BigQuery Introduces CHANGES Function for Tracking Table Modifications

July 23, 2024 at 7:10:42 AM

TL;DR Google has introduced the CHANGES function in BigQuery for enhanced data tracking. It allows users to return rows that have changed within a specified time range, supporting operations like INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and more. Users can specify timestamps to retrieve changes, with additional metadata provided. The table must have the change_history option enabled, and the function is limited to a 7-day time travel window and a maximum one-day range.

BigQuery Introduces CHANGES Function for Tracking Table Modifications

Google has added a new table function to BigQuery called CHANGES, enhancing its data tracking capabilities. This function allows users to return all rows of a table that have changed within a specified time range.

Key Features

  1. Comprehensive Change Tracking: Supports all basic row operations including INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, streaming, TRUNCATE, and table partition deletions.

  2. Time-Based Querying: Users can specify start and end timestamps to retrieve changes within a particular timeframe.

  3. Additional Metadata: Includes CHANGE_TYPE and CHANGE_TIMESTAMP fields, providing information on the type of change and when it occurred.

Usage Requirements and Limitations

  • The table must have the change_history option enabled.
  • Limited to the table's time travel window (default 7 days).
  • Maximum time range between start and end timestamps is one day.
  • Cannot query changes from the last 10 minutes.

Potential Applications

This function can be particularly useful for:

  • Auditing data changes
  • Tracking historical modifications
  • Synchronizing data between systems
  • Debugging data pipelines

Implementation Details

The CHANGES function returns all columns of the input table along with the additional change metadata. It supports various table operations and can be used with regular BigQuery tables.

While this new function offers powerful capabilities for tracking data changes, users should be aware of its limitations, such as the inability to use it with views, external tables, or tables with change data capture enabled.

This addition to BigQuery demonstrates Google's ongoing efforts to provide more robust data management and analysis tools within its cloud platform.

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