diff --git a/python/ovs/db/idl.py b/python/ovs/db/idl.py
index 5850ac7ab..4226d1cb2 100644
--- a/python/ovs/db/idl.py
+++ b/python/ovs/db/idl.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
+import collections
 import functools
 import uuid
 
@@ -39,6 +40,10 @@ OVSDB_UPDATE2 = 1
 CLUSTERED = "clustered"
 
 
+Notice = collections.namedtuple('Notice', ('event', 'row', 'updates'))
+Notice.__new__.__defaults__ = (None,)  # default updates=None
+
+
 class Idl(object):
     """Open vSwitch Database Interface Definition Language (OVSDB IDL).
 
@@ -614,6 +619,7 @@ class Idl(object):
             raise error.Error("<table-updates> is not an object",
                               table_updates)
 
+        notices = []
         for table_name, table_update in table_updates.items():
             table = tables.get(table_name)
             if not table:
@@ -639,7 +645,9 @@ class Idl(object):
                                       % (table_name, uuid_string))
 
                 if version == OVSDB_UPDATE2:
-                    if self.__process_update2(table, uuid, row_update):
+                    changes = self.__process_update2(table, uuid, row_update)
+                    if changes:
+                        notices.append(changes)
                         self.change_seqno += 1
                     continue
 
@@ -652,17 +660,20 @@ class Idl(object):
                     raise error.Error('<row-update> missing "old" and '
                                       '"new" members', row_update)
 
-                if self.__process_update(table, uuid, old, new):
+                changes = self.__process_update(table, uuid, old, new)
+                if changes:
+                    notices.append(changes)
                     self.change_seqno += 1
+        for notice in notices:
+            self.notify(*notice)
 
     def __process_update2(self, table, uuid, row_update):
+        """Returns Notice if a column changed, False otherwise."""
         row = table.rows.get(uuid)
-        changed = False
         if "delete" in row_update:
             if row:
                 del table.rows[uuid]
-                self.notify(ROW_DELETE, row)
-                changed = True
+                return Notice(ROW_DELETE, row)
             else:
                 # XXX rate-limit
                 vlog.warn("cannot delete missing row %s from table"
@@ -681,29 +692,27 @@ class Idl(object):
             changed = self.__row_update(table, row, row_update)
             table.rows[uuid] = row
             if changed:
-                self.notify(ROW_CREATE, row)
+                return Notice(ROW_CREATE, row)
         elif "modify" in row_update:
             if not row:
                 raise error.Error('Modify non-existing row')
 
             old_row = self.__apply_diff(table, row, row_update['modify'])
-            self.notify(ROW_UPDATE, row, Row(self, table, uuid, old_row))
-            changed = True
+            return Notice(ROW_UPDATE, row, Row(self, table, uuid, old_row))
         else:
             raise error.Error('<row-update> unknown operation',
                               row_update)
-        return changed
+        return False
 
     def __process_update(self, table, uuid, old, new):
-        """Returns True if a column changed, False otherwise."""
+        """Returns Notice if a column changed, False otherwise."""
         row = table.rows.get(uuid)
         changed = False
         if not new:
             # Delete row.
             if row:
                 del table.rows[uuid]
-                changed = True
-                self.notify(ROW_DELETE, row)
+                return Notice(ROW_DELETE, row)
             else:
                 # XXX rate-limit
                 vlog.warn("cannot delete missing row %s from table %s"
@@ -723,7 +732,7 @@ class Idl(object):
             if op == ROW_CREATE:
                 table.rows[uuid] = row
             if changed:
-                self.notify(ROW_CREATE, row)
+                return Notice(ROW_CREATE, row)
         else:
             op = ROW_UPDATE
             if not row:
@@ -737,8 +746,8 @@ class Idl(object):
             if op == ROW_CREATE:
                 table.rows[uuid] = row
             if changed:
-                self.notify(op, row, Row.from_json(self, table, uuid, old))
-        return changed
+                return Notice(op, row, Row.from_json(self, table, uuid, old))
+        return False
 
     def __check_server_db(self):
         """Returns True if this is a valid server database, False otherwise."""
diff --git a/tests/ovsdb-idl.at b/tests/ovsdb-idl.at
index 4b4791a7d..e00e67e94 100644
--- a/tests/ovsdb-idl.at
+++ b/tests/ovsdb-idl.at
@@ -1486,6 +1486,28 @@ m4_define([OVSDB_CHECK_IDL_NOTIFY],
    [OVSDB_CHECK_IDL_PY([$1], [], [$2], [$3], [notify $4], [$5])
     OVSDB_CHECK_IDL_SSL_PY([$1], [], [$2], [$3], [notify $4], [$5])])
 
+OVSDB_CHECK_IDL_NOTIFY([simple link idl verify notify],
+  [['track-notify' \
+    '["idltest",
+       {"op": "insert",
+       "table": "link1",
+       "row": {"i": 1, "k": ["named-uuid", "l1row"], "l2": ["set", [["named-uuid", "l2row"]]]},
+       "uuid-name": "l1row"},
+      {"op": "insert",
+       "table": "link2",
+       "uuid-name": "l2row",
+       "row": {"i": 2, "l1": ["set", [["named-uuid", "l1row"]]]}}]']],
+[[000: empty
+000: event:create, row={uuid=<0>}, updates=None
+000: event:create, row={uuid=<1>}, updates=None
+001: {"error":null,"result":[{"uuid":["uuid","<2>"]},{"uuid":["uuid","<3>"]}]}
+002: event:create, row={i=1 uuid=<2> l2=[<3>]}, updates=None
+002: event:create, row={i=2 uuid=<3> l1=[<2>]}, updates=None
+002: i=1 k=1 ka=[] l2=2 uuid=<2>
+002: i=2 l1=1 uuid=<3>
+003: done
+]])
+
 OVSDB_CHECK_IDL_NOTIFY([simple idl verify notify],
   [['track-notify' \
     '["idltest",
diff --git a/tests/test-ovsdb.py b/tests/test-ovsdb.py
index a19680274..0ea759195 100644
--- a/tests/test-ovsdb.py
+++ b/tests/test-ovsdb.py
@@ -162,6 +162,8 @@ def get_simple_printable_row_string(row, columns):
             if isinstance(value, dict):
                 value = sorted((row_to_uuid(k), row_to_uuid(v))
                                for k, v in value.items())
+            if isinstance(value, (list, tuple)):
+                value = sorted((row_to_uuid(v) for v in value))
             s += "%s=%s " % (column, value)
     s = s.strip()
     s = re.sub('""|,|u?\'', "", s)
@@ -172,9 +174,10 @@ def get_simple_printable_row_string(row, columns):
     return s
 
 
-def get_simple_table_printable_row(row):
+def get_simple_table_printable_row(row, *additional_columns):
     simple_columns = ["i", "r", "b", "s", "u", "ia",
                       "ra", "ba", "sa", "ua", "uuid"]
+    simple_columns.extend(additional_columns)
     return get_simple_printable_row_string(row, simple_columns)
 
 
@@ -637,7 +640,7 @@ def do_idl(schema_file, remote, *commands):
     def mock_notify(event, row, updates=None):
         output = "%03d: " % step
         output += "event:" + str(event) + ", row={"
-        output += get_simple_table_printable_row(row) + "}, updates="
+        output += get_simple_table_printable_row(row, 'l2', 'l1') + "}, updates="
         if updates is None:
             output += "None"
         else:
