Notion’s new “dashboards” feature adds a dedicated database layout type that lets you build a canvas of widgets—each widget being a linked‑database view (chart, list, table, etc.)—instead of arranging column blocks and linked‑database blocks manually. By default dashboards open in view‑only mode, protecting the layout from accidental edits; switching to edit mode lets you add, resize, reorder widgets and pull data from multiple sources. Dashboards can also be used as tabbed layouts inside a database, so a single tab can display widgets from several data sources and any configuration change (e.g., filters, visible properties) propagates to all existing pages, unlike the old block‑based approach that required editing each page individually. While the visual result can be recreated with the older method, dashboards are easier to create, duplicate, and maintain. The feature is locked to the $20/month Business plan because dashboards—especially those with many chart views—are computationally intensive, and gating them limits heavy server load while also serving as a value‑based upsell. In short, dashboards provide a more flexible, lock‑friendly, and centrally‑managed way to build multi‑source data visualizations in Notion, at the cost of a higher‑tier subscription.
1. Notion released a new feature called dashboards.
2. Dashboards are a layout type available for database blocks.
3. A dashboard provides a canvas where users can add widgets.
4. Each widget in a dashboard is a linked database view.
5. Users can select a data source for each widget.
6. Widgets can be created from existing views of the selected data source.
7. Multiple widgets can be added to a single dashboard.
8. Widgets can pull data from different data sources within the same dashboard.
9. Users can adjust widget width, move widgets, and change their order.
10. By default, dashboards open in view mode, which locks configuration changes.
11. To edit widget configuration, users must switch to edit mode.
12. Dashboards can be locked without locking the entire page.
13. Dashboards can be duplicated like other database views.
14. Dashboards can be used as a tabbed layout inside a database page.
15. When a dashboard is placed in a tabbed layout, its widgets can pull from multiple data sources.
16. Changing a widget's configuration in a dashboard tab updates the same widget on all existing pages in the database.
17. Creating dashboards requires Notion's Business plan, which costs $20 per month.
18. The Plus plan does not include access to the dashboard feature.
19. Chart views, which can be used as widgets, are computationally expensive because they may calculate data from the entire database.
20. Dashboards make it possible to create multiple chart widgets on a single page.
21. Notion gates the dashboard feature behind the Business plan to limit usage of computationally expensive layouts.
22. Prior to dashboards, users built similar layouts using column blocks and linked database blocks.
23. Using column blocks required manual updates on each page to change configuration.
24. The dashboard view can be created by selecting "New view" in a database and choosing the dashboard layout type.
25. The dashboard view includes an edit button to toggle between view and edit mode.
26. The dashboard view can be resized and rearranged by dragging widgets.
27. The dashboard view supports filtering and sorting within each widget.
28. The dashboard view can display chart views, list views, table views, and other linked database views.
29. The dashboard view can show data from multiple sources simultaneously via separate widgets.
30. In the demonstration, a tasks database was used with widgets showing a bar chart, a pie chart, and a list view.