Google Cloud's Conversational Analytics API, in public preview, lets developers embed natural language queries into apps using trusted data from Looker and BigQuery. It combines AI with Looker's semantic model for accurate, context-aware insights accessible anywhere. Features include text-to-SQL, code interpretation, charting, AI-assisted context, multi-agent support, role-based access, and query controls for seamless, secure data interaction.
Starting September 25, 2025, BigQuery Data Transfer Service for third-party SAAS and database connectors will switch to consumption-based pricing, charging based on compute resources used, measured in slot-hours. This applies to connectors like Facebook Ads, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Salesforce, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, ServiceNow, and others planned for future release.
The BigQuery console's Reference panel lets users preview schema details of tables, snapshots, views, and materialized views in both query and notebook editors. It allows opening these resources in new tabs and helps construct or edit queries by inserting snippets or field names. The panel dynamically shows context-aware info and supports searching and inserting query elements directly in the editor. This feature is generally available.
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Looker Studio now allows setting background colors for data labels on bar and column charts. Data label options include showing metric values, stacked totals, or percentages, with settings for compact numbers and decimal precision. Users can customize font family, size, color, and styling. Label position, background color, opacity, and border radius can also be adjusted for better presentation.
You can use Gemini in BigQuery to aggregate table data during data preparation, currently in Preview. Choose Aggregate in data or schema view, enter a prompt like total revenue, and send it. Gemini creates grouping keys and aggregation expressions, which you can edit or add manually. Grouping keys need aliases and no duplicates; aggregation expressions also require aliases and no duplicates. Preview and apply the step.
BigQuery now supports WITH expressions in GoogleSQL to create temporary variables within queries. Variables are assigned once and can be used in subsequent expressions but not as arguments in aggregate or analytic functions. Each variable is evaluated once. This feature differs from WITH clauses and allows for cleaner, modular queries with examples showing concatenation, random value evaluation, and aggregate calculations.
BigQuery's advanced runtime now includes short query optimizations in preview, which reduce latency and slot use by running some queries as a single stage. These optimizations depend on data scan size, data movement, filter selectivity, data layout, query structure, and past execution stats. Enable or disable this runtime using ALTER PROJECT or ALTER ORGANIZATION statements with query_runtime set to 'advanced' or NULL. Changes take minutes to apply.
The Code Interpreter is now available in Preview for Looker Studio Pro. It translates natural language questions into Python code to perform advanced analysis and visualizations. Disabled by default, it supports a wide range of analytics, from basic computations to time series forecasting, enhancing Conversational Analytics without needing advanced coding skills. Available in Looker Studio Pro, Looker original, and Google Cloud core.
BigQuery introduces VECTOR_INDEX.STATISTICS to track data drift and ALTER VECTOR INDEX REBUILD for index maintenance, both in Preview. Access Transparency now covers BigQuery data prep in GA. New Preview options for CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE and LOAD DATA include null_markers for NULL strings and source_column_match for column mapping. MATCH_RECOGNIZE clause adds pattern recognition in SQL queries, enhancing analytical capabilities.
