Manage your data using the Google Cloud console

This page explains how to explore and manage your Spanner datausing Spanner Studio in the Google Cloud console.

Spanner Studio includes anExplorer pane thatintegrates with a query editor and a SQL query results table. You can run DDL,DML, and SQL statements from this one interface. For example, instead ofconfiguring a third-party database query tool, you can create a table andimmediately query your data using the query editor.

If you're new to Spanner, learn how tocreate and query a database by using the Google Cloud console.

Explore your data

You can use theExplorer to view, search, and interact with yourdatabase objects. You can create, alter, and delete the following databaseobjects:

Note: System-level views in theINFORMATION_SCHEMA andSPANNER_SYSschemas are read-only.

You can use the search field in theExplorer pane to search for databaseobjects by name in your projects. The search finds resources thatdirectly match, or contain matches, to your search query. If your search termmatches too many resources in a database object level, the result might not showall matches. Narrow your search term, and search again.

To access theExplorer, follow these steps:

  1. In the Google Cloud console, open theSpanner page.

    Go to Spanner

  2. Select an instance from the list.

  3. Select a database.

  4. In the navigation menu, clickSpanner Studio. TheExplorer pane displays a list of the objects in your database.

Create, modify, and query your data

Using the query editor, you can run any combination of DDL, DML, and SQLstatements. Statements must be separated by a semicolon. You can composea query yourself, or you can populate the query editor with a template.

Statements are executed based on the order in which you enter them in thequery editor. Consecutive DDL statements are batched and sent for execution allat once. For more information, seeOrder of execution of statements in batches.

To structure, modify, or query your data, follow these steps:

  1. In the Google Cloud console, open theSpanner page.

    Go to Spanner

  2. Select an instance from the list.

  3. Select a database.

  4. In the navigation menu, clickSpanner Studio.

  5. Compose a query using one of the following methods:

    • To compose your own query, follow these steps:

      1. Open a new tab by clickingNew SQL editor tab orNew tab.
      2. When the query editor appears, write your query.

    • To compose a query starting with a template, follow these steps:

      1. In theExplorer pane, next to a database object,clickView actions. One or more available actions appear.
      2. Click an action. The query editor populates with a template.
      3. Replace any placeholders in the template.

  6. ClickRun. The results of your query appear in theResults table.

  7. Optionally, clickExportto export your query results. It provides the following options:

    • Download CSV
    • Download JSON
    • Export to Google Sheets
    • Copy to clipboard (CSV)
    • Copy to clipboard (TSV)
    • Copy to clipboard (JSON)

View schema design best practice recommendations

Spanner automatically detects opportunities to applyschema design best practicesto your databases. If recommendations are available foryour database, you can see them inSpanner Studio with the following steps:

  1. In the Google Cloud console, open theSpanner page.

    Go to Spanner

  2. Select an instance from the list.

  3. Select a database.

  4. In the navigation menu, clickSpanner Studio.

Schema design recommendations are shown under the Home tab.

Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under theCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, and code samples are licensed under theApache 2.0 License. For details, see theGoogle Developers Site Policies. Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Last updated 2025-12-15 UTC.