Using data definition language statements

Data definition language (DDL) statements let you create and modify BigQuery resources using standard SQL query syntax. Currently, you can use DDL commands in BigQuery to:

CREATE TABLE statement

To create a table in BigQuery, use the CREATE TABLE DDL statement.

Syntax

{CREATE TABLE | CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS | CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE}
table_name
[(
  column_name column_schema[, ...]
)]
[PARTITION BY partition_expression]
[CLUSTER BY clustering_column_list]
[OPTIONS(table_option_list)]
[AS query_statement]

Where:

{CREATE TABLE | CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS | CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE} is one of the following statements:

  • CREATE TABLE: Creates a new table.
  • CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS: Creates a new table only if the table does not currently exist in the specified dataset.
  • CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE: Creates a table and replaces an existing table with the same name in the specified dataset.

CREATE TABLE statements must comply with the following rules:

  • Only one CREATE statement is allowed.
  • Either the column list, the as query_statement clause, or both must be present.
  • When both the column list and the as query_statement clause are present, BigQuery ignores the names in the as query_statement clause and matches the columns with the column list by position.
  • When the as query_statement clause is present and the column list is absent, BigQuery determines the column names and types from the as query_statement clause.
  • Column names must be specified either through the column list or as query_statement clause.
  • Duplicate column names are not allowed.

table_name

table_name is the name of the table you're creating. The table name must be unique per dataset. The table name can:

  • Contain up to 1,024 characters
  • Contain letters (upper or lower case), numbers, and underscores

column_name and column_schema

(column_name column_schema[, ...]) contains the table's schema information in a comma-separated list:

  • column_name is the name of the column. A column name:
    • Must contain only letters (a-z, A-Z), numbers (0-9), or underscores (_)
    • Must start with a letter or underscore
    • Can be up to 128 characters
  • column_schema is similar to a data type, but supports an optional NOT NULL constraint for types other than ARRAY. column_schema also supports options on top-level columns and STRUCT fields.
column_schema :=
   {simple_type [NOT NULL] |
    STRUCT<field_list> [NOT NULL] |
    ARRAY<array_element_schema>}
   [OPTIONS(column_option_list)]

field_list := field_name column_schema [, ...]

array_element_schema := {simple_type | STRUCT<field_list>} [NOT NULL]

simple_type is any supported data type aside from STRUCT and ARRAY.

field_name is the name of the struct field. Struct field names have the same restrictions as column names.

When the NOT NULL constraint is present for a column or field, the column or field is created with REQUIRED mode. Conversely, when the NOT NULL constraint is absent, the column or field is created with NULLABLE mode.

Columns and fields of ARRAY type do not support the NOT NULL modifier. For example, a column_schema of ARRAY<INT64> NOT NULL is invalid, since ARRAY columns have REPEATED mode and can be empty but cannot be NULL. An array element in a table can never be NULL, regardless of whether the NOT NULL constraint is specified. For example, ARRAY<INT64> is equivalent to ARRAY<INT64 NOT NULL>.

The NOT NULL attribute of a table's column_schema does not propagate through queries over the table. If table T contains a column declared as x INT64 NOT NULL, for example, CREATE TABLE dataset.newtable AS SELECT x FROM T creates a table named dataset.newtable in which x is NULLABLE.

column_schema can be used only in the column definition list of CREATE TABLE statements. It cannot be used as a type in expressions. For example, CAST(1 AS INT64 NOT NULL) is not valid.

partition_expression

PARTITION BY is an optional clause that controls table partitioning. partition_expression is an expression that determines how to partition the table. The partition expression can contain the following values:

  • PARTITION BY DATE(_PARTITIONTIME): Partitions the table using the date-based timestamp in the _PARTITIONTIME pseudo column. This syntax is only supported with CREATE TABLE without the AS query_statement clause.
  • PARTITION BY _PARTITIONDATE: Partitions the table using the _PARTITIONDATE pseudo column. This syntax is only supported with CREATE TABLE without the AS query_statement clause and is equivalent to using PARTITION BY DATE(_PARTITIONTIME).
  • PARTITION BY DATE(<timestamp_column>): Partitions the table using the date of the TIMESTAMP column
  • PARTITION BY <date_column>: Partitions the table using the DATE column

clustering_column_list

CLUSTER BY is an optional clause that controls table clustering. clustering_column_list is a comma-separated list that determines how to cluster the table. The clustering column list can contain a list of up to four clustering columns.

table_option_list

The option list allows you to set table options such as a label and an expiration time. You can include multiple options using a comma-separated list.

Specify a table option list in the following format:

NAME=VALUE, ...

NAME and VALUE must be one of the following combinations:

NAME VALUE Details
expiration_timestamp TIMESTAMP

Example: expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP "2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC"

This property is equivalent to the expirationTime table resource property.
partition_expiration_days

FLOAT64

Example: partition_expiration_days=7

This property is equivalent to the timePartitioning.expirationMs table resource property but uses days instead of milliseconds. One day is equivalent to 86400000 milliseconds, or 24 hours.

This property can only be set if the table is partitioned.
require_partition_filter

BOOL

Example: require_partition_filter=true

This property is equivalent to the timePartitioning.requirePartitionFilter table resource property.

This property can only be set if the table is partitioned.
kms_key_name

STRING

Example: kms_key_name="projects/project_id/locations/location/keyRings/keyring/cryptoKeys/key"

This property is equivalent to the encryptionConfiguration.kmsKeyName table resource property.

See more details about Protecting data with Cloud KMS keys.
friendly_name

STRING

Example: friendly_name="my_table"

This property is equivalent to the friendlyName table resource property.
description

STRING

Example: description="a table that expires in 2025"

This property is equivalent to the description table resource property.
labels

ARRAY<STRUCT<STRING, STRING>>

Example: labels=[("org_unit", "development")]

This property is equivalent to the labels table resource property.

VALUE is a constant expression containing only literals, query parameters, and scalar functions. If the constant expression evaluates to null, the corresponding option NAME is ignored.

The constant expression cannot contain:

  • A reference to a table
  • Subqueries or SQL statements such as SELECT, CREATE, and UPDATE
  • User-defined functions, aggregate functions, or analytic functions
  • The following scalar functions:
    • ARRAY_TO_STRING
    • REPLACE
    • REGEXP_REPLACE
    • RAND
    • FORMAT
    • LPAD
    • RPAD
    • REPEAT
    • SESSION_USER
    • GENERATE_ARRAY
    • GENERATE_DATE_ARRAY

column_option_list

The column_option_list in column_schema allows you to specify optional column or field options. Column options have the same syntax and requirements as table options but with a different list of NAMEs and VALUEs:

NAME VALUE Details
description

STRING

Example: description="a unique id"

This property is equivalent to the schema.fields[].description table resource property.

query_statement

The AS query_statement clause specifies the query from which the table should be created. See the SQL syntax reference for the supported form of query_statement.

Known limitations:

  • It is not possible to create an ingestion-time partitioned table from the result of a query. Instead, use a CREATE TABLE DDL statement to create the table, and then use an INSERT DML statement to insert data into it.
  • It is not possible to use the OR REPLACE modifier to replace a table with a different kind of partitioning. Instead, DROP the table, and then use a CREATE TABLE ... AS SELECT ... statement to recreate it.

Temporary tables

To create a temporary table, use the TEMP or TEMPORARY keyword when you use the CREATE TABLE statement.

Syntax

{ CREATE {TEMP|TEMPORARY} TABLE |
  CREATE {TEMP|TEMPORARY} TABLE IF NOT EXISTS |
  CREATE OR REPLACE {TEMP|TEMPORARY} TABLE } ...

Other than the use of TEMP or TEMPORARY, the syntax is identical to the CREATE TABLE syntax.

When a temporary table is created, the table will exist for the lifetime of the current script. Temporary table names must be unqualified, that is, the name does not have a project or dataset qualifier. Temporary tables created within a procedure are still available when the procedure call returns, until the primary script finishes.

To create a temporary table:

CREATE TEMP TABLE Example
(
  x INT64,
  y STRING
);

INSERT INTO Example
VALUES (5, 'foo');

INSERT INTO Example
VALUES (6, 'bar');

SELECT *
FROM Example;

This script returns the following output:

+-----+---+-----+
| Row | x | y   |
+-----+---|-----+
| 1   | 5 | foo |
| 2   | 6 | bar |
+-----+---|-----+

You can delete a temporary table explicitly before the script completes, by executing a DROP TABLE statement:

CREATE TEMP TABLE foo(x INT64);
SELECT * FROM foo;  -- Succeeds
DROP TABLE foo;
SELECT * FROM foo;  -- Results in an error

When temporary tables are used together with a default dataset, unqualified table names refer to:

  • a temporary table, if one exists
  • otherwise, a table in the default dataset

The exception is for CREATE TABLE statements, where the target table is considered a temporary table if and only if the TEMP or TEMPORARY keyword is present.

