diff --git a/notion_automation/cli.py b/notion_automation/cli.py
index 0d3d6e4..9904a20 100755
--- a/notion_automation/cli.py
+++ b/notion_automation/cli.py
@@ -120,6 +120,9 @@ def parse_schema(schema_data):
     """Parse schema data into properties."""
     properties = {}
     
+    if not isinstance(schema_data["properties"], (list, dict)):
+        raise ValueError("Properties must be a list or dictionary")
+    
     if isinstance(schema_data["properties"], list):
         # Natural language or list format
         for prop in schema_data["properties"]:
@@ -166,7 +169,12 @@ def parse_schema(schema_data):
     else:
         # Dictionary format
         for name, config in schema_data["properties"].items():
-            properties[name] = PropertyConfig(**config)
+            if "property_type" not in config:
+                raise ValueError(f"Property '{name}' is missing 'property_type'")
+            properties[name] = PropertyConfig(
+                property_type=config["property_type"],
+                options=[PropertyOption(**opt) for opt in config.get("options", [])]
+            )
     
     return properties
 
diff --git a/notion_automation/models.py b/notion_automation/models.py
index 1200bf9..d885e6d 100644
--- a/notion_automation/models.py
+++ b/notion_automation/models.py
@@ -23,6 +23,18 @@ class SchemaConfig:
     title: str
     properties: Dict[str, PropertyConfig]
 
+    def __post_init__(self):
+        """Validate and convert properties if needed."""
+        if not isinstance(self.properties, dict):
+            raise ValueError("Properties must be a dictionary")
+        
+        # Convert any dict properties to PropertyConfig
+        for name, prop in self.properties.items():
+            if isinstance(prop, dict):
+                self.properties[name] = PropertyConfig(**prop)
+            elif not isinstance(prop, PropertyConfig):
+                raise ValueError(f"Invalid property type for {name}")
+
 @dataclass
 class TaskProperty:
     value: str
diff --git a/notion_automation/notion_client/client.py b/notion_automation/notion_client/client.py
index a062e49..6a03512 100644
--- a/notion_automation/notion_client/client.py
+++ b/notion_automation/notion_client/client.py
@@ -125,6 +125,14 @@ def _format_entry_properties(self, properties):
         return formatted
 
     def _format_entry_property(self, prop):
+        """Format a property value for the Notion API."""
+        if isinstance(prop, str):
+            # Handle direct string values
+            return {"rich_text": [{"text": {"content": prop}}]}
+        
+        if not hasattr(prop, 'type'):
+            raise ValueError(f"Invalid property format: {prop}")
+        
         if prop.type == "title":
             return {"title": [{"text": {"content": prop.value}}]}
         elif prop.type == "rich_text":
@@ -134,17 +142,10 @@ def _format_entry_property(self, prop):
         elif prop.type == "date":
             return {"date": {"start": prop.value}}
         else:
-            raise ValueError(f"Unsupported property type: {prop.type}") 
+            raise ValueError(f"Unsupported property type: {prop.type}")
 
     def get_database(self, database_id):
-        """Retrieve database schema from Notion.
-        
-        Args:
-            database_id (str): ID of the database to retrieve
-            
-        Returns:
-            dict: Database schema information
-        """
+        """Retrieve database schema from Notion."""
         url = f"{self.base_url}/databases/{database_id}"
         response = requests.get(url, headers=self.headers)
         
@@ -153,4 +154,7 @@ def get_database(self, database_id):
             logger.error(f"Response body: {response.text}")
             response.raise_for_status()
         
-        return response.json()
\ No newline at end of file
+        data = response.json()
+        # Extract plain text from title array
+        data["title"] = data["title"][0]["plain_text"] if data["title"] else ""
+        return data
\ No newline at end of file