database/get

When to Use

• Schema inspection before page creation: Call database/get to read the property types and select options of a database before using database/createPage. This prevents type mismatch errors when setting field values on new rows.
• Incremental sync gating: Compare the last_edited_time returned by this operation against a stored timestamp. If the database has not changed since the last run, skip the full query and save API quota.
• Pre-import access verification: Before starting a bulk import loop, call database/get to confirm the integration has access to the target database. A NOTION_PERMISSION_DENIED error here stops the workflow cleanly before any partial writes occur.
• Dynamic form building: Read property definitions — especially select and multi_select options — to populate dropdown choices in a BizFirst Form that lets users pick values aligned to the database schema.
• Report embedding: Retrieve the database url field and embed it as a hyperlink in an automated email or Slack message so recipients can open the source database directly.

Configuration

Authentication

Operation Fields

Sample Configuration

{
  "resource": "database",
  "operation": "get",
  "AuthenticationMethod": "ApiToken",
  "ApiToken": "{{ $credentials.notionApiToken }}",
  "Database": "{{ $vars.projectDatabaseId }}"
}

Validation Errors

Output

Success Port

Error Port

On failure the error port receives an object with errorCode (string), message (string), and httpStatus (number). Use an IfCondition node on the error port to handle NOTION_PERMISSION_DENIED separately from transient errors.

Sample Output

{
  "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "title": "Sprint Tasks",
  "url": "https://www.notion.so/a1b2c3d4e5f67890abcdef1234567890",
  "created_time": "2024-01-15T09:00:00.000Z",
  "last_edited_time": "2024-06-10T14:32:00.000Z",
  "properties": {
    "Name": { "id": "title", "type": "title" },
    "Status": {
      "id": "abc1",
      "type": "select",
      "select": {
        "options": [
          { "name": "Backlog", "color": "gray" },
          { "name": "In Progress", "color": "blue" },
          { "name": "Done", "color": "green" }
        ]
      }
    },
    "Assignee": { "id": "abc2", "type": "people" },
    "Due": { "id": "abc3", "type": "date" },
    "Priority": {
      "id": "abc4",
      "type": "select",
      "select": {
        "options": [
          { "name": "High", "color": "red" },
          { "name": "Medium", "color": "yellow" },
          { "name": "Low", "color": "green" }
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "parent": { "type": "workspace", "workspace": true }
}

Expression Reference

Node Policies & GuardRails

Workflow Examples

Example 1 — Incremental Sync Guard

Before querying all pages, check whether the database has been edited since the last sync run. If unchanged, skip the expensive query.

// Step 1: database/get
{
  "resource": "database",
  "operation": "get",
  "Database": "{{ $vars.sprintDbId }}"
}

// Step 2: IfCondition
// Condition: {{ $output.getDatabase.last_edited_time }} > {{ $vars.lastSyncTime }}
// True branch: proceed to database/query
// False branch: StopWorkflow (no changes)

Example 2 — Dynamic Select Options for BizFirst Form

Read the Status property options from the database schema, then pass them to a Form node to build a dropdown dynamically.

// Step 1: database/get
{
  "resource": "database",
  "operation": "get",
  "Database": "{{ $vars.taskDbId }}"
}

// Step 2: Function node — extract option names
const options = $output.getDatabase.properties.Status.select.options.map(o => o.name);
return { statusOptions: options };

// Step 3: Form node — use statusOptions as dropdown choices

Example 3 — Pre-Import Access Check

Before starting a 500-row bulk import, verify access to the database. Fail fast with a clear error message instead of discovering the problem mid-import.

// Step 1: database/get (with error port wired to notification)
// Error port: Slack/postMessage
{
  "channel": "#ops-alerts",
  "text": "Bulk import blocked: {{ $error.message }} ({{ $error.errorCode }})"
}
// Success port: proceed to Loop + database/createPage