Specifying nested and repeated columns

BigQuery performs best when your data is denormalized. Rather than preserving a relational schema such as a star or snowflake schema, denormalize your data and take advantage of nested and repeated columns. Nested and repeated columns can maintain relationships without the performance impact of preserving a relational (normalized) schema.

You can specify nested or nested and repeated data in the Cloud Console or a JSON schema file. To specify nested or nested and repeated columns, you use the RECORD (STRUCT) data type.

Specifying nested and repeated columns

BigQuery supports loading nested and repeated data from source formats that support object-based schemas, such as JSON files, Avro files, Firestore export files, and Datastore export files.

For example, a relational database used to track library books would likely keep all author information in a separate table. A key such as author_id would be used to link the book to the authors.

In BigQuery, you can preserve the relationship between book and author without creating a separate author table. Instead, you create an author column, and you nest fields within it such as the author's first name, last name, date of birth, and so on. If a book has multiple authors, you can make the nested author column repeated.

To create a column with nested and repeated data, set the data type of the column to RECORD. A RECORD is stored as a STRUCT and can be accessed as a STRUCT in standard SQL. A STRUCT is a container of ordered fields each with a type (required) and a name (optional). To make the column nested, you add child fields to the RECORD (parent). To make the column repeated, change the mode to REPEATED.

Limitations

Nested and repeated schemas are subject to the following limitations:

When you load nested and repeated data, your schema cannot contain more than 15 levels of nested STRUCTs (RECORD types).
BigQuery supports columns of type STRUCT (or RECORD). A STRUCT is a complex type that can be used to represent an object that has multiple child columns. In a STRUCT column, you can also define one or more of the child columns as STRUCT types (referred to as nested or embedded STRUCTs). When you nest STRUCTS, BigQuery enforces a nested depth limit of 15 levels. The nested depth limit is independent of whether the STRUCTs are scalar or array-based.

Example

Example schema

The following example shows sample nested and repeated data. This table contains information about people. It consists of the following fields:

  • id
  • first_name
  • last_name
  • dob (date of birth)
  • addresses (a nested and repeated field)
    • addresses.status (current or previous)
    • addresses.address
    • addresses.city
    • addresses.state
    • addresses.zip
    • addresses.numberOfYears (years at the address)

The JSON data file would look like the following. Notice that the addresses column contains an array of values (indicated by [ ]). The multiple addresses in the array are the repeated data. The multiple fields within each address are the nested data.

{"id":"1","first_name":"John","last_name":"Doe","dob":"1968-01-22","addresses":[{"status":"current","address":"123 First Avenue","city":"Seattle","state":"WA","zip":"11111","numberOfYears":"1"},{"status":"previous","address":"456 Main Street","city":"Portland","state":"OR","zip":"22222","numberOfYears":"5"}]}
{"id":"2","first_name":"Jane","last_name":"Doe","dob":"1980-10-16","addresses":[{"status":"current","address":"789 Any Avenue","city":"New York","state":"NY","zip":"33333","numberOfYears":"2"},{"status":"previous","address":"321 Main Street","city":"Hoboken","state":"NJ","zip":"44444","numberOfYears":"3"}]}

The schema for this table would look like the following: 

[
    {
        "name": "id",
        "type": "STRING",
        "mode": "NULLABLE"
    },
    {
        "name": "first_name",
        "type": "STRING",
        "mode": "NULLABLE"
    },
    {
        "name": "last_name",
        "type": "STRING",
        "mode": "NULLABLE"
    },
    {
        "name": "dob",
        "type": "DATE",
        "mode": "NULLABLE"
    },
    {
        "name": "addresses",
        "type": "RECORD",
        "mode": "REPEATED",
        "fields": [
            {
                "name": "status",
                "type": "STRING",
                "mode": "NULLABLE"
            },
            {
                "name": "address",
                "type": "STRING",
                "mode": "NULLABLE"
            },
            {
                "name": "city",
                "type": "STRING",
                "mode": "NULLABLE"
            },
            {
                "name": "state",
                "type": "STRING",
                "mode": "NULLABLE"
            },
            {
                "name": "zip",
                "type": "STRING",
                "mode": "NULLABLE"
            },
            {
                "name": "numberOfYears",
                "type": "STRING",
                "mode": "NULLABLE"
            }
        ]
    }
]

Specifying the nested and repeated columns in the example

Console

To specify the nested and repeated addresses column in the Cloud Console:

  1. Open the BigQuery page in the Cloud Console.

    Go to the BigQuery page

  2. In the Explorer panel, expand your project and select a dataset.

  3. In the details view, click Create table.

  4. On the Create table page:

    • For Source, select Empty table.
    • For Destination, choose your dataset and enter the table name in the Table name field.

    • For Schema, add a field:

      • In the Name field, type addresses.
      • For Type, select RECORD.

