Google BigQuery Review Insights

Score8.7 out of 10

313 Reviews and Ratings

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Insights from Google BigQuery Reviewers

Based on 7 verified reviews published in the last 18 months

What positive or negative impact (i.e. Return on Investment or ROI) has Google BigQuery had on your overall business objectives?

7 answered

Google BigQuery generally demonstrates a positive impact on business objectives, primarily by enhancing operational efficiency and improving data-driven decision-making. A significant benefit, cited by 4 of 7 reviewers, is the reduction in operational costs due to its managed infrastructure and efficient storage, which also frees up resources previously dedicated to data management. Concurrently, 4 of 7 reviewers highlighted improved data accessibility and integration capabilities, enabling broader use of insights across the organization. The platform's performance and speed, noted by 3 of 7 reviewers, further contribute to business agility by allowing rapid analysis and adaptation to new strategies. While 2 of 7 reviewers observed an increase in direct costs, they also reported a higher overall return on investment, attributing it to the increased demand and utilization of data across teams, indicating that the value derived often outweighs the expenditure.

Cost Savings and Efficiency

4 mentions

Reviewers frequently commend Google BigQuery for its ability to generate significant cost savings and improve operation…

Reviewers frequently commend Google BigQuery for its ability to generate significant cost savings and improve operational efficiency. This is primarily attributed to the elimination of infrastructure management overhead and a reduction in event storage costs. The platform's scalability also ensures that no additional time or resources are needed to manage increasing data volumes, further contributing to efficiency gains, as noted by 4 of 7 reviewers.

Data Accessibility and Integration

4 mentions

A key positive impact on business objectives is Google BigQuery's robust data accessibility and integration capabilitie…

A key positive impact on business objectives is Google BigQuery's robust data accessibility and integration capabilities. Reviewers, representing 4 of 7 mentions, appreciate its ease of integration with third-party applications, which facilitates seamless inbound and outbound data flows. This consolidation of data transforms BigQuery into a central 'source of truth,' significantly reducing the time spent on data reconciliation and enabling business users to gain insights through connected dashboards.

Performance and Speed

3 mentions

The performance and speed of Google BigQuery are frequently cited as a major contributor to positive business outcomes.…

The performance and speed of Google BigQuery are frequently cited as a major contributor to positive business outcomes. Three of 7 reviewers specifically highlighted the platform's ability to process large datasets rapidly, allowing analysts to execute complex queries on billions of rows almost instantly. This quick turnaround on data analysis, particularly for tests like A/B experiments, empowers operations teams to adapt strategies swiftly, thereby minimizing potential revenue losses.

Cost Management

2 mentions

While Google BigQuery offers significant benefits, its cost management aspects elicit a mixed response from reviewers.…

While Google BigQuery offers significant benefits, its cost management aspects elicit a mixed response from reviewers. Two of 7 reviewers mentioned variable costs, and one noted an increase in direct costs by 15%. However, this same reviewer clarified that despite the cost increase, the overall ROI improved by 33% due to enhanced data accessibility leading to more teams utilizing the platform.

Besides Google BigQuery, what other software do you regularly use? How likely would you be to recommend it to a friend or colleague?

7 answered

Reviewers frequently utilize other cloud computing platforms and their associated services in conjunction with Google BigQuery. Both Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform emerged as prominent alternatives, each cited by three of seven reviewers. The observed usage patterns indicate that users often integrate a range of specialized services from these providers, focusing on data processing, storage, and application development. This suggests a multi-cloud strategy or the selection of specific tools based on project requirements. The positive sentiment associated with both platforms implies that reviewers find these complementary services valuable and effective within their technical ecosystems.

Microsoft Azure

3 mentions

Three of seven reviewers reported regularly using Microsoft Azure, highlighting its diverse suite of services. Specific…

Three of seven reviewers reported regularly using Microsoft Azure, highlighting its diverse suite of services. Specific mentions included Azure Databricks for data analytics and processing, alongside Azure Functions for serverless computing. Reviewers also noted the use of Azure DevOps Services, indicating an integrated approach to development and operations within the Azure ecosystem.

Google Cloud Platform

3 mentions

Google Cloud Platform was also regularly used by three of seven reviewers, who leveraged various services within its ec…

Google Cloud Platform was also regularly used by three of seven reviewers, who leveraged various services within its ecosystem. Reviewers cited Firebase and Google Cloud Datastore for database and application development needs. Other services mentioned included Google Sheets for data organization, Google Cloud Storage for object storage, and Google Cloud Dataproc for big data processing, showcasing a broad application of GCP tools.

Describe how you use Google BigQuery in your organization. What are the business problems the product addresses and what is the scope of your use case?

