Databases

Written By Manos Mastorakis

Last updated About 18 hours ago

Databases in Routine are structured collections of objects of a specific type. Every type you create — whether a default type like Tasks or a custom type like Customers or Tickets — has an underlying database that stores all objects of that type and makes them queryable, viewable, and connectable across your workspace.

Understanding databases is key to getting the most out of Routine's views, relations, and AI features.

✍️ What a database is

In Routine, a database is:

  • A collection of all objects of a given type (e.g. all Tasks, all Customers, all Meetings)

  • The source that views query to display filtered, sorted, or grouped data

  • A node in the context graph — connected to other databases through relations

  • Accessible from the database overview screen

  • Manageable from Settings → Types

Every type has exactly one database. When you create a new object of a type, it's added to that type's database automatically.

🗺️ Navigating databases

From the database overview screen:

  1. Click the database name in your sidebar (if pinned) or navigate via Settings

  2. The overview screen shows all objects in that database

  3. Use the ... menu to access Copy Link, manage the database, or jump to its type editor

  4. Use CMD/CTRL+SHIFT+L to copy a direct link to the database

From a view:

  1. Open any view that queries a database

  2. Click the data source name in the view header to jump to the database

  3. Click Edit Schema in view configuration to open the type editor for that database's type

  4. Click + in the table header to open the data source schema directly

From notes and pages:

  • Reference any database inline using @ to insert a link

  • Embed a view of any database directly inside a note using the / command

⚙️ Managing databases

Each database can be managed from its overview screen or from Settings → Types:

  • View all objects — browse every record in the database

  • Add properties — extend the type with new fields that appear on every object

  • Create views — build filtered, sorted, or grouped views of the database

  • Copy link — get a shareable link to the database using CMD/CTRL+SHIFT+L

  • Pin to menu — keep frequently used databases accessible in the sidebar

  • Set record limit — configure how many records load at a time in views

  • Repair — if the database is damaged, the overview screen offers a one-click repair

🔗 How databases connect

Databases connect to each other through relation properties. A relation on one type points to another type's database — creating a link between individual records.

For example:

  • A Task record can relate to a Project record

  • A Customer record can relate to multiple Meeting records

  • A Bug record can relate to an impacted Customer and an assigned Member

These connections form Routine's context graph — giving the AI full awareness of how data relates across your workspace.

💡 Database limits

  • Each integration data source syncs up to 100 records per database by default

  • An indicator appears when a data source has reached its maximum record count

  • Custom databases have no hard limit on manually created records

🗣️ Practical uses

  • Pin your most-used databases to the sidebar for one-click access

  • Build views on top of databases to slice and visualize data in different ways

  • Connect databases through relations to build a knowledge graph that AI can traverse

  • Use the database overview as a control panel for each type in your workspace

  • Copy database links to reference them in notes, automations, or AI prompts

Databases are the backbone of everything in Routine — every object lives in one, every view reads from one, and every AI action works through them.