For example, consider the following script:

-- Create table t1 in the default dataset
CREATE TABLE t1 (x INT64);

-- Create temporary table t1
CREATE TEMP TABLE t1 (x INT64);

-- This statement will select from the temporary table
SELECT * FROM t1;

-- Drop the temporary table
DROP TABLE t1;

-- Now that the temporary table is dropped, this statement will select from
-- the table in the default dataset
SELECT * FROM t1;

You can explicitly indicate that you are referring to a temporary table by qualifying the table name with _SESSION:

-- Create a temp table
CREATE TEMP TABLE t1 (x INT64);

-- Create a temp table using the `_SESSION` qualifier
CREATE TEMP TABLE _SESSION.t2 (x INT64);

-- Select from a temporary table using the `_SESSION` qualifier
SELECT * FROM _SESSION.t1;

If you use the _SESSION qualifier for a query of a temporary table that does not exist, you will received an error indicating the table does not exist. For example, if there is no temporary table named t3, you will receive the error even if a table named t3 exists in the default dataset.

You cannot use _SESSION to create a non-temporary table:

CREATE TABLE _SESSION.t4 (x INT64);  -- Fails

CREATE TABLE Examples

Creating a new table

The CREATE TABLE DDL statement creates a table with the specified options. If the table name exists in the dataset, the following error is returned:

Already Exists: project_id:dataset.table

The following example creates a partitioned table named newtable in mydataset. If you do not have a default project configured, prepend it to the dataset name in following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.newtable`.

The table uses the following partition_expression to partition the table: PARTITION BY _PARTITIONDATE. This expression partitions the table using the date in the _PARTITIONDATE pseudo column.

The table schema contains two columns:

  • x: An integer, with description "An optional INTEGER field"

  • y: A STRUCT containing two columns:

    • a: An array of strings, with description "A repeated STRING field"
    • b: A boolean

The table option list specifies the:

  • Table expiration time: January 1, 2025 at 00:00:00 UTC
  • Partition expiration time: 1 day
  • Description: A table that expires in 2025
  • Label: org_unit = development

To create a new table using DDL:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     CREATE TABLE mydataset.newtable
 (
   x INT64 OPTIONS(description="An optional INTEGER field"),
   y STRUCT<
     a ARRAY<STRING> OPTIONS(description="A repeated STRING field"),
     b BOOL
   >
 )
 PARTITION BY _PARTITIONDATE
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP "2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC",
   partition_expiration_days=1,
   description="a table that expires in 2025, with each partition living for 24 hours",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the table appears in the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 CREATE TABLE mydataset.newtable
 (
   x INT64 OPTIONS(description="An optional INTEGER field"),
   y STRUCT<
     a ARRAY<STRING> OPTIONS(description="A repeated STRING field"),
     b BOOL
   >
 )
 PARTITION BY _PARTITIONDATE
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP "2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC",
   partition_expiration_days=1,
   description="a table that expires in 2025, with each partition living for 24 hours",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the table appears in the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
CREATE TABLE mydataset.newtable
(
  x INT64 OPTIONS(description="An optional INTEGER field"),
  y STRUCT<
    a ARRAY<STRING> OPTIONS(description="A repeated STRING field"),
    b BOOL
  >
)
PARTITION BY _PARTITIONDATE
OPTIONS(
  expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP "2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC",
  partition_expiration_days=1,
  description="a table that expires in 2025, with each partition living for 24 hours",
  labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
)'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Creating a new table from an existing table

The CREATE TABLE ... AS SELECT DDL statement creates a table from a query. If the table name exists in the dataset, the following error is returned:

Already Exists: project_id:dataset.table

The following example creates a table named top_words in mydataset. If you do not have a default project configured, prepend it to the dataset name in following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.rainy_days`.

The table schema contains 2 columns:

  • corpus: Name of a Shakespeare corpus

  • top_words: An ARRAY of STRUCTs containing 2 fields: word (a STRING) and word_count (an INT64 with the word count)

The table option list specifies the:

  • Description: Top ten words per Shakespeare corpus

To create a new table using DDL:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     CREATE TABLE mydataset.top_words
 OPTIONS(
   description="Top ten words per Shakespeare corpus"
 ) AS
 SELECT
   corpus,
   ARRAY_AGG(STRUCT(word, word_count) ORDER BY word_count DESC LIMIT 10) AS top_words
 FROM bigquery-public-data.samples.shakespeare
 GROUP BY corpus;

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the table appears in the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 CREATE TABLE mydataset.top_words
 OPTIONS(
   description="Top ten words per Shakespeare corpus"
 ) AS
 SELECT
   corpus,
   ARRAY_AGG(STRUCT(word, word_count) ORDER BY word_count DESC LIMIT 10) AS top_words
 FROM bigquery-public-data.samples.shakespeare
 GROUP BY corpus;

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the table appears in the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
     CREATE TABLE mydataset.top_words
     OPTIONS(
       description="Top ten words per Shakespeare corpus"
     ) AS
     SELECT
       corpus,
       ARRAY_AGG(STRUCT(word, word_count)
                 ORDER BY word_count DESC LIMIT 10) AS top_words
     FROM `bigquery-public-data.samples.shakespeare`
     GROUP BY corpus;'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Creating a table only if the table doesn't exist

The CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS DDL statement creates a table with the specified options only if the table name does not exist in the dataset. If the table name exists in the dataset, no error is returned, and no action is taken.

The following example creates a table named newtable in mydataset only if no table named newtable exists in mydataset. If you do not have a default project configured, prepend it to the dataset name in following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.newtable`.

The table schema contains 2 columns:

  • x: An integer

  • y: A STRUCT containing a (an array of strings) and b (a boolean)

The table option list specifies the:

  • Expiration time: January 1, 2025 at 00:00:00 UTC
  • Description: A table that expires in 2025
  • Label: org_unit = development

To create a new table using DDL only if the table name doesn't exist in the dataset:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS mydataset.newtable (x INT64, y STRUCT<a ARRAY<STRING>, b BOOL>)
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP "2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC",
   description="a table that expires in 2025",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the table appears in the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS mydataset.newtable (x INT64, y STRUCT<a ARRAY<STRING>, b BOOL>)
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP "2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC",
   description="a table that expires in 2025",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the table appears in the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS mydataset.newtable (x INT64, y STRUCT<a ARRAY<STRING>, b BOOL>)
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP "2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC",
   description="a table that expires in 2025",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Creating or replacing a table

The CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE DDL statement creates a table with the specified options. If the table name exists in the dataset, the table is overwritten with an empty table.

The following example creates a table named newtable in mydataset, and if newtable exists in mydataset, it is overwritten. If you do not have a default project configured, prepend it to the dataset name in following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.newtable`.

The table schema contains 2 columns:

  • x: An integer

  • y: A STRUCT containing a (an array of strings) and b (a boolean)

The table option list specifies the:

  • Expiration time: January 1, 2025 at 00:00:00 UTC
  • Description: A table that expires in 2025
  • Label: org_unit = development

To create a new table using DDL and to overwrite a table with the same name:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE mydataset.newtable (x INT64, y STRUCT<a ARRAY<STRING>, b BOOL>)
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP "2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC",
   description="a table that expires in 2025",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )

  4. Click Run.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE mydataset.newtable (x INT64, y STRUCT<a ARRAY<STRING>, b BOOL>)
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP "2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC",
   description="a table that expires in 2025",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )

  4. Click Run query.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE mydataset.newtable (x INT64, y STRUCT<a ARRAY<STRING>, b BOOL>)
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP "2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC",
   description="a table that expires in 2025",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Creating a table with REQUIRED columns

The NOT NULL modifier in the column definition list of a CREATE TABLE statement specifies that a column or field is created in REQUIRED mode.

The following example creates a table named newtable in mydataset. If the table name exists in the dataset, the following error is returned:

Already Exists: project_id:dataset.table

If you do not have a default project configured, prepend it to the dataset name in following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.newtable`.

