BigQuery Syntax

Accurate syntax highlighting for BigQuery Standard SQL.

Features

• BigQuery Standard SQL — Full support for modern syntax (not Legacy SQL)
• 490+ functions — AI, ML, window functions, aggregates, geography, JSON, arrays, strings, math, and more
• Code folding — Collapse BEGIN/END blocks, CASE expressions, CTEs, and function definitions
• All data types — INT64, STRING, ARRAY, STRUCT, JSON, GEOGRAPHY, RANGE, and all numeric/temporal types
• String variants — Single, double, raw (r''), bytes (b''), multi-line ('''), and combinations
• BigQuery identifiers — Backticks, parameters (@param), system variables (@@project_id)
• All comment styles — --, #, and /* */

File Associations

Automatic

Files with these extensions are automatically recognized:

• .bq
• .bqsql

Manual (.sql files)

To associate .sql files with BigQuery syntax, add to your settings.json:

{
  "files.associations": {
    "*.sql": "bigquery"
  }
}

Or for specific paths only:

{
  "files.associations": {
    "**/bigquery/**/*.sql": "bigquery"
  }
}

Usage

BigQuery syntax highlighting activates automatically for .bq and .bqsql files.

For .sql files: Configure file associations (see above) or manually select the language:

1. Open your .sql file
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac)
3. Type "Change Language Mode"
4. Select "BigQuery SQL"

Code Folding: Click the collapse arrows next to BEGIN/END blocks, CASE expressions, CTEs, and function definitions to fold code sections.

Installation

VS Code Marketplace

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "BigQuery Syntax"
4. Click Install

Or install directly: VS Code Marketplace

Manual Install

1. Download the .vsix file from Releases
2. In VS Code: Extensions → ⋯ → Install from VSIX...

Why This Extension?

Comprehensive Coverage:

• 490+ functions - Most complete BigQuery function library available
• Latest features - AI., ML., OBJ.* functions from January 2026 release
• Quarterly updates - Synchronized with Google's BigQuery feature releases

BigQuery-Specific Syntax:

• System variables: @@project_id, @@dataset_id, @@time_zone
• Pseudo-columns: _TABLE_SUFFIX, _PARTITIONTIME, _PARTITIONDATE
• Time travel: FOR SYSTEM_TIME AS OF
• Scripting: BEGIN/END, EXCEPTION, LOOP, DECLARE
• String variants: Raw strings (r''), bytes (b''), multi-line (''')

Better Than Alternatives:

• Generic SQL extensions miss BigQuery-specific constructs
• Other BigQuery extensions have incomplete function coverage or outdated syntax
• This extension is actively maintained with test-driven development

License

MIT License - see LICENSE.txt for full details.

Copyright © 2026 jacobeeson