How to view schema in BigQuery

How do I quickly view a table schema in BigQuery?

Shows the structure of any BigQuery table, including column names, data types, and metadata.

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Description

What is the fastest way to view a BigQuery table schema?

Run a SELECT against INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS. It returns one row per column with name, type, nullability, default, and description. No UI clicks needed.

How does INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS work?

Every dataset exposes a virtual view that stores column metadata. Query it like a normal table, filtering by table_name to narrow results.

Example: List columns of the Customers table

SELECT column_name, data_type FROM `acme_ecom.analytics.INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS` WHERE table_name = 'Customers';

How do I view a schema with the bq CLI?

Use bq show --schema --format=prettyjson project:dataset.table. The command returns a JSON array you can parse with jq or pipe into scripts.

Why pick CLI over SQL?

CLI output integrates neatly with CI/CD pipelines, documentation generators, and migration checks without needing a BigQuery session.

Can I combine schema info with row counts?

Yes. Join INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS with __TABLES_SUMMARY__ to correlate structure and size in one query.

Example query with row counts

WITH row_counts AS (SELECT table_name, row_count FROM `region-us`.acme_ecom.__TABLES_SUMMARY__ )SELECT c.table_name, c.column_name, c.data_type, r.row_countFROM `acme_ecom.analytics.INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS` AS cLEFT JOIN row_counts AS r USING(table_name)ORDER BY c.table_name, c.ordinal_position;

Best practices for exploring BigQuery schemas

Always reference the correct region (e.g., region-us). Store reusable queries in Galaxy Collections so team members avoid copy-paste errors.

Common pitfalls to avoid

Missing backticks: Omitting backticks around fully-qualified names triggers unqualified identifier errors. Quote every layer: `project.dataset.table`.

Wrong region: The default INFORMATION_SCHEMA may return no rows for regional datasets. Prefix with the dataset region, such as region-us.

Why How to view schema in BigQuery is important

How to view schema in BigQuery Example Usage


SELECT column_name, data_type
FROM `acme_ecom.sales.INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS`
WHERE table_name = 'OrderItems'
ORDER BY ordinal_position;

How to view schema in BigQuery Syntax


-- SQL: view table schema
SELECT
  column_name,
  data_type,
  is_nullable,
  column_default,
  description
FROM
  `project_id.dataset_id.INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS`
WHERE
  table_name = 'table_name';

-- CLI: same info from terminal
bq show --schema --format=prettyjson project_id:dataset_id.table_name

-- Ecommerce example
SELECT column_name, data_type
FROM `acme_ecom.analytics.INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS`
WHERE table_name = 'Orders';

Common Mistakes

Omitting backticks around project and dataset names causes the query to interpret them as bare identifiers. Always wrap fully-qualified references in backticks.
Querying INFORMATION_SCHEMA without the correct region prefix returns zero rows. Use the region-specific view, e.g., `region-us`.