The table schema contains 3 columns:

  • x: A REQUIRED integer
  • y: A REQUIRED STRUCT containing a (an array of strings), b (a REQUIRED boolean), and c (a NULLABLE float)

  • z: A NULLABLE string

To create a new table with REQUIRED columns using DDL:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     CREATE TABLE my_dataset.new_table (
   x INT64 NOT NULL,
   y STRUCT<
     a ARRAY<STRING>,
     b BOOL NOT NULL,
     c FLOAT64
   > NOT NULL,
   z STRING
 )

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the table appears in the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 CREATE TABLE my_dataset.new_table (
   x INT64 NOT NULL,
   y STRUCT<
     a ARRAY<STRING>,
     b BOOL NOT NULL,
     c FLOAT64
   > NOT NULL,
   z STRING
 )

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the table appears in the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
 CREATE TABLE my_dataset.new_table (
   x INT64 NOT NULL,
   y STRUCT<
     a ARRAY<STRING>,
     b BOOL NOT NULL,
     c FLOAT64
   > NOT NULL,
   z STRING
 )'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Creating a partitioned table

The following example creates a partitioned table named newtable in mydataset using a DATE column. If you do not have a default project configured, prepend it to the dataset name in following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.newtable`.

The table schema contains 2 columns:

  • transaction_id: An integer
  • transaction_date: A date

The table option list specifies the:

  • Partition expiration: Three days
  • Description: A table partitioned by transaction_date

To create a new table using DDL:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     CREATE TABLE mydataset.newtable (transaction_id INT64, transaction_date DATE)
 PARTITION BY transaction_date
 OPTIONS(
   partition_expiration_days=3,
   description="a table partitioned by transaction_date"
 )

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the table appears in the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 CREATE TABLE mydataset.newtable (transaction_id INT64, transaction_date DATE)
 PARTITION BY transaction_date
 OPTIONS(
   partition_expiration_days=3,
   description="a table partitioned by transaction_date"
 )

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the table appears in the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
CREATE TABLE mydataset.newtable (transaction_id INT64, transaction_date DATE)
PARTITION BY transaction_date
OPTIONS(
  partition_expiration_days=3,
  description="a table partitioned by transaction_date"
)'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Creating a partitioned table from the result of a query

The following example creates a partitioned table named days_with_rain in mydataset using a DATE column. If you do not have a default project configured, prepend it to the dataset name in following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.newtable`.

The table schema contains 2 columns:

  • date: The DATE of data collection
  • station_name: The name of the weather station as a STRING
  • prcp: The amount of precipitation in inches as a FLOAT64

The table option list specifies the:

  • Partition expiration: One year
  • Description: Weather stations with precipitation, partitioned by day

To create a new table using DDL:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     CREATE TABLE mydataset.days_with_rain
 PARTITION BY date
 OPTIONS (
   partition_expiration_days=365,
   description="weather stations with precipitation, partitioned by day"
 ) AS
 SELECT
   DATE(CAST(year AS INT64), CAST(mo AS INT64), CAST(da AS INT64)) AS date,
   (SELECT ANY_VALUE(name) FROM `bigquery-public-data.noaa_gsod.stations` AS stations
    WHERE stations.usaf = stn) AS station_name,  -- Stations may have multiple names
   prcp
 FROM `bigquery-public-data.noaa_gsod.gsod2017` AS weather
 WHERE prcp != 99.9  -- Filter unknown values
   AND prcp > 0      -- Filter stations/days with no precipitation

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the table appears in the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 CREATE TABLE mydataset.days_with_rain
 PARTITION BY date
 OPTIONS (
   partition_expiration_days=365,
   description="weather stations with precipitation, partitioned by day"
 ) AS
 SELECT
   DATE(CAST(year AS INT64), CAST(mo AS INT64), CAST(da AS INT64)) AS date,
   (SELECT ANY_VALUE(name) FROM `bigquery-public-data.noaa_gsod.stations` AS stations
    WHERE stations.usaf = stn) AS station_name,  -- Stations may have multiple names
   prcp
 FROM `bigquery-public-data.noaa_gsod.gsod2017` AS weather
 WHERE prcp != 99.9  -- Filter unknown values
   AND prcp > 0      -- Filter stations/days with no precipitation

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the table appears in the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
CREATE TABLE mydataset.days_with_rain
PARTITION BY date
OPTIONS (
  partition_expiration_days=365,
  description="weather stations with precipitation, partitioned by day"
) AS
SELECT
  DATE(CAST(year AS INT64), CAST(mo AS INT64), CAST(da AS INT64)) AS date,
  (SELECT ANY_VALUE(name) FROM `bigquery-public-data.noaa_gsod.stations` AS stations
   WHERE stations.usaf = stn) AS station_name,  -- Stations may have multiple names
  prcp
FROM `bigquery-public-data.noaa_gsod.gsod2017` AS weather
WHERE prcp != 99.9  -- Filter unknown values
  AND prcp > 0      -- Filter stations/days with no precipitation
'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Creating a clustered table

Example 1

The following example creates a clustered table named myclusteredtable in mydataset. The table is a partitioned table, partitioned by a TIMESTAMP column and clustered by a STRING column named customer_id.

If you do not have a default project configured, prepend it to the dataset name in following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.myclusteredtable`.

The table schema contains 3 columns:

  • timestamp: The time of data collection as a TIMESTAMP
  • customer_id: The customer ID as a STRING
  • transaction_amount: The transaction amount as NUMERIC

The table option list specifies the:

  • Partition expiration: 3 days
  • Description: "A table clustered by customer_id"

To create a clustered table using a DDL statement:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     CREATE TABLE mydataset.myclusteredtable
 (
   timestamp TIMESTAMP,
   customer_id STRING,
   transaction_amount NUMERIC
 )
 PARTITION BY DATE(timestamp)
 CLUSTER BY customer_id
 OPTIONS (
   partition_expiration_days=3,
   description="a table clustered by customer_id"
 )

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the table appears in the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your CREATE TABLE DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 CREATE TABLE mydataset.myclusteredtable
 (
   timestamp TIMESTAMP,
   customer_id STRING,
   transaction_amount NUMERIC
 )
 PARTITION BY DATE(timestamp)
 CLUSTER BY customer_id
 OPTIONS (
   partition_expiration_days=3,
   description="a table clustered by customer_id"
 )

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the table appears in the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
CREATE TABLE mydataset.myclusteredtable
(
  timestamp TIMESTAMP,
  customer_id STRING,
  transaction_amount NUMERIC
)
PARTITION BY DATE(timestamp)
CLUSTER BY customer_id
OPTIONS (
  partition_expiration_days=3,
  description="a table clustered by customer_id"
)'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Example 2

The following example creates a clustered table named myclusteredtable in mydataset. The table is an ingestion-time partitioned table.

If you do not have a default project configured, prepend it to the dataset name in following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.myclusteredtable`.

The table schema contains 3 columns:

  • timestamp: The time of data collection as a TIMESTAMP
  • customer_id: The customer ID as a STRING
  • transaction_amount: The transaction amount as NUMERIC

The table option list specifies the:

  • Partition expiration: 3 days
  • Description: "A table clustered by customer_id"

To create a clustered table using a DDL statement:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     CREATE TABLE mydataset.myclusteredtable
 (
   timestamp TIMESTAMP,
   customer_id STRING,
   transaction_amount NUMERIC
 )
 PARTITION BY DATE(_PARTITIONTIME)
 CLUSTER BY
   customer_id
 OPTIONS (
   partition_expiration_days=3,
   description="a table clustered by customer_id"
 )

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the table appears in the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your CREATE TABLE DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     CREATE TABLE mydataset.myclusteredtable
 (
   timestamp TIMESTAMP,
   customer_id STRING,
   transaction_amount NUMERIC
 )
 PARTITION BY DATE(_PARTITIONTIME)
 CLUSTER BY
   customer_id
 OPTIONS (
   partition_expiration_days=3,
   description="a table clustered by customer_id"
 )

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the table appears in the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
CREATE TABLE mydataset.myclusteredtable
(
  timestamp TIMESTAMP,
  customer_id STRING,
  transaction_amount NUMERIC
)
PARTITION BY DATE(_PARTITIONTIME)
CLUSTER BY
  customer_id
OPTIONS (
  partition_expiration_days=3,
  description="a table clustered by customer_id"
)'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Creating a clustered table from the result of a query

The following example creates a clustered table named myclusteredtable in mydataset using the result of a query. The table is a partitioned table, partitioned by a TIMESTAMP column.

If you do not have a default project configured, prepend it to the dataset name in following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.myclusteredtable`.

The table schema contains 3 columns:

  • timestamp: The time of data collection as a TIMESTAMP
  • customer_id: The customer ID as a STRING
  • transaction_amount: The transaction amount as NUMERIC

The table option list specifies the:

  • Partition expiration: 3 days
  • Description: "A table clustered by customer_id"

To create a clustered table using a DDL statement:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     CREATE TABLE mydataset.myclusteredtable
 (
   timestamp TIMESTAMP,
   customer_id STRING,
   transaction_amount NUMERIC
 )
 PARTITION BY DATE(timestamp)
 CLUSTER BY
   customer_id
 OPTIONS (
   partition_expiration_days=3,
   description="a table clustered by customer_id"
 )
 AS SELECT * FROM mydataset.myothertable

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the table appears in the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your CREATE TABLE DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 CREATE TABLE mydataset.myclusteredtable
 (
   timestamp TIMESTAMP,
   customer_id STRING,
   transaction_amount NUMERIC
 )
 PARTITION BY DATE(timestamp)
 CLUSTER BY
   customer_id
 OPTIONS (
   partition_expiration_days=3,
   description="a table clustered by customer_id"
 )
 AS SELECT * FROM mydataset.myothertable

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the table appears in the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
CREATE TABLE mydataset.myclusteredtable
  (
    timestamp TIMESTAMP,
    customer_id STRING,
    transaction_amount NUMERIC
  )
PARTITION BY DATE(timestamp)
CLUSTER BY
  customer_id
OPTIONS (
  partition_expiration_days=3,
  description="a table clustered by customer_id"
)
AS SELECT * FROM mydataset.myothertable'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

CREATE VIEW statement

To create a view in BigQuery, use the CREATE VIEW DDL statement.

Syntax

{CREATE VIEW | CREATE VIEW IF NOT EXISTS | CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW}
view_name
[OPTIONS(view_option_list)]
AS query_expression

Where:

{CREATE VIEW | CREATE VIEW IF NOT EXISTS | CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW} is one of the following statements:

  • CREATE VIEW: Creates a new view.
  • CREATE VIEW IF NOT EXISTS: Creates a new view only if the view does not currently exist in the specified dataset.
  • CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW: Creates a view and replaces an existing view with the same name in the specified dataset.

view_name is the name of the view you're creating. The view name must be unique per dataset. The view name can:

  • Contain up to 1,024 characters
  • Contain letters (upper or lower case), numbers, and underscores

view_option_list allows you to specify additional view creation options such as a label and an expiration time.

CREATE VIEW statements must comply with the following rules:

  • Only one CREATE statement is allowed.

query_expression is the standard SQL query expression used to define the view.

view_option_list

The option list allows you to set view options such as a label and an expiration time. You can include multiple options using a comma-separated list.

Specify a view option list in the following format:

NAME=VALUE, ...

NAME and VALUE must be one of the following combinations:

NAME VALUE Details
expiration_timestamp TIMESTAMP

Example: expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP "2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC"

This property is equivalent to the expirationTime table resource property.
friendly_name

STRING

Example: friendly_name="my_view"

This property is equivalent to the friendlyName table resource property.
description

STRING

Example: description="a view that expires in 2025"

This property is equivalent to the description table resource property.
labels

ARRAY<STRUCT<STRING, STRING>>

Example: labels=[("org_unit", "development")]

This property is equivalent to the labels table resource property.

VALUE is a constant expression containing only literals, query parameters, and scalar functions. If the constant expression evaluates to null, the corresponding option NAME is ignored.

The constant expression cannot contain:

  • A reference to a table
  • Subqueries or SQL statements such as SELECT, CREATE, and UPDATE
  • User-defined functions, aggregate functions, or analytic functions
  • The following scalar functions:
    • ARRAY_TO_STRING
    • REPLACE
    • REGEXP_REPLACE
    • RAND
    • FORMAT
    • LPAD
    • RPAD
    • REPEAT
    • SESSION_USER
    • GENERATE_ARRAY
    • GENERATE_DATE_ARRAY

Examples

Creating a new view

The CREATE VIEW DDL statement creates a view with the specified options. If the view name exists in the dataset, the following error is returned:

Already Exists: project_id:dataset.table

The following example creates a view named newview in mydataset. When you use a DDL statement to create a view, you must specify the project, dataset, and view in the following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.newview`.

The view is defined using the following standard SQL query:

SELECT column_1, column_2, column_3 FROM `myproject.mydataset.mytable`

The view option list specifies the:

  • Expiration time: 48 hours from the time the view is created
  • Friendly name: newview
  • Description: A view that expires in 2 days
  • Label: org_unit = development

To create a new view using DDL:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     CREATE VIEW `myproject.mydataset.newview`
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 48 HOUR),
   friendly_name="newview",
   description="a view that expires in 2 days",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )
 AS SELECT column_1, column_2, column_3 FROM myproject.mydataset.mytable

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the view appears in the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 CREATE VIEW `myproject.mydataset.newview`
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 48 HOUR),
   friendly_name="newview",
   description="a view that expires in 2 days",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )
 AS SELECT column_1, column_2, column_3 FROM myproject.mydataset.mytable

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the view appears in the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
CREATE TABLE `myproject.mydataset.newview`
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 48 HOUR),
   friendly_name="newview",
   description="a view that expires in 2 days",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )
 AS SELECT column_1, column_2, column_3 FROM `myproject.mydataset.mytable`'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

JAVA

Call the BigQuery.create() method to start a query job. Call the Job.waitFor() method to wait for the DDL query to finish.

google-cloud-examples/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/examples/bigquery/snippets/ITCloudSnippets.java 
// import com.google.cloud.bigquery.*;
// String projectId = "my-project";
// String datasetId = "my_dataset";
// String tableId = "new_view";
// BigQuery bigquery = BigQueryOptions.getDefaultInstance().toBuilder()
//     .setProjectId(projectId)
//     .build().getService();

String sql =
    String.format(
        "CREATE VIEW `%s.%s.%s`\n"
            + "OPTIONS(\n"
            + "  expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(\n"
            + "    CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 48 HOUR),\n"
            + "  friendly_name=\"new_view\",\n"
            + "  description=\"a view that expires in 2 days\",\n"
            + "  labels=[(\"org_unit\", \"development\")]\n"
            + ")\n"
            + "AS SELECT name, state, year, number\n"
            + "  FROM `bigquery-public-data.usa_names.usa_1910_current`\n"
            + "  WHERE state LIKE 'W%%';\n",
        projectId, datasetId, tableId);

// Make an API request to run the query job.
Job job = bigquery.create(JobInfo.of(QueryJobConfiguration.newBuilder(sql).build()));

// Wait for the query to finish.
job = job.waitFor();

QueryJobConfiguration jobConfig = (QueryJobConfiguration) job.getConfiguration();
System.out.printf(
    "Created new view \"%s.%s.%s\".\n",
    jobConfig.getDestinationTable().getProject(),
    jobConfig.getDestinationTable().getDataset(),
    jobConfig.getDestinationTable().getTable());

Node.js

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

async function ddlCreateView() {
  // Creates a view via a DDL query

  /**
   * TODO(developer): Uncomment the following lines before running the sample.
   */
  // const projectId = "my_project"
  // const datasetId = "my_dataset"
  // const tableId = "my_new_view"

  const query = `
  CREATE VIEW \`${projectId}.${datasetId}.${tableId}\`
  OPTIONS(
      expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(
          CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 48 HOUR),
      friendly_name="new_view",
      description="a view that expires in 2 days",
      labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
  )
  AS SELECT name, state, year, number
      FROM \`bigquery-public-data.usa_names.usa_1910_current\`
      WHERE state LIKE 'W%'`;

  // For all options, see https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/docs/reference/rest/v2/jobs/query
  const options = {
    query: query,
  };

  // Run the query as a job
  const [job] = await bigquery.createQueryJob(options);

  job.on('complete', metadata => {
    console.log(`Created new view ${tableId} via job ${metadata.id}`);
  });
}

PYTHON

Call the Client.query() method to start a query job. Call the QueryJob.result() method to wait for the DDL query to finish.

docs/snippets.py 
# from google.cloud import bigquery
# project = 'my-project'
# dataset_id = 'my_dataset'
# table_id = 'new_view'
# client = bigquery.Client(project=project)

sql = """
CREATE VIEW `{}.{}.{}`
OPTIONS(
    expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(
        CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 48 HOUR),
    friendly_name="new_view",
    description="a view that expires in 2 days",
    labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
)
AS SELECT name, state, year, number
    FROM `bigquery-public-data.usa_names.usa_1910_current`
    WHERE state LIKE 'W%'
""".format(
    project, dataset_id, table_id
)

job = client.query(sql)  # API request.
job.result()  # Waits for the query to finish.

print(
    'Created new view "{}.{}.{}".'.format(
        job.destination.project,
        job.destination.dataset_id,
        job.destination.table_id,
    )
)

Creating a view only if the view doesn't exist

The CREATE VIEW IF NOT EXISTS DDL statement creates a view with the specified options only if the view name does not exist in the dataset. If the view name exists in the dataset, no error is returned, and no action is taken.

