# [[How to use the Obsidian Dataview plugin]] <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JTObSymEvWA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> ## Thumbnail ![[dataview-thumbnail.png]] ### Inspiration ![[filipe-donadio-dataview-plugin.png]] ![[obsidian-community-talks-introduction-to-dataview-thumbnail.png]] ![[filipe-donadio-knowledge-vault.png]] ## Title 1. Databases in Obsidian 2. The Obsidian Dataview plugin 3. Dataview for Obsidian 4. How to use dataview in Obsidian 5. Obsidian Dataview tutorial // Databases in Obsidian 6. Obsidian Dataview plugin tutorial 7. ==How to use the Obsidian Dataview plugin== ## Hook The problem with the practice of building a second brain is that it comes with the underlying assumption that the second brain is a replica of the first. But our first brains aren't good at everything... they are excellent at making intuitive leaps, but pretty terrible at the data storage and retrieval. What if we created databases instead of replicas? Then our first brains would be free to make connections, unhindered by the necessity of also storing and categorizing data we don't need on a regular basis. In this video, I talk about the Obsidian Dataview plugin, how to use it, and why it's essential for taking a bottom-up approach to note-taking and learning. ## Structure - What is Dataview? - Obsidian Community plugin - lets you turn your notes, in your Obsidian vault, into a searchable database. - Dataview can be really daunting, especially if you're not used to working with databases, but an important thing to remember here is that you only have to go as deep as you want to go. - Installing the plugin - How to declare parameters and assign values to notes - How to create a dataview query - SQL-like - Create a data model with the metadata you use I'm going to show lots of examples in a minute, but here's an overview of how Dataview queries are formulated. First, a query always begins _and ends_ with three backticks. This is what's known as a code block. Next, just after the first set of backticks, you can type the kind of code you're going to use in this block. For Dataview, it's going to be either `dataview` or `dataviewjs`. `dataview` refers to the Dataview Query Language (DQL), and that's what I'd recommend you start with. The rest of the Dataview code block will consist of the query itself. A query begins with the type of view you want. Right now, Dataview supports lists, tables, tasks, and calendars. After that, you can put in the parameters that you want displayed, which is what's to the left of the colons in the data annotation example, like `project` or `tags`. Then, you may want to specify _where_ Dataview should look for the results. You can add a folder, like `FROM "Meetings"`, or you can instruct it to look for only notes with a certain tag, like `FROM #meeting`. Which one you use is up to you and how you've chosen to structure your data. For simple queries, you can leave it at that, but you'll probably need to narrow down your query in some way, so that you don't get too many results returned. For that, use the `WHERE` keyword to denote criteria. What do you use as criteria? Parameters, mostly-- those that you defined while annotating the data. An optional part of the query is `SORT`, which you can add if you want to specify the order in which the results should be displayed. Most of the time, you'll probably need `SORT file.name ASC`, which will sort results alphabetically. Now let's get back to more examples of these! - Use cases - Meetings list - Notes or meetings referencing a person - Task management - D&D vault - Books you've read with ratings (Goodreads) - dictionary - tool comparisons, basically anything where you think a database could be useful - Where next? - DataviewJS - Use with Templater - Use with Buttons - Use with Quick Add ## Outro Building a second brain isn't terribly useful if it has the same issues with storing and retrieving information that the first one has. When we take a bottom-up approach to note-taking, we take notes without categorizing them or thinking about their purpose; we just follow our interests. However, if we stop there, then we're just falling into the Evernote trap, where we're really more like data hoarders than learners. Dataview is a great way to resurface your notes, make connections between them, and create a personal database of things you've learned instead of a replica of the first brain. If you're wondering how I get things I read automatically imported, tagged and queried by Dataview, I use Readwise for that-- in this video, I demonstrate how you can do the same. Thanks for watching! Gracias a todos! ## Related videos and resources ## Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:43 Dataview installation and setup 1:49 Step 1 - Annotate notes 3:29 Step 2 - Querying notes 5:07 Lists in Dataview 6:48 Tables in Dataview 12:46 Tasks in Dataview 14:14 Calendars in Dataview ## Pre-production - [x] Take a thumbnail photo and create one for YouTube (1280 x 720). - [x] Add description. - [x] Include the title and any keywords in the first few sentences, but in a natural way. - [x] Add related videos and resources as links. - [x] Add end screen. - [x] Add cards if necessary. - [x] Add video to relevant playlist(s), or create a playlist if necessary. - [x] Create captions using Descript or using the script, then edit them. - [x] Add chapters for YouTube if longer than 5 minutes. - [x] Schedule on YouTube. ## Post-production - [ ] Promote on personal social media. - [ ] Twitter - [ ] LinkedIn - [ ] Create a blog post on [site](https://nicolevanderhoeven.com). - [ ] Add to weekly newsletter.