      • For Mode, choose REPEATED.

        Addresses schema

      • To the right of addresses, click the plus icon to add a nested field.

        Nest button

        • In the Name field, type status. Notice the field is pre-populated with addresses. indicating it's a nested field.
        • For Type, choose STRING.

        • For Mode, leave the value set to NULLABLE.

          Status schema

        • Repeat these steps to add address (NULLABLE STRING), city (NULLABLE STRING), state (NULLABLE STRING), zip (NULLABLE STRING), and numberOfYears (NULLABLE STRING).

    • Alternatively, click Edit as text and specify the schema as a JSON array.

bq

To specify the nested and repeated addresses column in a JSON schema file, enter the following using a text editor:

[
    {
        "name": "id",
        "type": "STRING",
        "mode": "NULLABLE"
    },
    {
        "name": "first_name",
        "type": "STRING",
        "mode": "NULLABLE"
    },
    {
        "name": "last_name",
        "type": "STRING",
        "mode": "NULLABLE"
    },
    {
        "name": "dob",
        "type": "DATE",
        "mode": "NULLABLE"
    },
    {
        "name": "addresses",
        "type": "RECORD",
        "mode": "REPEATED",
        "fields": [
            {
                "name": "status",
                "type": "STRING",
                "mode": "NULLABLE"
            },
            {
                "name": "address",
                "type": "STRING",
                "mode": "NULLABLE"
            },
            {
                "name": "city",
                "type": "STRING",
                "mode": "NULLABLE"
            },
            {
                "name": "state",
                "type": "STRING",
                "mode": "NULLABLE"
            },
            {
                "name": "zip",
                "type": "STRING",
                "mode": "NULLABLE"
            },
            {
                "name": "numberOfYears",
                "type": "STRING",
                "mode": "NULLABLE"
            }
        ]
    }
]

After creating your JSON schema file, you can supply it via the command line.

Go

Before trying this sample, follow the Go setup instructions in the BigQuery Quickstart Using Client Libraries. For more information, see the BigQuery Go API reference documentation. 

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"io"

	"cloud.google.com/go/bigquery"
)

// createTableComplexSchema demonstrates creating a BigQuery table and specifying a complex schema that includes
// an array of Struct types.
func createTableComplexSchema(w io.Writer, projectID, datasetID, tableID string) error {
	// projectID := "my-project-id"
	// datasetID := "mydatasetid"
	// tableID := "mytableid"
	ctx := context.Background()

	client, err := bigquery.NewClient(ctx, projectID)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("bigquery.NewClient: %v", err)
	}
	defer client.Close()

	sampleSchema := bigquery.Schema{
		{Name: "id", Type: bigquery.StringFieldType},
		{Name: "first_name", Type: bigquery.StringFieldType},
		{Name: "last_name", Type: bigquery.StringFieldType},
		{Name: "dob", Type: bigquery.DateFieldType},
		{Name: "addresses",
			Type:     bigquery.RecordFieldType,
			Repeated: true,
			Schema: bigquery.Schema{
				{Name: "status", Type: bigquery.StringFieldType},
				{Name: "address", Type: bigquery.StringFieldType},
				{Name: "city", Type: bigquery.StringFieldType},
				{Name: "state", Type: bigquery.StringFieldType},
				{Name: "zip", Type: bigquery.StringFieldType},
				{Name: "numberOfYears", Type: bigquery.StringFieldType},
			}},
	}

	metaData := &bigquery.TableMetadata{
		Schema: sampleSchema,
	}
	tableRef := client.Dataset(datasetID).Table(tableID)
	if err := tableRef.Create(ctx, metaData); err != nil {
		return err
	}
	fmt.Fprintf(w, "created table %s\n", tableRef.FullyQualifiedName())
	return nil
}

Java

Before trying this sample, follow the Java setup instructions in the BigQuery Quickstart Using Client Libraries. For more information, see the BigQuery Java API reference documentation. 

import com.google.cloud.bigquery.BigQuery;
import com.google.cloud.bigquery.BigQueryException;
import com.google.cloud.bigquery.BigQueryOptions;
import com.google.cloud.bigquery.Field;
import com.google.cloud.bigquery.Field.Mode;
import com.google.cloud.bigquery.Schema;
import com.google.cloud.bigquery.StandardSQLTypeName;
import com.google.cloud.bigquery.StandardTableDefinition;
import com.google.cloud.bigquery.TableDefinition;
import com.google.cloud.bigquery.TableId;
import com.google.cloud.bigquery.TableInfo;

public class NestedRepeatedSchema {

  public static void runNestedRepeatedSchema() {
    // TODO(developer): Replace these variables before running the sample.
    String datasetName = "MY_DATASET_NAME";
    String tableName = "MY_TABLE_NAME";
    createTableWithNestedRepeatedSchema(datasetName, tableName);
  }

  public static void createTableWithNestedRepeatedSchema(String datasetName, String tableName) {
    try {
      // Initialize client that will be used to send requests. This client only needs to be created
      // once, and can be reused for multiple requests.
      BigQuery bigquery = BigQueryOptions.getDefaultInstance().getService();

