Use BigQuery for synthetic data

With MOSTLY AI, you can connect to BigQuery and use it as a data source or destination for your synthetic data.

Prerequisites

Create and download a JSON key file for a Google Cloud service account.

Recommendations

If you plan to use BigQuery as both a data source and a destination, MOSTLY AI recommends the following best practices.

  • Store original (production) and synthetic data in separate Google Cloud projects.
  • Create two Google Cloud service accounts with specific permissions.
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    For more information, see Control access to resources with IAM (opens in a new tab) in the BigQuery documentation.

    • One service account should have the Viewer role in the project containing production data.
    • The other service account should have the Editor role in the project where you deliver synthetic data.
  • Create separate BigQuery connectors for the source and destination
    • For the source connector, use the account key with the Viewer role for your production data project.
    • For the destination connector, use the account key with the Editor role for your synthetic data project.

Download a Google Cloud service account key

  1. In Google Cloud BigQuery, open the main sidebar menu and select APIs & Services > Enabled APIs & services. Google Cloud BigQuery - Select APIs and Services > Enabled APIs and services
  2. From the sidebar, select Credentials. Google Cloud BigQuery - Select Credentials
  3. Click your service account. Google Cloud BigQuery - Click Service account
  4. Select the KEYS tab.
  5. Click ADD KEY and select Create new key. Google Cloud BigQuery - Click Add key and select New key
  6. In the prompt, select JSON and click Create. Google Cloud BigQuery - Select JSON and click Create

Create a BigQuery connector

If you use the web application, create a new BigQuery connector from the Connectors page.

Steps

  1. From the Connectors tab, click New connector. Click Create connector button
  2. On the Connect to database tab, select Google BigQuery. Select BigQuery connector
  3. On the Create BigQuery connector page, configure the connector.
    1. For Name, enter a name that you can distinguish from other connectors.
    2. For Access type, select whether you want to use the connector as a source or destination.
    3. In Key file, paste the contents of your BigQuery key file. Configure BigQuery connector
  4. Click Save to save your new Databricks connector.

    MOSTLY AI tests the connection. If you see an error, check the connection details, update them, and click Save again.

    You can click Save anyway to save the connector disregarding any errors.

What's next

Depending on whether you created a source or a destination connector, you can use the connector as: