BigQuery

Learn how to add BigQuery as a datasource in StrongDM.

Overview

This guide outlines the configuration steps for adding BigQuery as a resource in StrongDM.

When the resource is added, StrongDM proxies client connections through a node (gateway, relay, or proxy cluster). This enables centralized access control, credential management, and audit logging. StrongDM supports standard BigQuery clients and drivers that communicate using the BigQuery API.

To add the resource to StrongDM, you will need the BigQuery project ID and a valid service account key in JSON format. Optionally, you can store this key in a supported secret manager and reference it from within StrongDM. The BigQuery API endpoint (www.googleapis.com) must be reachable from the selected StrongDM node and configured to allow outbound connections to that service.

Use this guide to complete all necessary preparations to add BigQuery to your StrongDM environment; input the correct properties in the Admin UI, CLI, SDKs, or Terraform provider; and test for a successful connection. When done, you will be able to use the StrongDM Desktop application or CLI to query BigQuery through StrongDM.

For general information about how to add a database as a resource in StrongDM, see our main guide, Add a Datasource.

Supported Versions and Clients

StrongDM supports all generally available versions of Google BigQuery. Because BigQuery is a managed service, version compatibility is handled by Google, and StrongDM integrates with the stable BigQuery API rather than a specific engine version.

StrongDM is generally compatible with all standard BigQuery clients, including command-line tools, SDKs, and GUI-based connectors.

Prerequisites

To add your resource in StrongDM, you need to meet several technical and configuration prerequisites. Please ensure that the following requirements are met.

In StrongDM, you must have the following:

• Administrator permission level

• At least one operational StrongDM node (gateway, relay, or proxy cluster) deployed in a location that can reach the BigQuery API endpoint (www.googleapis.com) over TCP port 443

• Valid Aerospike credentials (username and password, or appropriate authentication key)

• If using secrets management tools for storing your database credentials, a Secret Store configured in StrongDM

• Connection tools such as the Aerospike Client or aql to test the connection to the resource independently of StrongDM, if needed

To verify that the resource is accessible by the node, log in to the gateway or relay and use Netcat: nc -zv <HOSTNAME> <PORT> (in this example, nc -zv testdb-01.fancy.org 3306). If your gateway server can connect to this hostname, proceed.

Netcat is a tool for checking various hostnames and ports by either sending data (a ping) or checking for listeners on the ports. The command in the aforementioned example use "-z" to check for listeners without sending data and "-v" to show verbose output. If you don't have Netcat, you can install the Netcat package with whatever package manager you are using, such as "apt-get install netcat".

On the GCP side, you must have the following:

• Google Cloud project with BigQuery enabled

• Valid service account with sufficient permissions to run queries against BigQuery (for example, roles/bigquery.dataViewer, roles/bigquery.jobUser, or broader roles if required)

• JSON service account key file, either uploaded directly into StrongDM or stored in a configured Secret Store

• If using VPC Service Controls, egress filtering, or private networking, ensure that StrongDM nodes are allowed to connect to the BigQuery API endpoint (www.googleapis.com) and that DNS resolution is configured properly.

Resource Management in StrongDM

After all prerequisites and prep work is done, you are ready to add the resource to StrongDM. This section provides instructions for adding the resource in either the StrongDM Admin UI, CLI, Terraform provider, or SDKs.

Admin UI

Set up and Manage With the Admin UI

If using the Admin UI to add BigQuery as a resource to StrongDM, use the following steps.

1. Log in to the StrongDM Admin UI.

2. Go to Resources > Datasources.

3. Click Add datasource.

4. For Datasource Type, select BigQuery.

5. Complete all required configuration properties for your selected datasource type.

6. Click Create to save the resource.

7. Click the resource name to view status, diagnostic information, and setting details.

CLI

Set up and Manage With the CLI

This section provides an example of how to add the resource using the StrongDM CLI. For more information and examples, please see the CLI Reference documentation.

# Add a BigQuery datasource
sdm admin datasources add bigquery bigquery-prod
  --endpoint="www.googleapis.com"
  --project="example-project-123456"
  --private-key="$(cat /path/to/service-account.json)"
  --egress-filter="tag:env=prod"
  --port-override="12345"
  --proxy-cluster-id="n-1a2b345c67890123"
  --secret-store-id="se-e1b2"
  --tags="env=production,team=analytics"

Terraform

Set up and Manage With Terraform

This section provides an example of how to configure and manage the resource using the Terraform provider. For more information and examples, please see the Terraform provider documentation.

# Install StrongDM provider
terraform {
  required_providers {
    sdm = {
      source  = "strongdm/sdm"
      version = "5.1.0"
    }
  }
}

# Configure StrongDM provider
provider "sdm" {
  # Add API access key and secret key from Admin UI
  api_access_key = "njjSn...5hM"
  api_secret_key = "ziG...="
}

# Create BigQuery resource
resource "sdm_bigquery" "bq_prod" {
  name             = "bigquery-prod"
  endpoint         = "www.googleapis.com"
  project          = "example-project-123456"

  # If storing creds in StrongDM / as inline secret:
  private_key      = file("service-account.json")

  # If using a Secret Store instead, omit private_key and set:
  # secret_store_id = "se-e1b2"

  # Networking / routing / metadata
  egress_filter    = "tag:env=prod"
  port_override    = 12345
  proxy_cluster_id = "n-1a2b345c67890123"
  tags = {
    env  = "production"
    team = "analytics"
  }
}

SDKs

Set up and manage with SDKs

In addition to the Admin UI, CLI, and Terraform, you may configure and manage your resource with any of the following SDK options: Go, Java, Python, and Ruby. Please see the following references for more information and examples.

Language	Reference	GitHub	Examples
Go	pkg.go.dev	strongdm-sdk-go	Go SDK Examples
Java	javadoc	strongdm-sdk-java	Java SDK Examples
Python	pdocs	strongdm-sdk-python	Python SDK Examples
Ruby	RubyDoc	strongdm-sdk-ruby	Ruby SDK Examples

Configuration Properties

The following configuration properties are required to define a BigQuery datasource in StrongDM. These settings control how StrongDM connects to the database, authenticates the connection, and optionally uses encryption or secret management. Each property must be correctly configured to ensure connectivity and access enforcement through StrongDM.

Property	Requirement	Description
Display Name	Required	Meaningful name to display the resource throughout StrongDM; exclude special characters like quotes (") or angle brackets (< or >)
Datasource Type	Required	BigQuery
Proxy Cluster	Required	Defaults to "None (use gateways)"; if using proxy clusters, select the appropriate cluster to proxy traffic to this resource
Endpoint	Required	Endpoint (for example, www.googleapis.com), which must be accessible to a gateway or relay
Connectivity Mode	Required	Select either Virtual Networking Mode, which lets users connect to the resource with a software-defined, IP-based network; or Loopback Mode, which allows users to connect to the resource using the local loopback adapter in their operating system; this field is shown if Virtual Networking Mode enabled for your organization
IP Address	Optional	If Virtual Networking Mode is the selected connectivity mode, an IP address value in the configured Virtual Networking Mode subnet in the organization network settings; if Loopback Mode is the selected connectivity mode, an IP address value in the configured Loopback IP range in the organization network settings (by default, 127.0.0.1); if not specified, an available IP address in the configured IP address space for the selected connectivity mode will be automatically assigned; this field is shown if Virtual Networking Mode and/or multi-loopback mode is enabled for your organization
Port Override	Optional	If Virtual Networking Mode is the selected connectivity mode, a port value between 1 and 65535 that is not already in use by another resource with the same IP address; if Loopback Mode is the selected connectivity mode, a port value between 1024 to 64999 that is not already in use by another resource with the same IP address; when left empty with Virtual Networking Mode, the system assigns the default port to this resource; when left empty for Loopback Mode, an available port that is not already in use by another resource is assigned; preferred port also can be modified later from the Port Overrides settings
DNS	Optional	If Virtual Networking Mode is the selected connectivity mode, a unique hostname alias for this resource; when set, causes the desktop app to display this resource's human-readable DNS name (for example, k8s.my-organization-name) instead of the bind address that includes IP address and port (for example, 100.64.100.100:5432)
Project	Required	Project ID that is configured for the database (for example, "example-project-123456")
Secret Store	Optional	Credential store location; defaults to Strong Vault; learn more about Secret Store options
JSON Private Key	Required	JSON private key associated with your project ID; this field is shown when Secret Store integration is not configured for your organization, or when it is and StrongDM is the selected Secret Store type
Resource Tags	Optional	Datasource Tags consisting of key-value pairs <KEY>=<VALUE> (for example, env=dev)

Secret Store options

By default, datasource credentials are stored in StrongDM. However, these credentials can also be saved in a secrets management tool.

Non-StrongDM options appear in the Secret Store dropdown if they are created under Network > Secret Stores. When you select another Secret Store type, its unique properties display. For more details, see Configure Secret Store Integrations.

Resource status

After a resource is created, the Admin UI displays that resource as unhealthy until the healthchecks run successfully. When the resource is ready, the Health icon indicates a positive, green status.

When the resource does not display a positive status, click the resource name to go to the Diagnostics tab and check for errors.

Test the Connection

After you have added your resource in StrongDM, follow these steps to verify that it’s working correctly.

1. Assign yourself access by ensuring that your user or role has access to the resource. In the StrongDM Admin UI, go to Access > Roles, and verify that the resource is attached to a role you’re in.

2. In the CLI, run sdm status to list the available datasources. Confirm that the resource is available.

3. Start a session. For example:

   sdm connect bigquery

   See the CLI Reference documentation for details on sdm connect.

4. Run a test query, as in the following example:

   SELECT CURRENT_DATE();

5. In the StrongDM Admin UI, check Logs > Queries (and Logs > Connections) to verify your query was captured.

When these steps succeed, you’re ready to connect to your resource through StrongDM.

Help

If you encounter issues, please consult the StrongDM Help Center.

Be prepared to provide the following information to StrongDM Support, so that they can inspect logs and confirm node and resource health:

• Resource name or ID

• CLI error output or logs

• Node name and region