Mastering Lists and Views on Attio

Your CRM holds your most valuable asset: your data. But raw data is just noise. The difference between a cluttered database and a high-performance GTM engine lies in structure. In Attio, that structure is built with two foundational, interconnected features: Lists and Views.

Mastering them is the most important skill for any Attio user. It allows you to transform a sea of records into a clear, actionable playbook for any workflow, from sales and fundraising to recruiting and account management. A well-architected system provides clarity, drives action, and scales with your business.

This in-depth guide will walk you through the architecture of lists and views, showing you how to build a truly intelligent and scalable CRM from the ground up.

The Core Concepts: Lists, Objects, and Views

Before we start building, let's clarify the relationship between these three core concepts. Understanding how they work together is the key to building an effective system.

• A List is the foundational container for any workflow. It’s a dedicated, isolated workspace for a specific process. For example, you would create separate lists for your "Sales Pipeline," "Q4 Target Accounts," or "Engineering Candidates."

• An Object is the type of record a list contains. The primary objects are Companies, People and Deals. Every list you create can only contain one type of object, ensuring the data within it is consistent and organized.

• A View is the lens through which you analyze the data inside lists and objects. A single list can have dozens of different views, each one a saved report tailored to a specific task or team member. The List is the database; the View is the report.

Part 1: Architecting Your List (The Foundation)

Creating a list is the first step in building any new process. This is your chance to define the scope and purpose of your workflow.

Creating Your List: Template vs. Scratch

When you create a new list by clicking the + beside Lists in the sidebar, you have two strategic options:

• Start with a Template: This is the fastest way to get started. Attio provides expert-designed templates for common use cases like Sales, Recruiting, or Customer Success. Choosing a template pre-populates your list with relevant attributes (like Stage, Deal Value, Owner) and pre-configured views, giving you a powerful foundation that you can customize at any time.

• Start from Scratch: For unique or complex processes, building from scratch gives you complete control. You'll simply choose your object (Companies or People), give your list a clear name, and select a default view type (Table or Kanban).

Populating Your List with Records

Once your list is created, you need to add records to it. You can:

• Add records manually one by one.

• Import a CSV file to add records in bulk.

• Use Attio's browser extension to add companies and people directly from the web.

Part 2: Designing Your Views (The Lens)

Once you have a list, a View is how you bring its data to life. You can create as many views as you need, and each one can be sorted, filtered, and customized to serve a specific purpose.

Table Views: The Command Center for Your Data

A table view organizes your records in a highly-functional, spreadsheet-style layout. This view is your command center for managing data at scale.

• Best For: Bulk editing, getting a complete overview of all data points, and comparing records across dozens of attributes.

• Deep Customization: You can customize your table view by:

  • Dragging and dropping columns to reorder them.

  • Clicking a column header to sort the entire table by that attribute.

  • Using the Properties menu to hide or show specific attributes, creating focused views like a "Financial Overview" or a "Contact Info" table.

Kanban Views: The Visual Pipeline

A kanban view visualizes your records as cards organized into columns. This is the ultimate way to track progress through a structured process like a sales pipeline or hiring workflow.

• Best For: Managing any stage-based process.

• How it Works: A kanban view is grouped by a "Status" attribute (e.g., Stage). You can easily move a record from one stage to the next with a simple drag-and-drop, which automatically updates the record's underlying data. You can also customize the information displayed on each card to show the most important details at a glance.

Part 3: Advanced Filtering (The Intelligence Layer)

Filters are what turn a static view into a dynamic, intelligent report. By applying filters, you can create highly specific views that show you exactly what you need to see.

You can combine multiple filters using filter groups, which allow for powerful AND/OR logic. This lets you build incredibly precise reports.

Here are some advanced filtering strategies:

• Create Role-Specific Dashboards: In a "Sales Pipeline" list, create a view for each sales rep with a simple filter: Owner is [Team Member's Name].

• Isolate High-Value Opportunities: To find your most important deals, create a "Hot Deals" view using a filter group: Deal Value is greater than €10,000 AND Stage is Negotiation.