The following example creates a view named newview in mydataset only if no view named newview exists in mydataset. When you use a DDL statement to create a view, you must specify the project, dataset, and view in the following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.newview`.

The view is defined using the following standard SQL query:

SELECT column_1, column_2, column_3 FROM `myproject.mydataset.mytable`

The view option list specifies the:

  • Expiration time: 48 hours from the time the view is created
  • Friendly name: newview
  • Description: A view that expires in 2 days
  • Label: org_unit = development

To create a new view using DDL only if the view name doesn't exist in the dataset:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     CREATE VIEW IF NOT EXISTS `myproject.mydataset.newview`
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 48 HOUR),
   friendly_name="newview",
   description="a view that expires in 2 days",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )
 AS SELECT column_1, column_2, column_3 FROM myproject.mydataset.mytable

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the view appears in the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 CREATE VIEW IF NOT EXISTS `myproject.mydataset.newview`
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 48 HOUR),
   friendly_name="newview",
   description="a view that expires in 2 days",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )
 AS SELECT column_1, column_2, column_3 FROM myproject.mydataset.mytable

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the view appears in the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
CREATE VIEW IF NOT EXISTS `myproject.mydataset.newview`
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 48 HOUR),
   friendly_name="newview",
   description="a view that expires in 2 days",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )
 AS SELECT column_1, column_2, column_3 FROM `myproject.mydataset.mytable`'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Creating or replacing a view

The CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW DDL statement creates a view with the specified options. If the view name exists in the dataset, the view is overwritten using the specified query expression.

The following example creates a view named newview in mydataset, and if newview exists in mydataset, it is overwritten. When you use a DDL statement to create a view, you must specify the project, dataset, and view in the following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.newview`.

The view is defined using the following standard SQL query:

    SELECT column_1, column_2, column_3 FROM `myproject.mydataset.mytable`

The view option list specifies the:

  • Expiration time: 48 hours from the time the view is created
  • Friendly name: newview
  • Description: A view that expires in 2 days
  • Label: org_unit = development

To create a new view using DDL and to overwrite a view with the same name:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW `myproject.mydataset.newview`
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 48 HOUR),
   friendly_name="newview",
   description="a view that expires in 2 days",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )
 AS SELECT column_1, column_2, column_3 FROM myproject.mydataset.mytable

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the view appears in the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW `myproject.mydataset.newview`
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 48 HOUR),
   friendly_name="newview",
   description="a view that expires in 2 days",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )
 AS SELECT column_1, column_2, column_3 FROM myproject.mydataset.mytable

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the view appears in the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW `myproject.mydataset.newview`
 OPTIONS(
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 48 HOUR),
   friendly_name="newview",
   description="a view that expires in 2 days",
   labels=[("org_unit", "development")]
 )
 AS SELECT column_1, column_2, column_3 FROM `myproject.mydataset.mytable`'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

CREATE FUNCTION statement

BigQuery supports user-defined functions (UDFs). A UDF enables you to create a function using a SQL expression or JavaScript. These functions accept columns of input and perform actions, returning the result of those actions as a value.

UDFs can either be persistent or temporary. You can reuse persistent UDFs across multiple queries, whereas you can only use temporary UDFs in a single query. For more information on UDFs, see user-defined functions.

UDF Syntax

To create a persistent UDF, use the following syntax: 

CREATE [OR REPLACE] FUNCTION [IF NOT EXISTS]
    [`project_name`.]dataset_name.function_name
    ([named_parameter[, ...]])
  [RETURNS data_type]
  { sql_function_definition | javascript_function_definition }

To create a temporary UDF, use the following syntax: 

CREATE [OR REPLACE] {TEMPORARY | TEMP} FUNCTION [IF NOT EXISTS]
    function_name
    ([named_parameter[, ...]])
  [RETURNS data_type]
  { sql_function_definition | javascript_function_definition }


named_parameter:
  param_name param_type

sql_function_definition:
  AS (sql_expression)

javascript_function_definition:
  LANGUAGE js
  [OPTIONS (library = library_array)]
  AS javascript_code

This syntax consists of the following components:

  • CREATE { FUNCTION | OR REPLACE FUNCTION | FUNCTION IF NOT EXISTS }. Creates or updates a function. To replace any existing function with the same name, use the OR REPLACE keyword. To treat the query as successful and take no action if a function with the same name already exists, use the IF NOT EXISTS clause.
  • named_parameter. Consists of a comma-separated param_name and param_type pair. The value of param_type is a BigQuery data type. For a SQL UDF, the value of param_type may also be ANY TYPE.
  • [RETURNS data_type]. Specifies the data type that the function returns.
    • If the function is defined in SQL, then the RETURNS clause is optional. If the RETURNS clause is omitted, then BigQuery infers the result type of the function from the SQL function body when a query calls the function.
    • If the function is defined in JavaScript, then the RETURNS clause is required. See Supported JavaScript UDF data types for more information about allowed values for data_type.
  • AS (sql_expression). Specifies the SQL expression that defines the function.
  • [OPTIONS (library = library_array)]. For a JavaScript UDF, specifies an array of JavaScript libraries to include in the function definition.
  • AS javascript_code. Specifies the definition of a JavaScript function. javascript_code is a string literal.

SQL UDF structure

Create SQL UDFs using the following syntax:

CREATE [OR REPLACE] [TEMPORARY | TEMP] FUNCTION [IF NOT EXISTS]
    [[`project_name`.]dataset_name.]function_name
    ([named_parameter[, ...]])
  [RETURNS data_type]
  AS (sql_expression)

named_parameter:
  param_name param_type

Templated SQL UDF parameters

A templated parameter with param_type = ANY TYPE can match more than one argument type when the function is called.

  • If more than one paramater has type ANY TYPE, BigQuery does not enforce any type relationship between these arguments.
  • The function return type cannot be ANY TYPE. It must be either omitted, which means to be automatically determined based on sql_expression, or an explicit type.
  • Passing the function arguments of types that are incompatible with the function definition will result in an error at call time.

SQL UDF examples

The following example creates a persistent SQL UDF. It assumes that a dataset named mydataset exists in the active project. If a dataset with this name does not exist, refer to the documentation on creating datasets.

CREATE FUNCTION mydataset.multiplyInputs(x FLOAT64, y FLOAT64)
RETURNS FLOAT64
AS (x * y);

After executing the CREATE FUNCTION statement, you can use the new, persistent user-defined function in a separate query. Replace the query editor with the following contents, and then run the query:

WITH numbers AS
  (SELECT 1 AS x, 5 as y
  UNION ALL
  SELECT 2 AS x, 10 as y
  UNION ALL
  SELECT 3 as x, 15 as y)
SELECT x, y, mydataset.multiplyInputs(x, y) as product
FROM numbers;

The example above produces the following output:

+-----+-----+--------------+
| x   | y   | product      |
+-----+-----+--------------+
| 1   | 5   | 5            |
| 2   | 10  | 20           |
| 3   | 15  | 45           |
+-----+-----+--------------+

The following example shows a persistent SQL UDF that uses a templated parameter. The resulting function accepts arguments of various types.

CREATE FUNCTION mydataset.addFourAndDivideAny(x ANY TYPE, y ANY TYPE) AS (
  (x + 4) / y
);

After executing the CREATE FUNCTION statement, you can use the new, persistent user-defined function in a separate query:

SELECT addFourAndDivideAny(3, 4) AS integer_output,
       addFourAndDivideAny(1.59, 3.14) AS floating_point_output;

This query returns the following output:

+----------------+-----------------------+
| integer_output | floating_point_output |
+----------------+-----------------------+
| 1.75           | 1.7802547770700636    |
+----------------+-----------------------+

The following example shows a SQL UDF that uses a templated parameter to return the last element of an array of any type.

