How to migrate from Excel or Google Sheets to Notion: from tracker to relational system

A spreadsheet is one flat table; a Notion system is several related tables. The migration is therefore mostly a modelling job: split the sheet into its real entities (matters, contacts, time entries, deadlines), clean each, import them, and relate them. Lookups become relations, SUMIFs become rollups, and pivot tables become grouped views. Why it is worth doing is in Notion vs Excel for lawyers. This guide gives the modelling method, a cleaning recipe, a translation table, a worked example and a checklist.

Step 1: find the entities

Read your sheet's columns and ask what each is about. A matter tracker with columns Client, Matter, Hours, Deadline, Status probably hides three things: contacts, matters and time. Each becomes its own database.

A worked example: one tab becomes four databases

Imagine a single tab with one row per time entry, repeating client and matter details each time:

The same data, modelled: Contacts has two rows (Acme Ltd, Beta LLP); Matters has two rows (Lease dispute for Acme, Contract review for Beta); Time entries has three rows each pointing at a matter; Deadlines has one row pointing at the lease dispute. Now the client name is typed once, a typo is fixed once, and totals come from rollups.

Step 2: clean the sheet

• One row per thing; no merged cells or blank spacer rows.
• One fact per cell; split "Smith / Jones" into two rows or a relation.
• Consistent names: "Acme Ltd" and "ACME Limited" must match.
• Real dates, not text; one date format.
• Remove old and closed rows to a separate archive sheet.
• Give each entity a unique key (a matter number, a contact name) so relations can match.

Step 3: import and convert

1. Save each cleaned sheet as CSV (UTF-8) and import it as a database, contacts first.
2. Change property types: Status to Select, Date to Date, Hours to Number, Person columns to Person where appropriate.
3. Convert columns that name another entity (Client on Matters) to relations to the right database, checking that names match.
4. Add rollups: hours per matter, value per matter, next deadline per matter.
5. Check on five rows before trusting it, then reconcile totals.

Translating spreadsheet habits

See relations and rollups and seven formulas every lawyer should know.

What a spreadsheet does better, and how to live with both

• Heavy financial modelling and what-if analysis.
• One-off calculations and quick ad hoc sorting.
• Anything a bookkeeper or accountant needs in that format.

A clean pattern: Notion is the system of record; export a view to CSV when you need to do analysis elsewhere, and never edit the data in two places.

Validation checklist

Parallel run and switch-off

1. Freeze the spreadsheet (read-only copy) on the go-live date.
2. Enter all new work only in Notion for two to four weeks.
3. Compare your weekly totals with what the spreadsheet would have shown, using a copy.
4. Archive the spreadsheet with the date; keep it as long as your retention rules require.

Common mistakes

• Importing the flat sheet as one database and calling it done.
• Skipping the cleaning, then fighting duplicate clients forever.
• Editing in both places during the transition.
• Rebuilding spreadsheet formulas instead of using relations and rollups.

Next steps: matter management, billable hours and the best way to use Notion for lawyers.

Frequently asked questions