Appearance
Catalog
The catalog lets you view lists and details of tables and saved queries, and add descriptions and tags to them. Open it from global nav > Catalog. Table metadata comes from connections.
There's no dedicated resource role for the catalog. Viewing and editing follow the permissions of the related connection. See Catalog for details.
Key features
- Table metadata sync: Syncs table and column metadata from connections, updated on a schedule or manually.
- Annotations: Add descriptions and tags to tables and columns.
- Popularity and references: Check popularity based on query jobs, and reference relationships.
- Filtering and search: Filter the list by common filters, connection, or search keys.
- Creating notebooks/queries: Create a notebook or saved query from the catalog.
Screen layout
Switch between Tables and Queries in the left sidebar.
- Tables: List and details of synced tables.
- Queries: List and details of saved queries.
The left sidebar also lets you set the following filters.
- Common filters: Starred (starred items only). The query side also has Created by me.
- Connections: Filter by connection. Select Manage connections to go to the connection settings screen.
Table detail
Opening a table shows the following tabs.
| Tab | Contents |
|---|---|
| Overview | Connection, structure, description, type, tags, storage information, and dates |
| Columns | Column list. You can edit descriptions and tags |
| Preview | A preview of the table data (up to 100 rows; see Limits) |
| References | Referencing notebooks / referencing queries |
| Query jobs | Query jobs that referenced this table |
| Other | Definition, data location, view query, partitioning, and other retrieved items |
Query detail
Opening a query shows the following tabs.
| Tab | Contents |
|---|---|
| Overview | Metadata such as description and tags |
| Columns | Column information |
| SQL | The saved SQL |
| Preview | A preview of the execution results |
| References | Reference relationships |
| Query jobs | Related query jobs |
You can also edit and manage the query itself from the Query screen.
Popularity and references
The catalog lets you check how much a resource is used (popularity) and where it's referenced from (references).
Popularity
Shown in the Popularity column of the list (for both tables and queries).
- Popularity is based on the number of query jobs that reference the resource.
- The tooltip shows the number of referencing jobs, and View job list takes you to the Query jobs tab for details.
Popularity is shown as a relative score. If there are no jobs, popularity is empty (or 0).
References
The References tab on the detail screen shows the following.
- Referencing notebooks: Notebooks that reference this table (or query).
- Referencing queries: Saved queries that reference this table (or query).
If there are no references, it shows Not referenced.
Query jobs
The Query jobs tab on the detail screen shows the history of query jobs that referenced this resource. You can also use it as the list of jobs behind the popularity score.
Filtering and search
In addition to keywords, the search field above the list lets you filter using the following keys, chosen from suggestions. You can combine multiple keys separated by spaces. Suggestions appear as you type a key.
Table
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
connection: | Connection |
database: | Database (project, for BigQuery) |
schema: | Schema (dataset, for BigQuery) |
type: | Table type |
tag: | Table tag |
updatedBy: | Updated by |
is: | starred (starred items only) |
sortBy: | Sort order. Suggestions are Popularity / Rows |
Query
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
connection: | Connection |
tag: | Query tag |
createdBy: | Created by |
updatedBy: | Updated by |
is: | starred (starred items only) |
sortBy: | Sort order. Suggestions are Popularity / Updated |
Applied conditions appear as tags near the search field (for example, is:starred).
Starred
Use the star icon in the list or detail screen to star or unstar a table or query. You can filter starred resources using Common filters > Starred in the left sidebar, or with is:starred in search.
Creating notebooks/queries
The Actions menu on the list lets you create resources starting from the selected item.
- Create notebook: Creates a notebook from a table or query.
- Create query: Creates a saved query from a table (table list only).
Create notebook is disabled if you've reached your notebook limit.