MASTER Obsidian's Powerful DATABASE FOLDER Plugin - Step by Step

[@leanproductivity]

😢 Missing Notion's database functionality in #Obsidian? 😕 Struggling with making the DB Folder Plugin work? This step-by-step guide ✅ includes practical examples ✅ explains every single setting ⏲ in ~20 minutes. Download FREE Obsidian templates and my demo vault at store.sascha-kasper.com/?tags=obsidian

[@Mark4Jesus]

This is slick. I was holding off using Obsidian, until now…

[@leanproductivity]

Happy to hear that - welcome to the community.

[@Ali-mi9up]

Why am I finding your channel just now. This is beyond helpful. Simply wow.

[@leanproductivity]

Thank you - much appreciated!

[@aljustiet]

00:00 === WHAT'S HAPPENING? === 00:12 === WHAT WE NEED === 00:44 === DB FROM SCRATCH === 01:51 Basic database settings 02:36 Basic columns 03:06 Template for DB entries 03:25 Create a new DB entry 03:49 Add columns 04:55 Configuring columns 06:28 Organizing the DB and notes 07:00 Tags as data source 07:12 Dataview as data source 07:46 Inline fields as columns 08:19 Filter and sort 08:57 === DB FROM NOTES === 09:35 Pagination 09:45 Refining the data source 10:26 === PLUGIN SETTINGS === 10:52 Folder structure 11:10 Remove fields from metadata 11:23 Default metadata columns 11:52 Inline fields options 12:04 Rows related settings 12:13 Database footer 12:57 Editing engine 13:06 Automations 13:13 Embedded media 13:24 CSV I/O 13:31 Helpers 13:40 Developer tools 13:46 === DATABASE SETTINGS === 14:01 Database sources 15:10 Grouping 15:35 Remove fields 15:41 Columns template 15:55 Use all fields 16:12 Font size 16:19 Date and time formats 16:28 Automations 16:33 === COLUMNS MENU === 16:41 Add columns 16:54 Default metadata columns 17:02 File name 17:09 Created and modified dates 17:23 File tasks 17:34 File inlinks and outlinks 17:50 File tags 18:07 === COLUMN TYPES === 18:18 Calendar column 18:32 Calendar time column 18:41 Formula column 18:54 Relation and rollup columns 19:42 === COLUMN SETTINGS === 19:56 Header menu 20:14 Column ID 20:39 Inline field 20:52 Style 21:03 Tags and select columns 21:18 There is more

[@leanproductivity]

Thanks, but do the timestamps in the description not work?

[@aljustiet]

@@leanproductivity I commented out the timestamps because I'm too lazy to click the more button

[@leanproductivity]

@@aljustiet 😂 I can relate to that.

[@Mark4Jesus]

I love this video. Best yet! Thank you.

[@leanproductivity]

Wow, thank you! Glad you liked it.

[@Mark4Jesus]

@@leanproductivity If you have 2 databases that relate to each other, do they need to have separate folders?

[@GordonShamway1984]

wie immer, einfach großartig!

[@leanproductivity]

Danke! Ich bemühe mich 😊

[@robertlindsay4512]

Great Video and helped me a lot

[@leanproductivity]

Thank you - I think that's really every content creator's favorite feedback. I appreciate it.

[@葳蕤]

谢谢，非常全面！

[@leanproductivity]

感谢您的善意反馈。我很高兴您觉得有帮助。 I hope this is correctly translated. Thank you.

[@葳蕤]

@@leanproductivity 非常准确😄

[@CrusNB]

Fantastic video. Thank you!

[@leanproductivity]

Thank you, too, for taking the time to let me know. I appreciate it!

[@jtiste]

Great and useful video ! Thanks for your work ❤

[@leanproductivity]

Thank you - I really enjoy making these videos - although I am still figuring out quite a few things. Feedback like yours is really motivating.

[@everydayjunglist]

This is a really good video. Moves at a good pace, detailed but not too detailed. Thank you! Quick question - I'd like to create a simple client database, and then create links/relationships b/w records, eg: Client A knows Client B etc... And then show that in Graph view. Is that possible? I'm new to Obsidian. Thanks!

[@leanproductivity]

Thank you for your kind words. Yes, it is possible. The easiest way is to add the link directly from one note to another. Say you have 2 notes called "Client A" and "Client B" respectively. Open the "Client A" note and type [[Client B]]. This will create a link to the "Client B" note which will also be displayed in the graph view. As soon as you start typing "[[Cli", Obsidian will suggest all notes matching this string (e.g., Client C, Client D, etc.).

[@lpanebr]

Very helpful! Thanks!

[@leanproductivity]

I'm glad you think so. Thank you for your kind feedback.

[@StefanSchoch]

Thank you for this great introduction into DB Folder! Currently I'm trying to figure out witch plugins to use in combination. I'm using Kanban (together with MetaEdit) , MetaData Menu, Projects and now DB Folder . Now I wonder, how this one plays together with the other ones. Any suggestions on this question?