• Analyze Historical Performance: Use the was operator to look back in time. For example, to see all deals won last quarter, you would filter by: Stage was Won during Last Quarter.

• Cross-Reference Your Lists: Use the List Entries attribute to filter records based on their presence in other lists. For example, you could filter your "Sales Pipeline" list to show companies that are not in your "Current Customers" list, instantly identifying new business opportunities.

Learn more about Lists and Views here.

Real-World Example: Building a Sales Pipeline

Let's walk through building a Sales Pipeline. This is the quintessential use case that perfectly demonstrates the power of Attio's data model, using a structure tailored to a modern GTM team.

Step 1: Create the List & Define Deal Attributes

First, we'll create our foundational list from scratch.

• Object: Deals. This is the correct object for tracking opportunities.

• List Name: 2025 - GTM Pipeline

• Attributes to Add: This is the crucial step where we define our data model for each deal.

  • Deal Value (Currency)

  • Stage (Status, with the following options: Lead, In Progress, Won, Lost)

  • Owner (Person attribute, to assign a sales rep to the deal)

  • Projected Close Date (Date attribute, for forecasting)

  • Contact Date (Date attribute, to track the last point of contact)

  • Source (Option, with the following options: Search, Website, Partners, Outbound, Event, Referral)

Step 2: Build a Suite of Role-Specific Views

Now, we'll turn our single Deals list into a multi-faceted command center for the entire GTM team, with views designed for different roles.

A) For the Sales Representative (The "Action" View)

The sales rep needs a clear, actionable view of their personal pipeline.

View 1: My Open Deals (Kanban)

• Type: Kanban, grouped by the Stage attribute.

• Filter: Owner is Ruben Zana AND Stage is not Won OR Lost.

• Why it Works: This creates a personalized dashboard showing only the active deals a rep is responsible for.

B) For the Sales Manager (The "Oversight" Views)

The manager needs high-level views to track team performance, momentum, and risk.

View 2: Stalled Deals (Table)

• Type: Table, sorted by Contact Date (oldest first).

• Filter: Stage is In Progress AND Contact Date is before 14 days ago.

• Why it Works: This health-check view uses the Contact Date to identify deals that are losing momentum. It instantly surfaces any deal that hasn't had a logged contact in over two weeks, allowing the manager to provide coaching and support.

View 3: Deals at Risk (Table)

• Type: Table, sorted by Projected Close Date (oldest first).

• Filter: Stage is In Progress AND Projected Close Date is in the past.

• Why it Works: This view uses the Projected Close Date to identify deals that are officially behind schedule. It’s a clear, data-driven way to see which deals need an updated forecast or immediate action to get them back on track.

C) For the RevOps Leader (The "Analysis" Views)

The RevOps leader needs views that help with reporting, forecasting, and analyzing channel performance.

View 4: Forecasting - Closing This Quarter (Table)

• Type: Table, sorted by Projected Close Date.

• Filter: Stage is not Won  OR Lost AND Projected Close Date is in This Quarter.

• Why it Works: This is the core forecasting view. It uses the Projected Close Date to provide a clear and realistic view of all open deals expected to close in the current quarter, allowing for accurate revenue prediction.

View 5: Website Wins Analysis (Table)

• Type: Table

• Filter: Stage is Won AND Source is Website.

• Why it Works: This view is built for deep-dive channel analysis. By filtering specifically for deals that were successfully won and originated from the "Website" source, you can analyze the performance of your inbound marketing efforts. This allows you to calculate the total revenue generated from your website, understand the average deal size from this channel, and report on the specific ROI of your web-based lead generation.

Conclusion: From Data Entry to Data Intelligence

Mastering lists and views is the fundamental step in transforming your CRM from a passive data repository into an active, intelligent GTM command center. By building dedicated lists, visualizing your data, and applying precise filters, you create a system that provides clarity, drives action, and scales with your business.

At Novlini, we specialize in architecting these smart, scalable systems. If you're ready to build a CRM that works for you, not the other way around, book a free 30-minute call with our team today here.