> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.quper.co/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.quper.co/integrations/data-warehouses-and-platforms/bigquery.md).

# Connect to BigQuery

Quper connects to BigQuery via a Service Account and tracks query costs, slot consumption, dataset storage, and spend by project, user, and dataset — giving data teams clear visibility into what is driving their BigQuery bill.

## What Quper tracks from BigQuery

* On-demand query costs by project, dataset, table, and user
* Slot consumption for flat-rate and reservation-based workloads
* Storage costs for active and long-term storage by dataset
* Query-level cost attribution — bytes processed, slot hours, and estimated cost per query
* Spend trends and anomalies in real time

## Before you begin

* You must have **Project Owner** or **BigQuery Admin** access in the GCP project you want to connect
* Quper supports connecting **multiple GCP projects** — repeat this process for each project, or connect at the billing account level via the [GCP integration](/integrations/cloud-providers/gcp.md) to cover all projects automatically

## Connection steps

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Go to Settings → Integrations**

In your Quper workspace, navigate to **Settings → Integrations** and click **Add Integration → BigQuery**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Create a Service Account**

In the Google Cloud Console, go to **IAM & Admin → Service Accounts** in your BigQuery project and create a new service account:

* Name: `quper-bigquery-reader`
* Description: Quper BigQuery read-only access
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Grant the required roles**

Grant the service account the following roles on the project:

| Role                       | Why it's needed                                    |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| `BigQuery Data Viewer`     | Read dataset, table, and job metadata              |
| `BigQuery Job User`        | Run INFORMATION\_SCHEMA queries to pull usage data |
| `BigQuery Resource Viewer` | Read reservation and slot assignment data          |
| {% endstep %}              |                                                    |

{% step %}
**Download the service account key**

On the service account details page, go to **Keys → Add Key → Create new key → JSON**. Download the key file.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Upload the key to Quper**

Back in Quper, upload the JSON key file and enter your GCP Project ID. Click **Connect**.

Quper verifies the service account permissions and begins ingesting BigQuery cost and usage data.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## How Quper calculates query costs

For **on-demand pricing**, Quper calculates query cost using the bytes processed by each job and GCP's published on-demand rate for your region.

For **flat-rate and reservation pricing**, Quper tracks slot-hour consumption per project and reservation, and maps it to your committed slot spend to show effective cost per query.

## Enabling INFORMATION\_SCHEMA access

Quper uses BigQuery `INFORMATION_SCHEMA.JOBS` to pull per-query usage data. This view is available by default in all GCP projects. No additional setup is required.

{% hint style="info" %}
INFORMATION\_SCHEMA job data is available for queries run in the **last 180 days**. Quper will backfill up to 90 days of data on initial connection.
{% endhint %}

## Troubleshooting

**"Access denied" on INFORMATION\_SCHEMA queries** Ensure the service account has `BigQuery Job User` at the project level. The `BigQuery Data Viewer` role alone is not sufficient to run INFORMATION\_SCHEMA queries.

**Storage costs not appearing** Confirm the service account has `BigQuery Data Viewer` at the project level. Dataset-level permissions are not sufficient for Quper to enumerate all datasets.


---

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