Keep research topics aligned with Notion schema changes
When your research structure changes, make it easier to keep the language used to organize findings current too.
Trigger
Data Source Schema Updated
Triggers when a Notion data source's schema is updated. Fires on column add / remove / rename. Payload includes `data.updated_properties: [{id, name, action}]` so consumers can discriminate the kind of change downstream. Optional `data_source_id` filter scopes to schema changes on a single data source. When omitted, fires for any schema change in the workspace the integration has access to. Note: adding a column also fires `page.properties_updated` once per existing row in the data source. Customers wanting a single structural-change signal should use this trigger.
Action
Update Topic
Tool to update an existing topic. use after confirming the topic id and fields to change. example: "update topic with id 123... to have title 'new'".
Why this helps
Changing research categories can leave topic labels out of date and make the evidence harder to browse consistently.
- Prompt a review when research categories change.
- Keep topic descriptions aligned with current terminology.
- Reduce the mental overhead of maintaining parallel structures.
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect Notion and Dovetail to Notis once through the portal.
- 2Create an automation and instruct Notis to review the relevant Dovetail topic when the research schema changes and update its wording only when needed.
- 3Choose the Notion Data Source Schema Updated trigger, select a report channel, and test with a meaningful schema change.
Questions about this workflow
Does this automatically rename every topic?
The instruction should identify the related topic and ask for an update only when the schema change makes the current wording inaccurate.
Can the trigger watch one data source?
The schema update trigger supports a data source scope.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link Notion to Dovetail. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
Notion triggers
Dovetail actions
Recurring trigger
Notis starts this workflow on a schedule, such as daily, weekly, or during business hours.
Create Channel
Tool to create a new channel in dovetail. use after confirming channel details.
Webhook trigger
Notis starts this workflow when an external tool or custom backend sends an HTTP request.
Create Contact
Tool to create a new contact in dovetail. use when you need to register a contact before logging interactions.
All Page Events
Triggers when any Notion page is created or updated across the workspace.
Create Data Point
Tool to create a data point within a channel. use after capturing new content to record and classify it in dovetail.
Comment Created
Triggers when a new comment is created in Notion. Optional `page_id` filter scopes to comments on a specific page. When omitted, fires for any new comment in the workspace the integration has access to. Requires the 'Read comments' capability on the Notion integration. If a connection was authorized before that capability was enabled, the user must re-authorize the connection for comment events to flow.
Create Insight
Tool to create a new insight in dovetail. use after synthesizing findings when ready to store them. example: "create insight 'q1 user trends' with body '...' for project 'proj 123'."
New Comment
Triggers when a new comment is added to a specified Notion block or page.
Create Topic
Tool to create a new topic in a channel. use after confirming channel id, title, and optional description.
Database Created
Triggers when a new Notion database (the container) is created. A database is the post-2025-09-03 container that holds one or more data sources. This trigger fires for the container's creation event (`database.created`), distinct from `NOTION_DATASOURCE_CREATED` which fires when a new data source is added to an existing database. Most customers calling Notion's `POST /v1/databases` (the legacy API) or creating a database via the Notion UI will see this event. Adding a new data source to an existing database fires `data_source.created` instead — use `NOTION_DATASOURCE_CREATED` for that. Notion's payload puts `entity.type: "block"` (the container is a `child_database` block in the content tree) and `entity.id` is the database id.
Delete Channel
Tool to delete an existing channel. use when you need to remove a channel and move it to the project's trash (restorable for 30 days). confirm the channel id before calling.
Data Source Created
Triggers when a new Notion data source is created. Fires workspace-wide. The payload's `data.parent` carries the data source's tree parent (typically the teamspace) for downstream filtering. A single template-based database creation can fire multiple `data_source.created` events at once — one per data source the template instantiates.
Delete Topic
Tool to delete an existing topic. use when you have confirmed the topic id and want to move it to trash (restorable for 30 days). example: "delete topic with id 123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000."
Data Source Schema Updated
Triggers when a Notion data source's schema is updated. Fires on column add / remove / rename. Payload includes `data.updated_properties: [{id, name, action}]` so consumers can discriminate the kind of change downstream. Optional `data_source_id` filter scopes to schema changes on a single data source. When omitted, fires for any schema change in the workspace the integration has access to. Note: adding a column also fires `page.properties_updated` once per existing row in the data source. Customers wanting a single structural-change signal should use this trigger.
Get Note
Tool to retrieve details of a specific note. use when you have confirmed the note id and need full note metadata from dovetail.
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