What Are Properties / Metadata in Obsidian (Work Edition)?

In a work setting, properties (or metadata) in Obsidian are like structured labels that help you manage your notes like mini-databases. They allow you to track key information about each note without cluttering the main content.

Think of them as the headers on a report, the fields in a spreadsheet, or the tags in a project management tool. They make your notes searchable, sortable, and actionable.

Why Use Properties?

• Project Tracking: Assign status, priority, owner, and deadlines to notes.
• Compliance Documentation: Tag notes with relevant standards (e.g. ISO 27001, PCI DSS).
• Knowledge Management: Filter by topic, department, or source.
• Automation & Dashboards: Power plugins and queries to surface what matters.

Example: Compliance Note Metadata

---
title: Supplier Audit - Acme Corp
date: 2025-08-23
tags: [supplier, audit, PCI-DSS]
author: "[[Jorge Godoy]]"
status: in-review
priority: high
related-standards: ["[[PCI-DSS]]", "[[ISO 27001]]"]
next-action: Request missing SOC2 documentation
---

This metadata tells you:

• What the note is (title)
• When it was created (date)
• What it relates to (tags)
• Who’s responsible (author)
• Its current state (status)
• How urgent it is (priority)
• Which standards it touches (related-standards)
• What needs to happen next (next-action)

Real-World Analogy

Imagine you're managing a portfolio of supplier assessments. Instead of manually scanning each document, you can filter notes by:

• status: pending
• priority: high
• related-standards: PCI-DSS

Now you’ve got a dynamic dashboard that shows exactly where to focus your attention.

Also check Managing time in notes and Using properties in Obsidian.

What Are Properties / Metadata in Obsidian (School Edition)?

Think of properties (also called metadata) like the behind-the-scenes info that helps you organize and understand your notes better. It’s kind of like the profile section of a social media post: you’ve got the caption, the date you posted it, the hashtags, maybe even the mood you were in. All that extra info helps you, and others, make sense of what you shared.

In Obsidian, properties do the same thing for your notes. They’re little data points that describe the note without being part of the main content.

Why Use Properties?

• Organization: You can group notes by topic, author, or status.
• Searchability: Find all notes tagged “project” or written in July.
• Automation: Use metadata to power plugins, dashboards, or filters.
• Clarity: Know what a note is for without reading the whole thing.

Examples of Properties

Here’s what a note’s metadata might look like in Obsidian:

---
title: AI Ethics Summary
date: 2025-08-23
tags: [philosophy, AI, ethics]
author: "[[Jorge Godoy]]"
status: draft
priority: high
---

Each line is a property. Together, they tell you:

• What the note is called (title)
• When it was created (date)
• What topics it covers (tags)
• Who wrote it (author)
• Whether it’s finished (status)
• How important it is (priority)

Real-Life Analogy

Imagine you’re keeping a journal or a study notebook. Instead of flipping through every page to find what you need, you label each entry with:

• A title (“Math Homework”)
• A date (“Aug 23”)
• A mood (“Stressed but surviving”)
• A topic (“Algebra”)

That’s metadata. It’s like giving your notes the ability to help you find, sort, and connect ideas faster.

Also check Managing time in notes and Using properties in Obsidian.

What Are Properties / Metadata in Obsidian (Kid-Friendly Edition)?

Imagine you have a big box of drawings and stories you've made. Each paper has something special written on it: your name, the date you made it, or what it's about. These little notes help you remember things and find your favorite ones later.

In Obsidian, we use properties (also called metadata) like those little notes. They’re tiny helpers that tell us more about each note.

Examples of Properties

Why Do We Use Properties?

• They help us find things quickly (like looking for all your dinosaur drawings).
• They help us organize (like putting all birthday drawings in one folder).
• They help us remember (like knowing which ones you made last week).

How Do We Write Them?

In Obsidian, we write them at the top of the note like this:

---
title: My Dinosaur Adventure
date: 2025-08-23
tags: [dinosaurs, birthday]
author: "Jorge T-Rex Godoy"
favorite: true
---

It’s like putting a label on your paper before you start drawing so that you know what it is what you're doing and where to store it later even before you begin.