CREATE FUNCTION mydataset.lastArrayElement(arr ANY TYPE) AS (
  arr[ORDINAL(ARRAY_LENGTH(arr))]
);

After executing the CREATE FUNCTION statement, you can use the new, persistent user-defined function in a separate query:

SELECT
  names[OFFSET(0)] AS first_name,
  lastArrayElement(names) AS last_name
FROM (
  SELECT ['Fred', 'McFeely', 'Rogers'] AS names UNION ALL
  SELECT ['Marie', 'Skłodowska', 'Curie']
);

The above query returns the following output:

+------------+-----------+
| first_name | last_name |
+------------+-----------+
| Fred       | Rogers    |
| Marie      | Curie     |
+------------+-----------+

JavaScript UDF structure

Create persistent JavaScript UDFs using the following syntax.

CREATE [OR REPLACE] [TEMPORARY | TEMP] FUNCTION [IF NOT EXISTS]
    [[`project_name`.]dataset_name.]function_name
    ([named_parameter[, ...]])
  RETURNS data_type
  LANGUAGE js
  [OPTIONS (library = library_array)]
  AS javascript_code

See Supported JavaScript UDF data types for more information about allowed values for data_type and parameter types.

JavaScript UDF examples

CREATE TEMP FUNCTION mydataset.multiplyInputs(x FLOAT64, y FLOAT64)
RETURNS FLOAT64
LANGUAGE js
AS """
  return x*y;
""";

After executing the CREATE FUNCTION statement, you can use the new, persistent JavaScript UDF in a separate query:

WITH numbers AS
  (SELECT 1 AS x, 5 as y
  UNION ALL
  SELECT 2 AS x, 10 as y
  UNION ALL
  SELECT 3 as x, 15 as y)
SELECT x, y, multiplyInputs(x, y) as product
FROM numbers;

The above example returns the following output:

+-----+-----+--------------+
| x   | y   | product      |
+-----+-----+--------------+
| 1   | 5   | 5            |
| 2   | 10  | 20           |
| 3   | 15  | 45           |
+-----+-----+--------------+

You can pass the result of a UDF as input to another UDF. For example, create a persistent UDF with the following query:

CREATE FUNCTION mydataset.multiplyInputs(x FLOAT64, y FLOAT64)
RETURNS FLOAT64
LANGUAGE js
AS """
  return x*y;
""";

Then run another query to create a second persistent UDF:

CREATE FUNCTION mydataset.divideByTwo(x FLOAT64)
RETURNS FLOAT64
LANGUAGE js
AS """
  return x/2;
""";

Now run the following query to use both persistent UDFs in the same query:

WITH numbers AS
  (SELECT 1 AS x, 5 as y
  UNION ALL
  SELECT 2 AS x, 10 as y
  UNION ALL
  SELECT 3 as x, 15 as y)
SELECT x,
  y,
  mydataset.multiplyInputs(
    mydataset.divideByTwo(x), mydataset.divideByTwo(y)) as half_product
FROM numbers;

The above example returns the following output:

+-----+-----+--------------+
| x   | y   | half_product |
+-----+-----+--------------+
| 1   | 5   | 1.25         |
| 2   | 10  | 5            |
| 3   | 15  | 11.25        |
+-----+-----+--------------+

The following example sums the values of all fields named "foo" in the given JSON string.

CREATE FUNCTION mydataset.SumFieldsNamedFoo(json_row STRING)
  RETURNS FLOAT64
  LANGUAGE js
  AS """
  function SumFoo(obj) {
    var sum = 0;
    for (var field in obj) {
      if (obj.hasOwnProperty(field) &amp;&amp; obj[field] != null) {
        if (typeof obj[field] == "object") {
          sum += SumFoo(obj[field]);
        } else if (field == "foo") {
          sum += obj[field];
        }
      }
    }
    return sum;
  }
  var row = JSON.parse(json_row);
  return SumFoo(row);
  """;

After executing the CREATE FUNCTION statement, you can use the new, persistent user-defined function in a separate query:

WITH Input AS (
  SELECT STRUCT(1 AS foo, 2 AS bar, STRUCT('foo' AS x, 3.14 AS foo) AS baz) AS s, 10 AS foo UNION ALL
  SELECT NULL, 4 AS foo UNION ALL
  SELECT STRUCT(NULL, 2 AS bar, STRUCT('fizz' AS x, 1.59 AS foo) AS baz) AS s, NULL AS foo
)
SELECT
  TO_JSON_STRING(t) AS json_row,
  mydataset.SumFieldsNamedFoo(TO_JSON_STRING(t)) AS foo_sum
FROM Input AS t;

The above example returns the following output:

+---------------------------------------------------------------------+---------+
| json_row                                                            | foo_sum |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+---------+
| {"s":{"foo":1,"bar":2,"baz":{"x":"foo","foo":3.14}},"foo":10}       | 14.14   |
| {"s":null,"foo":4}                                                  | 4       |
| {"s":{"foo":null,"bar":2,"baz":{"x":"fizz","foo":1.59}},"foo":null} | 1.59    |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+---------+

Quoting rules

You must enclose JavaScript code in quotes. For simple, one line code snippets, you can use a standard quoted string:

CREATE FUNCTION mydataset.plusOne(x FLOAT64)
RETURNS FLOAT64
LANGUAGE js
AS "return x+1;";

In cases where the snippet contains quotes, or consists of multiple lines, use triple-quoted blocks:

CREATE FUNCTION mydataset.customGreeting(a STRING)
RETURNS STRING
LANGUAGE js AS """
  var d = new Date();
  if (d.getHours() &lt; 12) {
    return 'Good Morning, ' + a + '!';
  } else {
    return 'Good Evening, ' + a + '!';
  }
  """;

Including JavaScript libraries

You can extend your JavaScript UDFs using the OPTIONS section. This section allows you to specify JavaScript code libraries for the UDF.

CREATE FUNCTION mydataset.myFunc(a FLOAT64, b STRING)
  RETURNS STRING
  LANGUAGE js
  OPTIONS (
    library=["gs://my-bucket/path/to/lib1.js", "gs://my-bucket/path/to/lib2.js"]
  )
  AS
  """
      // Assumes 'doInterestingStuff' is defined in one of the library files.
      return doInterestingStuff(a, b);
  """;

SELECT mydataset.myFunc(3.14, 'foo');

In the preceding example, code in lib1.js and lib2.js is available to any code in the javascript_code section of the UDF. Notice that you can specify library files using single-element or array syntax.

UDFs and the web UI

You can use the BigQuery web UI to create persistent user-defined functions.

Running a query to create a persistent UDF

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the UDF statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

      CREATE FUNCTION mydataset.timesTwo(x FLOAT64)
  RETURNS FLOAT64
    LANGUAGE js AS """
    return x*2;
  """;

  4. Click Run.

  5. After creating the persistent user-defined function, replace the editor contents with a new query that uses it:

      SELECT mydataset.timesTwo(numbers) AS doubles
  FROM UNNEST([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]) AS numbers;

  6. Click Run.

UDFs and the bq command-line tool

You can use the bq Command-Line Tool from the Cloud SDK to create persistent UDFs.

Use the following syntax to run a query to create a persistent UDF:

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
  CREATE FUNCTION mydataset.AddTwo(x INT64) AS (x + 2);
'

CREATE PROCEDURE statement

Syntax

CREATE [OR REPLACE] PROCEDURE [IF NOT EXISTS] procedure_name (procedure_argument[, …] )
[OPTIONS(procedure_option_list)]
BEGIN
statement_list
END;

procedure_argument: [procedure_argument_mode] argument_name argument_type

procedure_argument_mode: IN | OUT | INOUT

Description

Creates a procedure, which is a block of statements that can be called from other queries.

statement_list is a BigQuery statement list. A statement list is a series of statements that each end with a semicolon.

argument_type is any valid BigQuery type.

procedure_argument_mode specifies whether an argument is an input, an output, or both.

Procedures can call themselves recursively.

procedure_option_list

The procedure_option_list allows you to specify procedure options. Procedure options have the same syntax and requirements as table options but with a different list of NAMEs and VALUEs:

NAME VALUE Details
strict_mode

BOOL

Example: strict_mode=FALSE

If strict_mode is TRUE, the procedure body will undergo additional checks for errors such as non-existent tables or columns. The CREATE PROCEDURE statement will fail if the body fails any of these checks.

While strict_mode is useful for catching many common types of errors, it is not exhaustive, and successful creation of a procedure with strict_mode does not guarantee that the procedure will successfully execute at runtime.

If strict_mode is FALSE, the procedure body is checked only for syntax. Procedures which invoke themselves recursively should be created with strict_mode=FALSE to avoid errors caused by the procedure not yet existing while it is being validated.

Default value is TRUE.

Argument mode

IN indicates that the argument is only an input to the procedure. You may specify either a variable or a value expression for IN arguments.