[@leanproductivity]

I am happy you find it helpful - and thank you for your nice feedback. Personally, I like to use Canvas in combination with the metadata menu plugin and the projects plugin. I actually published a list of my personal top 10 plugins recently. It's here, ICYMI: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqOQkIOCbt52e80 But there is really no definitive answer. It all depends on what you need and how you like to work. That's what makes Obsidian so great, imo. If you want to kickstart - or just play around with - Obsidian, I also provide a free demo vault: store.sascha-kasper.com/?tags=obsidian. Have fun!

[@miragegaming984]

Why do I get a long verticle line anytime I type --- instead of the three dashes? Which then in turn makes it so that way what I'm trying to set as code or whatever doesn't work instead it ends up in large bolded text and doesn't work.

[@leanproductivity]

Not sure, I understand it completely. the three dashes "---" are interpreted as markdown code for a horizontal line *except* when you use them at the very beginning of the note to start you frontmatter section. You have to use them again to close the section. E.g.: --- field: value --- here starts the note text in any other location the dashes will turn into a horizontal line. for code blocks, you need to use three backticks to start and end the block like so ```dataview [query code] ``` I hope this helps.

[@miragegaming984]

How do you open it to the right like that? I just started using Obsidian yesterday and as I am won't to do I dove straight into the deep end.

[@leanproductivity]

You can drag any note or plugin into either of the side panes. Just take the tab, and drag it to your preferred position.

[@joselaveda7449]

Very useful for me, thank you.

[@leanproductivity]

You are welcome! I am happy to hear that. Thank you for taking the time to let me know.

[@tsentenari4353]

When you showed in your video what Database Folder is capable of, I couldn't help but think "Wow - I think I might even be possible to JUST use Database Folder, and use it for what I presently use QuickAdd for, and what people in general use Metadata Menu for." What is your take on that? Which functions of Metadata Menu can, and which can't be replace with Database Folder? (Limited to things I want to do with notes that I use inside of Database folder.) (Based on your custom CRM video, I would guess that you would always choose to use Metadata menu - but then of course in your case, you already have *that* learning curve behind you :) )

[@leanproductivity]

I think if you only work with notes that are in a DB folder and use Templater, you may not necessarily need the Metadata Menu plugin. Frankly, I never considered or tried it - so I cannot really provide a detailed gap analysis between those two. Personally, I have too many notes and note types outside of DB folders, so I prefer to manage my frontmatter structure with Metadata Menu and fill it with Templater as far as possible. For me, that's part of what makes Obsidian so useful - having the option to adapt it to one's individual needs. Thank you for this interesting question, though.

[@tsentenari4353]

@@leanproductivity I have given it a try, and it seems to work fine. I don't even need templater, I just need a template. My thinking was this: It makes me feel better if I know right from the start, that everything to do with the properties of the notes displayed inside my DB Folder, will be dealt with throgh DB Folder, and DB Folder alone. Since DB folder gives me the option to both add properties to the notes displayed in the table (which only takes effect when I enter a value), and delete properties from notes displayed in the table, it kind of gives me all I need. (I didn't try renaming yet.) In this way, I am sure that templater or Metadata Menu don't do something with those notes I don't want them to do. This might be rookie way of thinking, so let's see how this goes. (Do you see a problem with this thinking?)

[@leanproductivity]

Not at all. If it works for you, that's great. There is no "one-size-fits-all" thinking with Obsidian.

[@thepatrusnostor5794]

What is rollup and relation for in column types?

[@leanproductivity]

Check at 18:54 in the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/onrYi3SfoJadhq8 Btw, all time stamps are in the video description. I hope this helps.

[@daedalusjones4228]

Great video! Question: Is ALL of it still just stored in plain text files? Thanks, brother.

[@leanproductivity]

Yes, it's all based on plain text files using Markdown format.

[@daedalusjones4228]

@@leanproductivity Thanks! I'm a technical writer. For me, this replaces Adobe Robohelp. And replaces Google Sites, for personal stuff. Syncs great with iPad.

[@warren2010]

Thanks for the video! What are the main advantages of this plug-in compared to the actual MS Excel? Thank you.

[@leanproductivity]

I think these two things cannot be compared as they serve very different purposes. The main difference is probably that the DB Folder plugin lets you query your notes inside Obsidian and display/edit their metadata while Excel is completely detached from Obsidian. While you can do basic calculations with the DB Folder plugin, it will (probably) never be as powerful as Excel in this respect.

[@TheTintinjb]

Is there a reason that the fields I create do not go to the properties part of the note? They go to the main body with ": :." This happens even if the field is already present in properties. Kind of strange

[@leanproductivity]

Please check the plugin settings. There is a section "Inline fields options", containing an item "Enable inline fields as default". Probably, this is active. If you deactivate it, the fields should be added to the frontmatter instead of the note.

[@udhisharul8650]

Is there a way to pull inline metadata from different sections of the same note using DB folder?

[@leanproductivity]

I don't think so. Never tried that myself, but quick research did not present a solution. I suggest to get on the Obsidian Discord server. Many of the plugin devs are there and in general it's a super friendly and helpful community.

