---
url: 'https://docs.codatum.com/features/notebook/overview.md'
description: 'Real-time collaborative editing, page types, and key features of notebooks'
---

# Notebook

A notebook is your workspace for data analysis. You can bring SQL, charts, and text together in a single document, with real-time collaborative editing. Access it from [the global nav](../../guide/screen-layout) > **Notebooks**.

A notebook consists of multiple pages. Use a [doc page](./doc-page/overview) for analysis work, and a [grid page](./grid-page/overview) for dashboard layouts. You can also use **section dividers** in the page list.

See [notebook permissions](../../permissions/resources/notebook) for details on permissions.

With real-time collaborative editing, the content of a notebook (SQL, charts, text, and so on) is synced between users who have the same page open. See [Parameter](./parameter/overview) for how parameters and run results are synced. To keep parameter operations independent per user, use [Version](./version) or [Report](./sharing/report/overview).

## Key features

* [Folder](./folder) / [Teamspace](../../workspace/administration/teamspace): placement and access scope
* [Doc page](./doc-page/overview): a flow-based block editor (insert with `/`)
* [Grid page](./grid-page/overview): tile layout for charts and more. [Cross filter](./grid-page/cross-filter)
* [SQL block](./doc-page/sql-block): SQL editing, execution, result display, chart creation, and [caching](./doc-page/sql-block#cache)
* [Parameter](./parameter/overview): embedding in SQL, input forms, and placement on grid pages
* [Chart](./chart/overview): visualization based on dimensions and metrics
* [Explorer](./explorer): explore data with a GUI and create charts or SQL blocks
* [Comment](./comment): comments and mentions in the notebook body
* [Version](./version): save, restore, and compare analysis states
* [Lock](#lock): prevent accidental edits (**Unlocked** / **Query only** / **Locked**)
* [Notebook theme](../../workspace/administration/theme): customize chart colors and fonts
* [Export and import](./export)
* [Sharing](./sharing/overview): permissions / report / public link / signed embed
* [FAQ](./faq)

## Creating and managing notebooks {#create-manage}

### Creating

You can create a notebook in either of the following ways.

1. Open [the global nav](../../guide/screen-layout) > **Notebooks**, then select **Create notebook** or **Create from template**.
2. In the folder tree in [the left sidebar](../../guide/screen-layout), open **Add notebook or folder** and select **New notebook**. You can also use a template or import a file from the same menu.

On the top screen, you can find notebooks using the **Recently viewed**, **Created by me**, **Starred**, and **Active** tabs.

### Creating from a template {#templates}

**Create from template** lets you create a new notebook from one of the available notebook templates. Templates are listed by category. After reviewing a template, select **Create from template** / **Create** to create the notebook.

### Adding pages {#add-page}

In the page list at the top of [the left sidebar](../../guide/screen-layout) inside a notebook, select **Add** > **Page** to add a page.

| Type {.nowrap} | Description |
| --- | --- |
| [**Doc page**](./doc-page/overview) | A flow-based document format for placing SQL, charts, text, and more. |
| [**Grid page**](./grid-page/overview) | Arranges charts defined on doc pages as a dashboard. |
| **Section divider** | Used to divide the page list. It has no body content. |

You can **Rename**, **Duplicate page**, or **Delete** a page from that page's menu.

### Notebook operations

From the menu in [the header](../../guide/screen-layout) inside a notebook, you can perform the following operations.

* [**Share**](./sharing/overview): grant permissions, and publish reports, public links, or signed embeds
* [**Export**](./export) / **Import pages**
* [**Notebook theme**](../../workspace/administration/theme)
* [**Version**](./version)
* [**Lock notebook**](#lock)
* [**Show dependencies**](#dependencies)

**About this notebook** in the header shows details such as the created time and size.

From the list view, you can move, delete, and star notebooks.

## Lock {#lock}

Lock is a feature that prevents accidental edits to a notebook. Switch the state from the **⋯** (horizontal three-dot icon) > **Lock notebook** menu in [the header](../../guide/screen-layout) inside a notebook. Changing this setting requires edit permission on the notebook. You can't change the lock state of a notebook you can only access through sharing.

| State {.nowrap} | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Unlocked** | Everything can be edited. |
| **Query only** | Only parameter changes and SQL execution are allowed. |
| **Locked** | Only [comments](./comment) are allowed. |

When the state is **Query only** or **Locked**, enabling **Temporarily unlock** lets you remove the lock for yourself only. The lock is automatically restored when you close or reload the notebook.

## Dependencies {#dependencies}

Open **Show dependencies** to see a diagram of the SQL blocks and parameters in the notebook, along with their reference relationships. You can also open the same diagram from the menu of a SQL block, a grid component, or a parameter.

Use this to trace references between SQL blocks (SQL chains) and parameter reference chains. See [SQL block](./doc-page/sql-block#references) for details on references between SQL blocks.

## Constraints

* You can't edit a notebook once its size exceeds 10MB (see [Limits](../../reference/limits#fixed-limits)).
* The maximum number of notebooks depends on your contract (see [Limits](../../reference/limits#plan-limits); you can check this from the global nav > **Workspace settings** > **Usage**).

## Permissions

See [Notebook](../../permissions/resources/notebook) for the conditions for each operation. Whether SQL can be run is determined by permissions on the target [connection](../../permissions/resources/connection), not by notebook permissions.