BigQuery Browser
Browse BigQuery assets, write SQL, and view results — all inside VS Code.
Features
Asset Explorer & SQL Editor
Browse projects, datasets, and tables in the sidebar. Filter by name. Write BigQuery SQL with syntax highlighting, per-query project/region directives, and real-time cost estimation.
Query Results with Paging & Sorting
Paginated results table with column sorting, client-side filtering, and export to CSV/JSON/clipboard. Paging uses free tabledata.list API — no query cost for navigation.
Auto Dry Run & Inline Errors
Real-time cost estimation as you type (1.5s debounce). Syntax errors shown inline in the editor with Problems panel integration, just like a language server.
View table overview (type, rows, size, partitioning, clustering), full schema with column types and descriptions, and labels — all in a tabbed panel.
Query History
Browse, re-run, and view SQL/results from previous queries. 24h auto-retention. Right-click context menu for quick actions. Cached temp table results viewable without re-running.
More Features
- Schema Hover — Hover over backtick-quoted table refs to see columns
- SQL Directives — Per-query overrides:
-- @project:xxx and -- @region:xxx
- Execution vs Browse Projects — Separate
executionProjectId (billing) from projectId (browsing)
Getting Started
- Install the extension from VS Code Marketplace
- Authenticate with Google Cloud:
gcloud auth application-default login (recommended), OR- Set
bigqueryBrowser.keyFilePath to service account key JSON
- Set default project:
Cmd+Shift+P → "BigQuery: Select Project"
- Open BigQuery Browser panel from activity bar
- Create
.bqsql file and write SQL
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut |
Action |
Cmd+Enter |
Run Query |
Cmd+Shift+Enter |
Dry Run (Estimate Cost) |
All Commands
| Command |
Shortcut |
Use |
| Run Query |
Cmd+Enter |
Execute active .bqsql file |
| Dry Run |
Cmd+Shift+Enter |
Estimate query cost |
| Refresh Explorer |
— |
Reload projects/datasets/tables |
| Copy Table Reference |
— |
Copy backtick-quoted table name |
| Preview Data |
— |
Quick table preview (context menu) |
| View Schema |
— |
Open table metadata panel |
| Set Default Project |
— |
Change browsing project |
| Set Execution Project |
— |
Set query billing project |
| Set Default Region |
— |
Configure query location |
| Set Max Bytes Billed |
— |
Set cost limit per query |
| New BigQuery SQL File |
— |
Create .bqsql file |
| Filter Explorer |
— |
Filter dataset/table names |
| Clear Explorer Filter |
— |
Reset asset explorer filter |
| Filter History |
— |
Filter history by name or SQL |
| Clear History Filter |
— |
Reset history filter |
| Clear History |
— |
Delete all query history |
| Run Again |
— |
Rerun selected history entry |
| View SQL |
— |
Show SQL from history |
| View Results |
— |
Show cached results from history |
| Rename Entry |
— |
Rename history query (context menu) |
| Copy SQL |
— |
Copy history SQL to clipboard (context menu) |
| Delete Entry |
— |
Delete history query with confirmation (context menu) |
Extension Settings
| Setting |
Type |
Default |
Description |
bigqueryBrowser.projectId |
string |
"" |
Default project for browsing datasets/tables |
bigqueryBrowser.executionProjectId |
string |
"" |
Project for query execution & billing (fallback to projectId) |
bigqueryBrowser.keyFilePath |
string |
"" |
Path to service account key JSON (empty = use ADC) |
bigqueryBrowser.maxResults |
number |
50 |
Rows per page (10-1000) |
bigqueryBrowser.location |
string |
US |
Default query location |
bigqueryBrowser.queryHistoryLimit |
number |
100 |
Max history entries (10-500) |
bigqueryBrowser.autoDryRun |
boolean |
true |
Auto-estimate cost while typing |
SQL Directives
Add special comments to override per-query settings:
-- @project:my-other-project
-- @region:EU
SELECT * FROM my_dataset.my_table LIMIT 10;
Supported directives:
@project:PROJECT_ID — Override execution project@region:LOCATION — Override query location (US, EU, etc.)
Results & Export
Results webview provides:
- Paging — Navigate large result sets (free via API)
- Sorting — Click column headers to sort (caches sorted temp table)
- Filtering — Client-side filter by column value
- Export — CSV, JSON, TSV buttons + copy to clipboard
Authentication
Priority order:
- Application Default Credentials (ADC) —
gcloud auth application-default login
- Service Account Key — JSON file path in
keyFilePath setting
- gcloud CLI — Falls back to
gcloud auth command
Requirements
- VS Code ^1.85.0
- Google Cloud project with BigQuery API enabled
gcloud CLI (for ADC) OR service account key JSON
