Obsidian's "Bases" Now Replaces Notion in My Workflow Forever

The Rise of Bases in Obsidian

Obsidian has long been a favorite tool for many, but it struggled to match Notion in terms of database capabilities. However, the introduction of its new Bases feature has changed that dynamic entirely. Now, there's almost no reason to keep Notion on my machine, as Obsidian can do practically everything it can.

One important point to note is that the Bases feature is still in testing and only available to Catalyst members. However, it’s expected to be rolled out to all users soon. The Obsidian team mentioned that this particular feature might remain in beta for a bit longer to address any bugs that may arise.

Even though Bases isn’t a complete product yet, it’s already incredibly useful, and the roadmap for future updates looks very promising. While it may not yet be able to do everything Notion can, from my initial impressions, it won’t be long before it catches up.

Bases: The Missing Piece in Obsidian

Bases is essentially the core plugin that Obsidian has been missing. Previously, users relied on third-party plugins like Dataview to create extensive databases. If you're familiar with Dataview and enjoy using it, you don't have to stop; Bases doesn’t replace it. However, Dataview requires a specific syntax that less tech-savvy users might find challenging. Bases offers similar functionality with a much simpler interface and minimal coding required, while still taking full advantage of Obsidian's powerful interlinking features.

The way Bases works is straightforward. When you create a base, Obsidian pulls all the notes in your current vault into the base and displays them as a list. At first glance, this might seem overwhelming, but the real convenience comes from the ability to break the base down into multiple views based on data types.

Testing Bases: A Story Bible Example

To test Bases, I created a new vault as a story bible for a book I'm working on. This allows me to easily reference different characters, locations, and more. The initial view shows all the information in one place, but I can then divide it into other views. For instance, one view could focus on NPC characters.

By adjusting the Properties field, I can ask Bases to show tags for each character note, their location, and more. I used YAML frontmatter for sorting, but for large vaults with hundreds or even thousands of notes, Bases should automatically detect different tags and properties. I did encounter some issues where it didn't detect tags, but this is a known issue with the beta version. It seems particularly sensitive to tag formats, but the Obsidian team is likely to fix this before the final launch.

Comprehensive Filtering and Sorting

What this means is that I can sort all the notes in my vault to show only secondary characters and see what information is tagged with them, including their city and much more. It serves as an easy reference point. Because it's Obsidian, I can jump to other linked data. If I forget where the Hearth of the Stag is, I can go from the character database directly to the note with location information.

Bases has its own syntax for comprehensive filtering. You can sort by date, type, and more. Since a Base includes every note in the vault, all your information is available. There's no need for a source like there is when working with SQL or Dataview. By default, every defining property for your notes is available for selection in the Properties tab. That means tags, links, file size, extensions, and more are readily available for display in the database itself.

Editing Notes Directly in the Database

Another powerful feature of Bases is the ability to edit notes directly within the database itself. If I notice something incorrect while navigating a specific view, I don't have to dive into the specific note to make changes. I can make corrections on the fly. For example, if I look at a list and realize a character is alive but another isn't, I can select the empty space in the "tags" column to choose from all currently used tags or type in a new one. I can also click the "x" beside a tag to remove it from any entry.

These changes are reflected in the note itself. While this example involves a small number of notes, the ability to make corrections without navigating through numerous folders can save a lot of time, especially with a vault containing thousands of notes.

Limitations Compared to Notion

Compared to Notion, Bases is still limited in some ways. It doesn’t offer the same variety of view types. While Bases does provide excellent sorting and filtering, you’re ultimately restricted to working within a table or a set of cards. Notion allows for boards, charts, lists, galleries, and more. However, the Bases team has promised more views in the future, which is one of the first planned features.

With Notion, you can create a new task and have it automatically generate a new section in the database. Bases doesn’t yet support this function. While it is possible to edit existing notes in the database, creating new ones is not yet supported.

Bases: A Game-Changer for Obsidian Users

With Bases, Notion loses its strongest advantage over Obsidian. It is now just as easy to see large amounts of data. I have long preferred Obsidian to Notion, but I couldn’t completely eliminate Notion from my workflow. Its database functionality made me keep a small space active, even if I primarily did all of my note-taking in another tool. Now that Obsidian can display information in a way that's easier on the eyes, I suspect I’ll be opening Notion less and less. This is especially true when I have to create Notion databases from scratch and transfer data into it, whereas Obsidian can generate a database from all of my stored notes in a single vault — and then nest that database within another note if needed.

The Future of Obsidian

Bases is the most promising update in a long time. Obsidian is steadily improving, despite discussions about stagnation. The more I learn about the application, the more I find to love. With the addition of Bases, I intend to move as much of my workflow as possible into Obsidian to streamline everything and make my daily setup that much easier (no more opening multiple apps and waiting for them to load). As more of the Bases roadmap rolls out, I wouldn't be surprised to see even more Notion users making the leap.