Steps to complete:
  1. Create a Service Account
  2. Give the Service Account BigQuery Data Viewer, BigQuery Job User, BigQuery Resource Viewer access
  3. Create a temporary dataset and give BiqQuery Data Editor access to the service account
  4. Generate a Service Account JSON key
  5. Configure your data connection in Datafold

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Create a Service Account

To connect Datafold to your BigQuery project, you will need to create a service account for Datafold to use.
  • Navigate to the Google Developers Console, click on the drop-down to the left of the search bar, and select the project you want to connect to.
    • Note: If you do not see your project, you may need to switch accounts.
  • Click on the hamburger menu in the upper left, then select IAM & Admin followed by Service Accounts.
  • Create a service account named Datafold.

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Service Account Access and Permissions

The Datafold service account requires the following roles and permissions:
  • BigQuery Data Viewer for read access on all the datasets in the project.
  • BigQuery Job User to run queries.
  • BigQuery Resource Viewer to fetch the query logs for parsing lineage.

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Create a Temporary Dataset

Datafold utilizes a temporary dataset to materialize scratch work and keep data processing in your warehouse. Caution - Make sure that the dataset lives in the same region as the rest of the data, otherwise, the dataset will not be found. Let’s navigate to BigQuery in the console and create a new dataset.
  • Give the dataset a name like datafold_tmp and grant the Datafold service account the BigQuery Data Editor role.

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Generate a Service Account Key

Next, go back to the IAM & Admin page to generate a key for Datafold.
We recommend using the json formatted key. After creating the key, it will be saved on your local machine.

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Configure in Datafold

Field NameDescription
NameA name given to the data connection within Datafold
Project IDYour BigQuery project ID. It can be found in the URL of your Google Developers Console: https://console.developers.google.com/apis/library?project=MY\_PROJECT\_ID
JSON Key FileThe key file generated in the Generate a Service Account JSON key step
Schema for temporary tablesThe schema name that was created in Create a temporary dataset. It should be formatted as <project_id>.datafold_tmp
Processing LocationWhich processing zone your project uses
Click Create. Your data connection is ready!