OUT indicates that the argument is an output of the procedure. An OUT argument is initialized to NULL when the procedure starts. You must specify a variable for OUT arguments.

INOUT indicates that the argument is both an input to and an output from the procedure. You must specify a variable for INOUT arguments. An INOUT argument may be referenced in the body of a procedure as a variable and assigned new values.

If neither IN, OUT, nor INOUT is specified, the argument is treated as an IN argument.

Variable scope

If a variable is declared outside a procedure, passed as an INOUT or OUT argument to a procedure, and the procedure assigns a new value to that variable, that new value is visible outside of the procedure.

Variables declared in a procedure are not visible outside of the procedure, and vice versa.

An OUT or INOUT argument may be assigned a value using SET, in which case the modified value is visible outside of the procedure. If the procedure exits successfully, then the value of the OUT or INOUT argument is the final value assigned to that INOUT variable.

Temporary tables exist for the duration of the script, so if a procedure creates a temporary table, the caller of the procedure will be able to reference the temporary table as well.

Default project

Procedure bodies may reference entities without specifying their fully qualified path. In case project_id is not provided, the default project is the project which owns the procedure, not necessarily the project used to run the CREATE PROCEDURE statement.

Consider sample query below. It doesn't matter which project you choose to run this query with, the referenced table anotherDataset.myTable is always resolved against project myProject:

CREATE PROCEDURE myProject.myDataset.QueryTable()
BEGIN
  SELECT * FROM anotherDataset.myTable;
END;

Examples

The following example creates a procedure that both takes x as an input argument and returns x as output; because no argument mode is present for the argument delta, it is an input argument. The procedure consists of a block containing a single statement, which assigns the sum of the two input arguments to x.

CREATE PROCEDURE mydataset.AddDelta(INOUT x INT64, delta INT64)
BEGIN
  SET x = x + delta;
END;

The following example calls the AddDelta procedure from the example above, passing it the variable accumulator both times; because the changes to x within AddDelta are visible outside of AddDelta, these procedure calls increment accumulator by a total of 8.

DECLARE accumulator INT64 DEFAULT 0;
CALL mydataset.AddDelta(accumulator, 5);
CALL mydataset.AddDelta(accumulator, 3);
SELECT accumulator;

This returns the following:

+-------------+
| accumulator |
+-------------+
|           8 |
+-------------+

The following example creates the procedure SelectFromTablesAndAppend, which takes target_date as an input argument and returns rows_added as an output. The procedure creates a temporary table DataForTargetDate from a query; then, it calculates the number of rows in DataForTargetDate and assigns the result to rows_added. Next, it inserts a new row into TargetTable, passing the value of target_date as one of the column names. Finally, it drops the table DataForTargetDate and returns rows_added.

CREATE PROCEDURE mydataset.SelectFromTablesAndAppend(
  target_date DATE, OUT rows_added INT64)
BEGIN
  CREATE TEMP TABLE DataForTargetDate AS
  SELECT t1.id, t1.x, t2.y
  FROM dataset.partitioned_table1 AS t1
  JOIN dataset.partitioned_table2 AS t2
  ON t1.id = t2.id
  WHERE t1.date = target_date
    AND t2.date = target_date;

  SET rows_added = (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM DataForTargetDate);

  SELECT id, x, y, target_date  -- note that target_date is a parameter
  FROM DataForTargetDate;

  DROP TABLE DataForTargetDate;
END;

The following example declares a variable rows_added, then passes it as an argument to the SelectFromTablesAndAppend procedure from the previous example, along with the value of CURRENT_DATE; then it returns a message stating how many rows were added.

DECLARE rows_added INT64;
CALL mydataset.SelectFromTablesAndAppend(CURRENT_DATE(), rows_added);
SELECT FORMAT('Added %d rows', rows_added);

ALTER TABLE SET OPTIONS statement

To set the options on a table in BigQuery, use the ALTER TABLE SET OPTIONS DDL statement.

Syntax

{ALTER TABLE | ALTER TABLE IF EXISTS}
table_name
SET OPTIONS(table_set_options_list)

Where:

{ALTER TABLE | ALTER TABLE IF EXISTS} is one of the following statements:

  • ALTER TABLE: Alters the options on an existing table.
  • ALTER TABLE IF EXISTS: Alters the options on a table only if it exists.

table_name is the name of the table you're altering.

table_set_options_list

The option list allows you to set table options such as a label and an expiration time. You can include multiple options using a comma-separated list.

Specify a table option list in the following format:

NAME=VALUE, ...

NAME and VALUE must be one of the following combinations:

NAME VALUE Details
expiration_timestamp TIMESTAMP

Example: expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP "2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC"

This property is equivalent to the expirationTime table resource property.
partition_expiration_days

FLOAT64

Example: partition_expiration_days=7

This property is equivalent to the timePartitioning.expirationMs table resource property but uses days instead of milliseconds. One day is equivalent to 86400000 milliseconds, or 24 hours.

This property can only be set if the table is partitioned.
require_partition_filter

BOOL

Example: require_partition_filter=true

This property is equivalent to the timePartitioning.requirePartitionFilter table resource property.

This property can only be set if the table is partitioned.
kms_key_name

STRING

Example: kms_key_name="projects/project_id/locations/location/keyRings/keyring/cryptoKeys/key"

This property is equivalent to the encryptionConfiguration.kmsKeyName table resource property.

See more details about Protecting data with Cloud KMS keys.
friendly_name

STRING

Example: friendly_name="my_table"

This property is equivalent to the friendlyName table resource property.
description

STRING

Example: description="a table that expires in 2025"

This property is equivalent to the description table resource property.
labels

ARRAY<STRUCT<STRING, STRING>>

Example: labels=[("org_unit", "development")]

This property is equivalent to the labels table resource property.

VALUE is a constant expression containing only literals, query parameters, and scalar functions. If the constant expression evaluates to null, the corresponding option NAME is ignored.

The constant expression cannot contain:

  • A reference to a table
  • Subqueries or SQL statements such as SELECT, CREATE, and UPDATE
  • User-defined functions, aggregate functions, or analytic functions
  • The following scalar functions:
    • ARRAY_TO_STRING
    • REPLACE
    • REGEXP_REPLACE
    • RAND
    • FORMAT
    • LPAD
    • RPAD
    • REPEAT
    • SESSION_USER
    • GENERATE_ARRAY
    • GENERATE_DATE_ARRAY

Setting the VALUE replaces the existing value of that option for the table, if there was one. Setting the VALUE to NULL clears the table's value for that option.

Examples

Setting the expiration timestamp and description on a table

The following example sets the expiration timestamp on a table to seven days from the execution time of the ALTER TABLE statement, and sets the description as well:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     ALTER TABLE mydataset.mytable
 SET OPTIONS (
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 7 DAY),
   description="Table that expires seven days from now"
 )

  4. Click Run.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 ALTER TABLE mydataset.mytable
 SET OPTIONS (
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 7 DAY),
   description="Table that expires seven days from now"
 )

  4. Click Run query.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
ALTER TABLE mydataset.mytable
SET OPTIONS (
  expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 7 DAY),
  description="Table that expires seven days from now"
)'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Setting the require partition filter attribute on a partitioned table

The following example sets the timePartitioning.requirePartitionFilter attribute on a partitioned table. When set to true, queries that reference this table must use a filter on the partitioning column, or else BigQuery will return an error. Setting this option to true can help prevent mistakes in querying more data than intended:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     ALTER TABLE mydataset.mypartitionedtable
 SET OPTIONS (require_partition_filter=true)

  4. Click Run.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 ALTER TABLE mydataset.mypartitionedtable
 SET OPTIONS (require_partition_filter=true)

  4. Click Run query.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
ALTER TABLE mydataset.mypartitionedtable
SET OPTIONS (require_partition_filter=true)'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Clearing the expiration timestamp on a table

The following example clears the expiration timestamp on a table so that it will not expire:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     ALTER TABLE mydataset.mytable
 SET OPTIONS (expiration_timestamp=NULL)

  4. Click Run.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 ALTER TABLE mydataset.mytable
 SET OPTIONS (expiration_timestamp=NULL)

  4. Click Run query.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
ALTER TABLE mydataset.mytable
SET OPTIONS (expiration_timestamp=NULL)'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

ALTER VIEW SET OPTIONS statement

To set the options on a view in BigQuery, use the ALTER VIEW SET OPTIONS DDL statement.

