How to Automate Reports in BigQuery

Galaxy Glossary

How can I automate recurring reports in BigQuery?

CREATE SCHEDULE lets you run SQL automatically on a fixed timetable and save results to a managed table or view.

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Description

Example H2

Example H3

What does “automating reports” mean in BigQuery?

Automation means BigQuery executes your SQL on a recurring schedule—hourly, daily, or cron-style—without manual clicks, writes results to a target table, and keeps a full history if you choose.

How do I choose between CREATE SCHEDULE and external schedulers?

Use CREATE SCHEDULE for pure-SQL jobs inside BigQuery. Reach for Cloud Scheduler + Cloud Functions only when you need cross-service orchestration, complex branching, or event-driven triggers.

What is the basic CREATE SCHEDULE syntax?

CREATE [OR REPLACE] SCHEDULE schedule_name OPTIONS(...) AS query; defines the frequency, destination, write mode, partitioning, and notification options in one atomic statement.

Step-by-step ecommerce example

1️⃣ Create a dataset analytics.
2️⃣ Run the statement in the Example section below.
3️⃣ Verify a new schedule under BigQuery > Scheduled Queries.
4️⃣ Observe daily tables like analytics.daily_customer_ltv_20240316.

Can I parameterize destination tables?

Yes—use {run_date}, {run_time}, or {run_datetime} inside destination_table_name_template to stamp dates on each report.

Best practices for automated reports

Keep report SQL deterministic, reference fully-qualified tables, use WRITE_TRUNCATE for idempotency, and give each schedule a descriptive name (sales_kpi_daily).

Common mistakes and fixes

Missing dataset permissions: Ensure the scheduled-query service account has BigQuery Data Editor on the destination dataset.

Overwriting history: Avoid WRITE_TRUNCATE when you intend to append. Switch to WRITE_APPEND or add date partitions.

How do I monitor and troubleshoot a schedule?

BigQuery Job History shows each run. Click a failed run to see the error stack. Enable email or Pub/Sub notifications with notification_channel for proactive alerts.

How do I edit or delete a schedule?

Use the console’s Edit button to tweak SQL or frequency, or run bq rm --transfer_config from the CLI to drop it entirely.

Where are the logs stored?

All scheduled query executions produce standard BigQuery job logs, accessible in Cloud Logging under resource.type="bigquery_project".

FAQ

See the FAQ section below for quick answers on cost, limits, and parameter support.

Why How to Automate Reports in BigQuery is important

How to Automate Reports in BigQuery Example Usage


-- Automate a daily customer lifetime value report
CREATE SCHEDULE analytics.ltv_daily
OPTIONS (
  schedule_expression = "every 24 hours",
  destination_table_name_template = "daily_customer_ltv_{run_date}",
  write_disposition = "WRITE_TRUNCATE"
) AS
SELECT  c.id                AS customer_id,
        SUM(oi.quantity*p.price) AS lifetime_value,
        CURRENT_DATE()      AS report_date
FROM    `ecom.Customers`  c
JOIN    `ecom.Orders`     o  ON o.customer_id = c.id
JOIN    `ecom.OrderItems` oi ON oi.order_id    = o.id
JOIN    `ecom.Products`   p  ON p.id           = oi.product_id
GROUP BY customer_id;

How to Automate Reports in BigQuery Syntax


CREATE [ OR REPLACE ] SCHEDULE project.dataset.schedule_name
OPTIONS (
  schedule_expression = "every 24 hours",              -- or cron(0 3 * * *)
  destination_table_name_template = "daily_customer_ltv_{run_date}",
  write_disposition = "WRITE_TRUNCATE",                -- or WRITE_APPEND
  partitioning_field = "run_date",                     -- optional DATE column
  notification_channel = "projects/myproj/notificationChannels/123",
  enabled = TRUE
) AS
SELECT  c.id AS customer_id,
        SUM(oi.quantity * p.price) AS lifetime_value,
        CURRENT_DATE() AS run_date
FROM    `ecom.Customers` AS c
JOIN    `ecom.Orders`      o  ON o.customer_id = c.id
JOIN    `ecom.OrderItems`  oi ON oi.order_id    = o.id
JOIN    `ecom.Products`    p  ON p.id           = oi.product_id
GROUP BY customer_id;

Common Mistakes

Using WRITE_TRUNCATE when you actually need historical data. Fix by switching to WRITE_APPEND or adding partitioning to keep past runs.
Forgetting to grant the scheduled-query service account BigQuery Data Editor rights on the destination dataset. Grant the role or the run will fail with permission errors.