field. Empty fields show "Add" followed by the field name, for example Add name.

The Row actions menu in the panel has:

• Copy link copies a link that opens the page with this entry's peek view.
• Duplicate row adds a copy of the entry.
• Clear values empties the entry's visible fields.
• Delete row deletes the entry.

Act on several rows

Select rows with the checkboxes at the start of each row. A bar appears at the bottom of the page with:

• Move up and Move down
• Duplicate
• Clear values
• Delete rows

Uncheck the box in the bar to clear the selection.

Deleting rows doesn't ask for confirmation.

Search, filter, and sort

The toolbar above the grid has search, filters, and sorting. Filters, sorts, hidden columns, column order, and column widths are saved with the database, so everyone who opens the page sees the same arrangement.

Search

Click the search icon and type. Plane matches the text against text, URL, email, number, and date columns, and shows rows where any of them match.

Filter

1. Click the filter icon and pick a column.
2. Choose a condition and a value in the filter bar.
3. Add more filters from the filter bar. Click Clear all to remove them.

Conditions depend on the column type:

Column type	Conditions
Text, URL, Email	is, is not, contains, does not contain, is empty, is not empty
Number, Date	is, is not, greater than, greater than or equal, less than, less than or equal, is empty, is not empty
Checkbox	is, is not, is empty, is not empty
Single select	is, is none of, is empty, is not empty
Multi select, People (multiple)	is, contains all of, is none of, is empty, is not empty
People (single), Work item	is, is not, is empty, is not empty

When every column already has a filter, the filter menu shows All filters applied.

Sort

• Click the sort icon in the toolbar and pick a column. In the sort panel, choose Ascending or Descending, click Add sorting to sort by more columns, and drag rules to change their priority.
• From a column's menu, choose Sort by, then Ascending or Descending. This replaces any existing sort. Choose Clear sort to remove it.

Multi select columns and People columns with multi selection can't be sorted.

Calculate column totals

Choose Calculate from a column's menu to show a summary under that column. Choose None to remove it.

• All columns except Checkbox: Count all, Count values, Count unique values, Count empty, Count not empty.
• All columns except Number and Checkbox: Percent empty, Percent not empty.
• Number: Sum, Average, Median, Minimum, Maximum, Range.
• Date: Earliest date, Latest date, Date range.
• Checkbox: Count all, Count checked, Count unchecked, Percent checked, Percent unchecked.

A result marked * skipped some cells. Hover over it to see how many rows had a usable value.

Collaborate on a database

Everyone who can open the page can see its databases. Everyone who can edit the page can change them. A database follows the page's access, so the same rules apply as in Access and sharing.

When someone can't edit the page, or the page is locked or archived, the database is read-only. The + column, Add row, New row, and the columns menu are hidden, and cells can't be changed. Readers can still search the grid and open entries in the peek view.

Changes made by other people show up in the grid as they happen. While someone else selects or edits a cell, you see it highlighted with their color.

Delete a database

Delete the database block like any other block, for example from the block's ⋮⋮ menu. Removing the block from the page deletes the database and all its entries.

When you duplicate a page, each database in it is copied with its columns, options, views, and entries. Editing the copy doesn't change the original.