Syntax

{ALTER VIEW | ALTER VIEW IF EXISTS}
view_name
SET OPTIONS(view_set_options_list)

Where:

{ALTER VIEW | ALTER VIEW IF EXISTS} is one of the following statements:

  • ALTER VIEW: Alters the options on an existing view.
  • ALTER VIEW IF EXISTS: Alters the options on a view only if it exists.

view_name is the name of the view you're altering.

view_set_options_list

The option list allows you to set view options such as a label and an expiration time. You can include multiple options using a comma-separated list.

Specify a view option list in the following format:

NAME=VALUE, ...

NAME and VALUE must be one of the following combinations:

NAME VALUE Details
expiration_timestamp TIMESTAMP

Example: expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP "2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC"

This property is equivalent to the expirationTime table resource property.
friendly_name

STRING

Example: friendly_name="my_view"

This property is equivalent to the friendlyName table resource property.
description

STRING

Example: description="a view that expires in 2025"

This property is equivalent to the description table resource property.
labels

ARRAY<STRUCT<STRING, STRING>>

Example: labels=[("org_unit", "development")]

This property is equivalent to the labels table resource property.

VALUE is a constant expression containing only literals, query parameters, and scalar functions. If the constant expression evaluates to null, the corresponding option NAME is ignored.

The constant expression cannot contain:

  • A reference to a table
  • Subqueries or SQL statements such as SELECT, CREATE, and UPDATE
  • User-defined functions, aggregate functions, or analytic functions
  • The following scalar functions:
    • ARRAY_TO_STRING
    • REPLACE
    • REGEXP_REPLACE
    • RAND
    • FORMAT
    • LPAD
    • RPAD
    • REPEAT
    • SESSION_USER
    • GENERATE_ARRAY
    • GENERATE_DATE_ARRAY

Setting the VALUE replaces the existing value of that option for the view, if there was one. Setting the VALUE to NULL clears the view's value for that option.

Examples

Setting the expiration timestamp and description on a view

The following example sets the expiration timestamp on a view to seven days from the execution time of the ALTER VIEW statement, and sets the description as well:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     ALTER VIEW mydataset.myview
 SET OPTIONS (
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 7 DAY),
   description="View that expires seven days from now"
 )

  4. Click Run.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 ALTER VIEW mydataset.myview
 SET OPTIONS (
   expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 7 DAY),
   description="View that expires seven days from now"
 )

  4. Click Run query.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
ALTER VIEW mydataset.myview
SET OPTIONS (
  expiration_timestamp=TIMESTAMP_ADD(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), INTERVAL 7 DAY),
  description="View that expires seven days from now"
)'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

DROP TABLE statement

To delete a table in BigQuery, use the DROP TABLE DDL statement.

Syntax

{DROP TABLE | DROP TABLE IF EXISTS}
table_name

Replace the following:

  • {DROP TABLE | DROP TABLE IF EXISTS}:

    • DROP TABLE: Deletes a table in the specified dataset
    • DROP TABLE IF EXISTS: Deletes a table only if the table exists in the specified dataset

  • table_name: The name of the table to delete.

Examples

Deleting a table

The DROP TABLE DDL statement deletes a table in the specified dataset. If the table name does not exist in the dataset, the following error is returned:

Error: Not found: Table myproject:mydataset.mytable

If you are deleting a table in another project, you must specify the project, dataset, and table in the following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.mytable`.

To delete a table using DDL:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     DROP TABLE mydataset.mytable

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the table is removed from the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 DROP TABLE mydataset.mytable

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the table is removed from the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
DROP TABLE mydataset.mytable'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Deleting a table only if the table exists

The DROP TABLE IF EXISTS DDL statement deletes a table in the specified dataset only if the table exists. If the table name does not exist in the dataset, no error is returned, and no action is taken.

If you are deleting a table in another project, you must specify the project, dataset, and table in the following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.mytable`.

To delete a table using DDL only if the table exists:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     DROP TABLE IF EXISTS mydataset.mytable

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the table is removed from the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 DROP TABLE IF EXISTS mydataset.mytable

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the table is removed from the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS mydataset.mytable'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

DROP VIEW statement

To delete a view in BigQuery, use the DROP VIEW DDL statement.

Syntax

{DROP VIEW | DROP VIEW IF EXISTS}
view_name

Where:

{DROP VIEW | DROP VIEW IF EXISTS} is one of the following statements:

  • DROP VIEW: Deletes a view in the specified dataset
  • DROP VIEW IF EXISTS: Deletes a view only if the view exists in the specified dataset

view_name is the name of the view you're deleting.

Examples

Deleting a view

The DROP VIEW DDL statement deletes a view in the specified dataset. If the view name does not exist in the dataset, the following error is returned:

Error: Not found: Table myproject:mydataset.myview

If you are deleting a view in another project, you must specify the project, dataset, and view in the following format: `project_id.dataset.table` (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.myview`.

To delete a view using DDL:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     DROP VIEW mydataset.myview

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the view is removed in the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 DROP VIEW mydataset.myview

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the view is removed from the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
DROP VIEW mydataset.myview'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

Deleting a view only if the view exists

The DROP VIEW IF EXISTS DDL statement deletes a view in the specified dataset only if the view exists. If the view name does not exist in the dataset, no error is returned, and no action is taken.

If you are deleting a view in another project, you must specify the project, dataset, and view in the following format: `project_id.dataset.table`, (including the backticks); for example, `myproject.mydataset.myview`.

To delete a view using DDL only if the view exists:

Console

  1. Open the BigQuery web UI in the Cloud Console.
    Go to the Cloud Console

  2. Click Compose new query.

    Compose new query.

  3. Enter the DDL statement into the Query editor text area. For example:

     DROP VIEW IF EXISTS mydataset.myview

  4. Click Run. When the query completes, the view is removed from the resources pane.

Classic UI

  1. Go to the BigQuery web UI.

    Go to the BigQuery web UI

  2. Click Compose query.

  3. Enter your DDL statement into the New Query text area.

     #standardSQL
 DROP VIEW IF EXISTS mydataset.myview

  4. Click Run query. When the query completes, the view is removed from the navigation pane.

CLI

Enter the bq query command and supply the DDL statement as the query parameter.

bq query --use_legacy_sql=false '
DROP VIEW IF EXISTS mydataset.myview'

API

Call the jobs.query method and supply the DDL statement in the request body's query property.

DDL functionality extends the information returned by a Jobs resource. statistics.query.statementType includes the following additional values for DDL support:

  • CREATE_TABLE
  • CREATE_TABLE_AS_SELECT
  • DROP_TABLE
  • CREATE_VIEW
  • DROP_VIEW

statistics.query has 2 additional fields:

  • ddlOperationPerformed: The DDL operation performed, possibly dependent on the existence of the DDL target. Current values include:
    • CREATE: The query created the DDL target.
    • SKIP: No-op. Examples — CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS was submitted, and the table exists. Or DROP TABLE IF EXISTS was submitted, and the table does not exist.
    • REPLACE: The query replaced the DDL target. Example — CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE was submitted, and the table already exists.
    • DROP: The query deleted the DDL target.
  • ddlTargetTable: When you submit a CREATE TABLE/VIEW statement or a DROP TABLE/VIEW statement, the target table is returned as an object with 3 fields:
    • "projectId": string
    • "datasetId": string
    • "tableId": string

DROP FUNCTION statement

Syntax

DROP FUNCTION [ IF EXISTS ] [`project_name`.]dataset_name.function_name

Description

Deletes function function_name in dataset dataset_name.

Optional Clauses

IF EXISTS: Deletes the function only if the function exists in the specified dataset.

project_name.: Specifies the project that contains the function. If the function is not located in the current project, project_name must be present.

Examples

The following example statement deletes the function parseJsonAsStruct contained in the dataset mydataset.

DROP FUNCTION mydataset.parseJsonAsStruct;

The following example statement deletes the function parseJsonAsStruct from the dataset sample_dataset in the project other_project.

DROP FUNCTION `other_project`.sample_dataset.parseJsonAsStruct;

DROP PROCEDURE statement

Syntax

DROP PROCEDURE [IF EXISTS] [`project_name`.]dataset_name.procedure_name

Description

Deletes procedure procedure_name in dataset dataset_name.

Optional Clauses

IF EXISTS: Deletes the procedure only if the procedure exists in the specified dataset.

project_name. Specifies the project that contains the procedure. If the procedure is not located in the current project, project_name must be present.

Examples

The following example statement deletes the procedure myprocedure contained in the dataset mydataset.

DROP PROCEDURE mydataset.myProcedure;

The following example statement deletes the procedure myProcedure from the dataset sample_dataset in the project other_project.

DROP PROCEDURE `other-project`.sample_dataset.myprocedure;