diff --git a/docs/introduction.ipynb b/docs/introduction.ipynb
index 9ba1d1e0d..44ac6de43 100644
--- a/docs/introduction.ipynb
+++ b/docs/introduction.ipynb
@@ -424,10 +424,13 @@
    "metadata": {},
    "outputs": [],
    "source": [
-    "# get an entity by uid (here, the current notebook)\n",
+    "# get a single record by uid (here, the current notebook)\n",
     "transform = ln.Transform.get(\"FPnfDtJz8qbE\")\n",
     "\n",
-    "# filter by description\n",
+    "# get a single record by matching a field\n",
+    "transform = ln.Transform.get(name=\"Introduction\")\n",
+    "\n",
+    "# get a set of records by filtering on description\n",
     "ln.Artifact.filter(description=\"my RNA-seq\").df()\n",
     "\n",
     "# query all artifacts ingested from the current notebook\n",
diff --git a/docs/records.ipynb b/docs/records.ipynb
index e290d60da..0181c7b4b 100644
--- a/docs/records.ipynb
+++ b/docs/records.ipynb
@@ -110,13 +110,34 @@
     "users_dict = ln.User.lookup().dict()"
    ]
   },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "d54676dd",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "## Query exactly one record"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "463ff17c",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "# by uid\n",
+    "ln.User.get(\"DzTjkKse\")\n",
+    "# by any expression involving fields\n",
+    "ln.User.get(handle=\"testuser1\")"
+   ]
+  },
   {
    "attachments": {},
    "cell_type": "markdown",
    "id": "45ac3b5c",
    "metadata": {},
    "source": [
-    "## Filter by metadata"
+    "## Query sets of records"
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -148,7 +169,7 @@
     "\n",
     "- `.df()`: A pandas `DataFrame` with each record in a row.\n",
     "- `.all()`: A {class}`~lamindb.core.QuerySet`.\n",
-    "- `.one()`: Exactly one record. Will raise an error if there is none.\n",
+    "- `.one()`: Exactly one record. Will raise an error if there is none. Is equivalent to the `.get()` method shown above.\n",
     "- `.one_or_none()`: Either one record or `None` if there is no query result."
    ]
   },
diff --git a/lamindb/_query_set.py b/lamindb/_query_set.py
index ffbbd1355..23e98d072 100644
--- a/lamindb/_query_set.py
+++ b/lamindb/_query_set.py
@@ -17,14 +17,12 @@
     Transform,
 )
 
+from lamindb.core.exceptions import DoesNotExist
+
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from lnschema_core.types import ListLike, StrField
 
 
-class NoResultFound(Exception):
-    pass
-
-
 class MultipleResultsFound(Exception):
     pass
 
@@ -59,7 +57,7 @@ def get_keys_from_df(data: list, registry: Record) -> list[str]:
 
 def one_helper(self):
     if len(self) == 0:
-        raise NoResultFound
+        raise DoesNotExist
     elif len(self) > 1:
         raise MultipleResultsFound(self)
     else:
diff --git a/lamindb/_record.py b/lamindb/_record.py
index 8dbb73dd5..045b28a49 100644
--- a/lamindb/_record.py
+++ b/lamindb/_record.py
@@ -123,13 +123,17 @@ def filter(cls, **expressions) -> QuerySet:
 
 @classmethod  # type:ignore
 @doc_args(Record.get.__doc__)
-def get(cls, idlike: int | str) -> Record:
+def get(
+    cls,
+    idlike: int | str | None = None,
+    **expressions,
+) -> Record:
     """{}"""  # noqa: D415
     from lamindb._filter import filter
 
     if isinstance(idlike, int):
         return filter(cls, id=idlike).one()
-    else:
+    elif isinstance(idlike, str):
         qs = filter(cls, uid__startswith=idlike)
         if issubclass(cls, IsVersioned):
             if len(idlike) <= cls._len_stem_uid:
@@ -138,12 +142,19 @@ def get(cls, idlike: int | str) -> Record:
                 return qs.one()
         else:
             return qs.one()
+    else:
+        assert idlike is None  # noqa: S101
+        # below behaves exactly like `.one()`
+        return cls.objects.get(**expressions)
 
 
 @classmethod  # type:ignore
 @doc_args(Record.df.__doc__)
 def df(
-    cls, include: str | list[str] | None = None, join: str = "inner"
+    cls,
+    include: str | list[str] | None = None,
+    join: str = "inner",
+    limit: int = 100,
 ) -> pd.DataFrame:
     """{}"""  # noqa: D415
     from lamindb._filter import filter
@@ -151,7 +162,7 @@ def df(
     query_set = filter(cls)
     if hasattr(cls, "updated_at"):
         query_set = query_set.order_by("-updated_at")
-    return query_set.df(include=include, join=join)
+    return query_set[:limit].df(include=include, join=join)
 
 
 # from_values doesn't apply for QuerySet or Manager
diff --git a/lamindb/core/exceptions.py b/lamindb/core/exceptions.py
index 3d8610270..cd3c63be8 100644
--- a/lamindb/core/exceptions.py
+++ b/lamindb/core/exceptions.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 .. autosummary::
    :toctree: .
 
