One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that automatically sends a notification about a database event. The system operates by receiving a number of items, including a registration of a specified event-type, a subscription of a protocol for the notification, a format for the notification, and a list of recipients for the notification. The system then configures the database to send the notification about the specified event-type to the specified list of recipients in the specified format via the specified protocol. Adding this notification capability at the database-level enhances the functionality and interoperability of many applications as well as providing more robust and timely information to the appropriate audiences.