Google BigQuery has announced several updates to enhance user experience and expand data integration capabilities, including new configuration options and improved external data support.
BigQuery Studio Configuration Settings
BigQuery has introduced a new configuration feature in preview that allows administrators to customize the BigQuery Studio experience. Users can now navigate to Settings and select Configuration settings to modify the interface for users within their selected project or organization by showing or hiding specific user interface elements.
Spanner External Dataset Support
BigQuery now offers generally available (GA) support for using Spanner external datasets with enhanced security and connectivity features. The platform now supports authorized views, authorized routines, and Cloud resource connections with Spanner external datasets, expanding integration capabilities between the two Google Cloud services.
Enhanced Data Loading Options
Google has expanded the CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE and LOAD DATA statements with new formatting options currently in preview. The updates include:
Time zone specification through the time_zone option, allowing users to specify a time zone when loading data. Date and time formatting options including date_format, datetime_format, time_format, and timestamp_format parameters that define how date and time values are formatted in source files.
Apache Spark Demo Integration
BigQuery has made available a new Apache Spark demo notebook in the console's Welcome tab. The generally available feature provides users with a walkthrough of Spark notebook basics while showcasing serverless Spark capabilities within BigQuery.
These updates represent Google's continued investment in making BigQuery more flexible and user-friendly while expanding its integration capabilities with other Google Cloud services and external data sources.