[@udhisharul8650]

@@leanproductivity Thanks for the reply! Will do

[@EllaSilentDragon]

Great Explanation. I like your structured style. 😊 This plugin seems to make it easy to build complex queries. Much easier than trying to do the same thing using Dataview. Still I somehow lean towards Dataview, because other KZbinrs complained about the speed of DB Folder, when dealing with a large number of notes. 😅 What is your experience with the performance?

[@leanproductivity]

First, thank you for your feedback - I am still figuring this whole KZbin thing out, and any input helps me to make better videos for you guys. I did experience some performance issues when the pagination size was set to more than 100 entries. If I keep it below that, it works decently fast, and filtering lets me get to what I need very quickly. Also, using a dataview query as a source for the DB, also helps. But yes, 'native' dataview is certainly faster. Personally, I use both. I like that the DB folder plugin lets you interact with the results directly (e.g., changing/adding/removing frontmatter fields for multiple notes at once). So - as always - it depends on the use case 😊.

[@EllaSilentDragon]

@@leanproductivity Changing multiple Metadata-Fields at the same time sounds really useful. So I might reconsider this plugin since I don’t know how to manage that in any other way… Thank you 🙏🏻☺️ PS: Ich hab die Sprache gewechselt (im Gegensatz zu meinem vorletzten Kommentar), weil es so für die meisten Leute leichter ist die Kommentare zu überfliegen. Nicht wundern 😂)

[@0tt0fl0tt]

@@leanproductivity "I like that the DB folder plugin lets you interact with the results directly (e.g., changing/adding/removing frontmatter fields for multiple notes at once)." - I'd tried to find a way to that -- you can do it with the Projects plugin -- but apart from Removing, I can't figure out how to create or update properties in bulk? I tried CNTRL+CURSOR DOWN in the column, etc. Any ideas? Danke sehr

[@leanproductivity]

@@0tt0fl0tt Yes, that's a really useful feature for managing frontmatter on multiple notes.

[@0tt0fl0tt]

So you don't know? Well, thanks for hearting me, I guess...

[@MarteenMayjer]

Thanks for the tutorial! I keep getting an error when trying to add columns to my database. The column looks like it gets added, but once I exit it disappears and says something about there's no yaml present. Do you have any idea what might be happening? Thank you

[@leanproductivity]

You are welcome. I tried to reproduce this problem but without success. I suggest checking the Obsidian Forum (forum.obsidian.md/) or their Discord server. People there are very knowledgeable and happy to help.

[@MarteenMayjer]

I appreciate you taking the time to help out. I tried the forums as well as Reddit to no avail. Ended up reinstalling the plugin and it started working fine. Gotta love computers lol @@leanproductivity

[@yiannissofologis2962]

thanks very cool

[@leanproductivity]

Glad you liked it! Thank you.

[@Doparim]

how did you show the book covers please tell me😢

[@leanproductivity]

Hi. This is part of the "Book Search" plugin. Together with the other metadata about a book, it finds the cover. By default, it's a link to an online image. But you can change it to download them locally in the plugin settings (i.imgur.com/0UAkDrm.png). The rest is just a matter of embedding the image with a string in the template: ![[{{author}} - {{title}}.jpg|150]] I hope this helps. Good luck.

[@Doparim]

@@leanproductivity thx a lot❤️

[@GabrielsUniverse]

Thank you!

[@leanproductivity]

You're welcome!

[@kisho2679]

does Obsidian work with PostgreSQL?

[@leanproductivity]

I suppose it depends on what you want to do. Apparently, there is a plugin for sending metadata from Obsidian to PostgreSQL: nat-arslan.github.io/posts/Obsidian-PostgreSQL-Python/#:~:text=There%20is%20an%20Obsidian%20plugin%20which%20makes%20it,metadata%20%28YAML%29%20of%20each%20file%20to%20PostgreSQL%20database.

[@Gohans1107]

More vids about obsidian pls

[@leanproductivity]

Sure thing! The next one will drop this week. Make sure to get notified 😉

[@BillAugersdca]

Do I win a prize for being your 1,000th subscriber? ;-)

[@leanproductivity]

I'm not in a position to hand out prizes, but if there is a specific topic that you are interested in and I can make a meaningful video out of it, I will be happy to dedicate it to you 😊. Other than that, you can bask in the warming glow of helping a fledgling KZbin creator. Thank you for your subscription!

[@gedw99]

no thanks. Closed source I think ?DuckDB is the future,.

[@leanproductivity]

Entirely up to you, my friend. It is great to have the possibility to choose what works best for either of us.

[@arete_]

Jesus Christ people need to learn how to use pauses. This was exasperating.

[@leanproductivity]

Thank you for your feedback. I understand if my preference for condensing information is not everybody's cup of tea. The vast majority of feedback suggests that most people like it. If it was really too fast, may I suggest a quick tip I also use occasionally: You can change the video playback speed and reduce it to 0.75, 0.5, or 0.25 of the normal speed. People's preferences differ and finding "the one perfect" speed for everybody is well nigh impossible. Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you can still enjoy the videos.