      TableId tableId = TableId.of(datasetName, tableName);

      Schema schema =
          Schema.of(
              Field.of("id", StandardSQLTypeName.STRING),
              Field.of("first_name", StandardSQLTypeName.STRING),
              Field.of("last_name", StandardSQLTypeName.STRING),
              Field.of("dob", StandardSQLTypeName.DATE),
              // create the nested and repeated field
              Field.newBuilder(
                      "addresses",
                      StandardSQLTypeName.STRUCT,
                      Field.of("status", StandardSQLTypeName.STRING),
                      Field.of("address", StandardSQLTypeName.STRING),
                      Field.of("city", StandardSQLTypeName.STRING),
                      Field.of("state", StandardSQLTypeName.STRING),
                      Field.of("zip", StandardSQLTypeName.STRING),
                      Field.of("numberOfYears", StandardSQLTypeName.STRING))
                  .setMode(Mode.REPEATED)
                  .build());

      TableDefinition tableDefinition = StandardTableDefinition.of(schema);
      TableInfo tableInfo = TableInfo.newBuilder(tableId, tableDefinition).build();

      bigquery.create(tableInfo);
      System.out.println("Table with nested and repeated schema created successfully");
    } catch (BigQueryException e) {
      System.out.println("Table was not created. \n" + e.toString());
    }
  }
}

Node.js

Before trying this sample, follow the Node.js setup instructions in the BigQuery Quickstart Using Client Libraries. For more information, see the BigQuery Node.js API reference documentation. 

// Import the Google Cloud client library and create a client
const {BigQuery} = require('@google-cloud/bigquery');
const bigquery = new BigQuery();

async function nestedRepeatedSchema() {
  // Creates a new table named "my_table" in "my_dataset"
  // with nested and repeated columns in schema.

  /**
   * TODO(developer): Uncomment the following lines before running the sample.
   */
  // const datasetId = "my_dataset";
  // const tableId = "my_table";
  // const schema = [
  //   {name: 'Name', type: 'STRING', mode: 'REQUIRED'},
  //   {
  //     name: 'Addresses',
  //     type: 'RECORD',
  //     mode: 'REPEATED',
  //     fields: [
  //       {name: 'Address', type: 'STRING'},
  //       {name: 'City', type: 'STRING'},
  //       {name: 'State', type: 'STRING'},
  //       {name: 'Zip', type: 'STRING'},
  //     ],
  //   },
  // ];

  // For all options, see https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/docs/reference/v2/tables#resource
  const options = {
    schema: schema,
    location: 'US',
  };

  // Create a new table in the dataset
  const [table] = await bigquery
    .dataset(datasetId)
    .createTable(tableId, options);

  console.log(`Table ${table.id} created.`);
}

Python

Before trying this sample, follow the Python setup instructions in the BigQuery Quickstart Using Client Libraries. For more information, see the BigQuery Python API reference documentation. 

# from google.cloud import bigquery
# client = bigquery.Client()
# project = client.project
# dataset_ref = bigquery.DatasetReference(project, 'my_dataset')

schema = [
    bigquery.SchemaField("id", "STRING", mode="NULLABLE"),
    bigquery.SchemaField("first_name", "STRING", mode="NULLABLE"),
    bigquery.SchemaField("last_name", "STRING", mode="NULLABLE"),
    bigquery.SchemaField("dob", "DATE", mode="NULLABLE"),
    bigquery.SchemaField(
        "addresses",
        "RECORD",
        mode="REPEATED",
        fields=[
            bigquery.SchemaField("status", "STRING", mode="NULLABLE"),
            bigquery.SchemaField("address", "STRING", mode="NULLABLE"),
            bigquery.SchemaField("city", "STRING", mode="NULLABLE"),
            bigquery.SchemaField("state", "STRING", mode="NULLABLE"),
            bigquery.SchemaField("zip", "STRING", mode="NULLABLE"),
            bigquery.SchemaField("numberOfYears", "STRING", mode="NULLABLE"),
        ],
    ),
]
table_ref = dataset_ref.table("my_table")
table = bigquery.Table(table_ref, schema=schema)
table = client.create_table(table)  # API request

print("Created table {}".format(table.full_table_id))

Modifying nested and repeated columns

After you add a nested column or a nested and repeated column to a table's schema definition, you can modify the column as you would any other type of column. BigQuery natively supports several schema changes such as adding a new nested field to a record or relaxing a nested field's mode. For more information, see Modifying table schemas.

Additionally, you can manually modify a schema definition that includes nested and repeated columns. For more information, see Manually changing table schemas.