Foreword

No one is more pleased than I am to see this book come to fruition. I first heard about this book during a water cooler conversation I was having with Thirukkumaran (Thiru) earlier this year. We were discussing ways to effectively store, process, and analyze millions of records of behavioral data captured daily over several years, then visualize that data in near real-time. Having seen the extensive, hands-on work Thiru and Eric have done with BigQuery, this book does not come to me as a surprise just a few months later.

Thiru started experimenting with BigQuery around the time it was first piloted by Google sometime in 2010. In subsequent years, as data, analysis, and reporting needs have grown, Thiru and Eric have instrumented world-class business intelligence and analytics platforms that have been robust, fast, scalable, and, most importantly, cost-effective for customers. We are taking and transforming large datasets with billions of records here.

Many of these big data transformations have been brownfield operations that involved modernizing clunky reporting systems that were once powered by cumbersome data management processes. This book seems to be the culmination of all this learning crystallized and put together in an easy-to-apply form.

This book should serve as a great resource for the novice developer or analyst that wants to get their feet wet, as well as the SME that is looking for a handbook for daily reference. Thiru and Eric go in-depth with some of the core concepts of BigQuery, such as schema design, query syntax, APIs, data preparation and loading, visualizations, and even billing! The book is also packed with valuable code samples and tips and tricks.

I highly recommend adding this book to your BigQuery development toolkit.

Praveen Guggarigoudar

Director, Risk Systems Development at Visa

Austin, TX