+   DoesNotExist
    ValidationError
    NotebookNotSavedError
    NoTitleError
@@ -21,6 +22,14 @@ class ValidationError(SystemExit):
     pass
 
 
+# inspired by Django's DoesNotExist
+# equivalent to SQLAlchemy's NoResultFound
+class DoesNotExist(Exception):
+    """No record found."""
+
+    pass
+
+
 # -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # ln.track() AKA run_context
 # -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/sub/lnschema-core b/sub/lnschema-core
index 11085d535..257087dd2 160000
--- a/sub/lnschema-core
+++ b/sub/lnschema-core
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 11085d535f87e7b1ffa732ec6e326bc112ee9da0
+Subproject commit 257087dd211c61041fce7d346bd5cc9d81bba350
diff --git a/tests/test_queryset.py b/tests/test_queryset.py
index 657d275ae..53a912012 100644
--- a/tests/test_queryset.py
+++ b/tests/test_queryset.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import bionty as bt
 import lamindb as ln
 import pytest
-from lamindb._query_set import MultipleResultsFound, NoResultFound
+from lamindb._query_set import DoesNotExist, MultipleResultsFound
 from lnschema_core.users import current_user_id
 
 
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ def test_one_first():
     assert qs.one_or_none().handle == "testuser1"
 
     qs = ln.User.filter(handle="test")
-    with pytest.raises(NoResultFound):
+    with pytest.raises(DoesNotExist):
         qs.one()
     qs = bt.Source.filter().all()
     with pytest.raises(MultipleResultsFound):
diff --git a/tests/test_record.py b/tests/test_record.py
index 4e5bedf20..c0f9623f9 100644
--- a/tests/test_record.py
+++ b/tests/test_record.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 import lamindb as ln
 import pytest
-from lamindb import _record as registry
+from lamindb import _record
 
 
 def test_signatures():
@@ -18,11 +18,11 @@ class Mock:
     # class methods
     class_methods = ["filter", "get", "df", "search", "lookup", "from_values", "using"]
     for name in class_methods:
-        setattr(Mock, name, getattr(registry, name))
-        assert signature(getattr(Mock, name)) == registry.SIGS.pop(name)
+        setattr(Mock, name, getattr(_record, name))
+        assert signature(getattr(Mock, name)) == _record.SIGS.pop(name)
     # methods
-    for name, sig in registry.SIGS.items():
-        assert signature(getattr(registry, name)) == sig
+    for name, sig in _record.SIGS.items():
+        assert signature(getattr(_record, name)) == sig
 
 
 def test_init_with_args():
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ def get_search_test_filepaths():
     shutil.rmtree("unregistered_storage/")
 
 
-def test_search_artifact(get_search_test_filepaths):
+def test_search_and_get(get_search_test_filepaths):
     artifact1 = ln.Artifact(
         "./unregistered_storage/test-search1", description="nonsense"
     )
@@ -102,6 +102,18 @@ def test_search_artifact(get_search_test_filepaths):
     # multi-field search
     res = ln.Artifact.search("txt", field=["key", "description", "suffix"]).df()
     assert res.iloc[0].suffix == ".txt"
+
+    # get
+
+    artifact = ln.Artifact.get(description="test-search4")
+    assert artifact == artifact4
+
+    # because we're rendering Artifact.DoesNotExist private
+    # in some use cases, we're not testing for it
+    with pytest.raises(ln.Artifact._DoesNotExist):
+        ln.Artifact.get(description="test-search1000000")
+
+    #
     artifact0.delete(permanent=True, storage=True)
     artifact1.delete(permanent=True, storage=True)
     artifact2.delete(permanent=True, storage=True)
@@ -119,7 +131,7 @@ def test_pass_version():
 def test_get_name_field():
     transform = ln.Transform(name="test")
     transform.save()
-    assert registry.get_name_field(ln.Run(transform)) == "started_at"
+    assert _record.get_name_field(ln.Run(transform)) == "started_at"
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-        registry.get_name_field(ln.Artifact.ulabels.through())
+        _record.get_name_field(ln.Artifact.ulabels.through())
     transform.delete()