Connect to Google BigQuery to query and analyze your cloud data warehouse. Supports tables with geography columns for spatial analysis.
Prerequisites
Your service account needs these IAM roles:
- BigQuery Data Viewer — Read access to tables and datasets
- BigQuery Job User — Permission to run queries
To create a service account key:
- Go to GCP Console → IAM & Admin → Service Accounts
- Create or select a service account
- Click Keys → Add Key → Create new key
- Select JSON and download the key file
Connect to BigQuery
- Click Add data in the Layers panel
- Go to the Connections tab
- Select BigQuery
- Upload your service account JSON file
- Click Create Connection
Connection Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Connection Name | Yes | A friendly name to identify this connection |
| Service Account | Yes | JSON key file from GCP Console |
| Default Dataset | No | Default dataset for queries |
| Location | Yes | Geographic location of your datasets |
Location Options
| Location | Description |
|---|---|
| US | US multi-region |
| EU | EU multi-region |
| us-central1 | Iowa |
| us-east1 | South Carolina |
| us-west1 | Oregon |
| europe-west1 | Belgium |
| asia-northeast1 | Tokyo |
Working with Data
After connecting, browse available datasets and tables. Select the data you want to import and click Add to Project. Tables with BigQuery Geography columns import as vector layers.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Invalid Credentials | Ensure JSON file is a service account key (not OAuth credentials). |
| Permission Denied | Add BigQuery Data Viewer and BigQuery Job User roles to service account. |
| Dataset Not Found | Check dataset name and location. Dataset must be in the selected region. |
| Missing Fields in JSON | Key file must contain project_id, private_key, and client_email. |