Playing with Firestore

This guide provides a comprehensive step-by-step approach to effectively using Firestore, making it an essential resource for those looking to enhance their database management skills.

Hafeez Baig
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44 steps
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5 minutes

Google Cloud

Type "**Firestore**" in the search bar and click on the **Firestore** option

**What is Firestore?**\ \ **Firestore** is a NoSQL cloud database by Google Cloud that stores, syncs, and queries data in real-time, offering offline support and powerful querying capabilities. It is integrated with Firebase for scalable, flexible app development.

**Firestore** wizard will open, click on the **CREATE DATABASE** button

**What is Database?**\ \ A **database** is an organized collection of structured data that can be easily accessed, managed, and updated. It typically uses a database management system (DBMS) to handle data storage, retrieval, and manipulation. Databases can be relational (using tables and SQL) or non-relational (NoSQL) and are used to support various applications, from small personal projects to large-scale enterprise systems.

**Create database** wizard will open, select the option **Standard edition**

**What is Firestore mode: Native mode?** **Firestore Native Mode** is a NoSQL database that offers real-time data synchronization, offline support, and flexible, hierarchical data storage. It organizes data into documents and collections, providing powerful querying capabilities and ensuring instant updates across all clients. Ideal for dynamic web and mobile applications, it supports seamless offline access and efficient data retrieval.

On the **Database ID**, type **(default)** in the input text field

Scroll to the **Location type** section and select the option **Region**

Scroll to the **Region** dropdown and select the Region close to your location

**What is Region?**\ \ A **region** is a geographic area where cloud services are hosted, consisting of multiple data centers. It allows for the deployment of applications and services close to users for lower latency and improved performance. Regions are used to ensure data redundancy, availability, and compliance with regional regulations.

Scroll the page and click on the **CREATE DATABASE** option

Congratulations! you have successfully created a Firestore Database

**Database (default)** wizard will open, click on the **START COLLECTION** button

**What is a Collection?**\ \ In Google Cloud Firestore, a **collection** is a grouping of documents. It acts as a container for related documents, which are individual records of data. Collections help organize and structure data in a hierarchical manner, allowing for efficient storage, retrieval, and querying of related information.

On the right side **Collection ID** wizard will open, type Collection ID as - "**todos**"

Scroll to the **Document ID** section, here the Document ID will be Autogenerated

**What is Document ID?**\ \ A **Document ID** in Google Cloud Firestore is a unique identifier for a document within a collection. It allows you to access and reference specific documents, ensuring that each document can be uniquely identified and retrieved within its collection. Document IDs can be automatically generated by Firestore or manually specified by users.

Scroll the page and give the **Field name, Field type** and **Field value** **Note:** You can customize the fields as per your requirements.

Scroll the page and click on the **SAVE** button

On the **todos** section you can view the Collection that we have created

If you want to add more Document, click on the **ADD DOCUMENT** option on the top right side

On the right side you can view the **Collection Field**

Click on the **START COLLECTION** option

On the right side **Start a collection** wizard will open, give the Collection ID as - "**activities**"

Scroll the page and here you can add the **Field name**, **Field type** and **Field value** **Note:** You can customize the fields as per your requirements.

Scroll the page and click on the **SAVE & ADD ANOTHER** button **Note:** This will save the Collection and quickly create a new Collection with the same values.

On the Firestore wizard, click on the **activities** option

Click on the **text** option on the right side

**Edit field** wizard will open, here you can Edit and Modify the Field

After making the changes, click on the **UPDATE** button to save and apply the changes

Click on the **Indexes** from the left bar

**What are Indexes?**\ \ In Google Cloud Firestore, **indexes** are data structures that improve query performance by allowing efficient retrieval of documents based on specific fields. They are used to speed up query execution and enable complex queries, such as sorting and filtering. Firestore automatically creates single-field indexes for basic queries, and composite indexes can be manually created to support more complex queries involving multiple fields.

**Indexes** wizard will open, click on the **CREATE INDEX** button

On the right side **Create a composite index** wizard will open, here you can give the **Collection ID** as "**todos**"

Scroll to the **Field path** and here you can give the Fields to index

Scroll to the **Query scope** section and select the option **Collection**

**What is Query scope: Collection?**\ \ **Query scope: Collection** in Google Cloud Firestore refers to the range within which a query is executed. When querying with a collection scope, the query searches across all documents within a specific collection. This scope does not include subcollections or documents outside the specified collection, focusing solely on the documents directly within it.

Scroll the page and click on the **CREATE** button

On the **Indexes** wizard, click on the **SINGLE FIELD** tab to view the Single Field

**What are SINGLE FIELD Indexes?**\ \ **Single-field indexes** in Google Cloud Firestore are indexes created for individual fields in a document. They enable efficient queries that filter or sort by a single field, improving performance for operations involving that specific field. Firestore automatically generates single-field indexes for each field used in basic queries, ensuring quick access and retrieval of data.

Click on the **Firestore Studio** to view the Firestore Dashboard

Click on the **Filter documents** icon on the right side

**Filter for documents in 'todos'** wizard will open, type in the field as - "**description**"

Scroll to the **Sort results** section and select the option **Descending order**

Scroll to the **Preview query code** section, here you can preview the query code

Click on the **Apply** button

Here you can see that the queries has been filtered based on the description

Click on the **Import/Export** option from the left bar

**What are Import/Export?** \ \ **Import/Export** in Google Cloud refers to the processes of transferring data into or out of cloud services. - **Import** involves bringing data from external sources into Google Cloud services, such as uploading databases or files into Cloud Storage or Firestore. - **Export** involves extracting data from Google Cloud services to external locations, such as downloading data from Cloud Storage or Firestore for backup or migration purposes. These processes help manage and migrate data efficiently across different systems and environments.

**Import/Export** wizard will open, click on the **EXPORT** button

**What is EXPORT?**\ \ In Google Cloud, **EXPORT** refers to the process of transferring data from Google Cloud services to an external location. This can involve: - **Exporting Data:** Downloading data from services like Cloud Storage, Firestore, or BigQuery for backup, analysis, or migration. - **Backup and Archiving:** Creating copies of data for safekeeping or future use. Exporting helps in data management, integration with other systems, and maintaining data redundancy.

Scroll to the **Export entire database** section and select the option **Export entire database**

**What is Export Source: Export entire database?**\ \ **Export Source: Export entire database** refers to exporting all the data from a database in Google Cloud services, such as Cloud Firestore or BigQuery, to an external location. This process includes every document, table, or dataset in the database, providing a complete backup or migration of the entire dataset. This approach is useful for comprehensive data backup, archiving, or transferring the full database to another environment.

Scroll to the **Destination** section, here you can configure the Destination bucket

On the **Import/Export** wizard click on the **IMPORT** button

**What is IMPORT?**\ \ In Google Cloud, **IMPORT** refers to the process of transferring data from an external source into Google Cloud services. This involves: - **Loading Data:** Bringing data into services like Cloud Storage, Firestore, or BigQuery from external files, databases, or other sources. - **Data Integration:** Importing data for analysis, storage, or application use within Google Cloud environments. Importing helps in managing data by facilitating migration, integration, and utilization of external datasets within Google Cloud.

Scroll to the **Choose a file to import** section, here you can configure the import bucket

Congratulations! on completing this lab and Playing with Firestore