7 answered

Organizations primarily leverage Google BigQuery as a foundational component for their data infrastructure, addressing challenges related to large-scale data management and analysis. A significant portion of reviewers, 4 of 7, utilize BigQuery as their central data warehouse for storing and analyzing substantial volumes of structured and event data, highlighting its capacity for high-volume, high-velocity data processing. This core functionality is often complemented by its role in data integration and cleaning, with 3 of 7 reviewers noting its effectiveness in consolidating and refining data from multiple sources like GA4 and SFMC. The cleaned and warehoused data then serves as the basis for analytics and reporting, a use case mentioned by 3 of 7 reviewers, enabling performance monitoring and business decision-making through connected dashboards. Furthermore, 3 of 7 reviewers appreciate BigQuery's automation and scheduling features, which streamline data pipelines and ensure timely updates for reports and dashboards, contributing to efficient data operations.

Data Warehousing and Storage

4 mentions

Reviewers frequently use Google BigQuery as their primary data warehouse, citing its ability to store and analyze large…

Reviewers frequently use Google BigQuery as their primary data warehouse, citing its ability to store and analyze large volumes of structured and event data. This capability is crucial for powering extensive analytics and tracking key performance indicators, enabling organizations to manage high-velocity data with low latency and strong reliability.

Data Integration and Cleaning

3 mentions

Google BigQuery is valued for its role in integrating and cleaning data from various streams, an essential step before…

Google BigQuery is valued for its role in integrating and cleaning data from various streams, an essential step before analysis. Reviewers find it vital for consolidating data from sources like GA4 and SFMC, allowing them to centralize and refine information within the platform.

Analytics and Reporting

3 mentions

The platform serves as a robust backend for analytics and reporting, facilitating the creation of dashboards and perfor…

The platform serves as a robust backend for analytics and reporting, facilitating the creation of dashboards and performance monitoring. Reviewers utilize BigQuery to analyze campaign performance and purchasing behaviors, supporting both advanced analytical tasks and simpler reporting needs.

Automation and Scheduling

3 mentions

Reviewers appreciate BigQuery's automation and scheduling capabilities, which enhance efficiency in data management. Th…

Reviewers appreciate BigQuery's automation and scheduling capabilities, which enhance efficiency in data management. These features allow for automatic daily updates of dashboards and scheduled execution of stored queries, ensuring data pipelines remain current and operational.

Please provide some detailed examples of areas where Google BigQuery has room for improvement.

7 answered

Reviewers highlighted several areas where Google BigQuery could be improved, primarily concerning operational limitations and user experience. A significant concern, noted by three of seven reviewers, involves query limits and quotas, which restrict concurrent queries, the number of partitions, and query size. This can impede large-scale data processing and management. Two reviewers also pointed out challenges with the user interface, describing it as functional but less user-friendly than competing platforms, particularly regarding the scheduling of complex queries. Concurrently, debugging and error messages were identified by two reviewers as areas needing improvement, with reports of inaccurate or unhelpful error diagnostics making troubleshooting tedious. Furthermore, two reviewers found managing partitioned data, especially after initial saving, to be difficult, indicating potential complexities in data organization and maintenance within the platform.

Query Limits and Quotas

3 mentions

Reviewers expressed frustration with various limitations imposed by BigQuery, which can hinder large-scale data operati…

Reviewers expressed frustration with various limitations imposed by BigQuery, which can hinder large-scale data operations. These include restrictions on the number of concurrent queries per project, a cap on the number of partitions, and a 1TB limit on query size, which some users find restrictive for their needs.

UI and User-Friendliness

2 mentions

The user interface of BigQuery was described as functional but lacking the intuitive design found in other tools. Users…

The user interface of BigQuery was described as functional but lacking the intuitive design found in other tools. Users noted that certain features, such as scheduling queries, require significant practice and can be cumbersome to implement effectively.

Debugging and Error Messages

2 mentions

Reviewers encountered difficulties with the clarity and accuracy of error messages, particularly when debugging complex…

Reviewers encountered difficulties with the clarity and accuracy of error messages, particularly when debugging complex SQL queries. This often leads to a tedious and prolonged troubleshooting process, as the messages do not always provide sufficient guidance.

Partitioning and Data Management

2 mentions

Users reported challenges related to managing partitioned data, specifically noting that handling rows after initial sa…

Users reported challenges related to managing partitioned data, specifically noting that handling rows after initial saving can be difficult. The process of partitioning databases and distributing them across multiple clusters was also cited as an area of complexity.

Please provide some detailed examples of things that Google BigQuery does particularly well.

7 answered

Google BigQuery is consistently recognized by reviewers for its robust capabilities in managing and processing extensive data volumes, with 3 of 7 reviewers specifically highlighting its proficiency in handling huge datasets without compromising processing speeds. This strength is closely linked to its cost-effectiveness, as 29% of reviewers noted that BigQuery alleviates the pressure of infrastructure costs, particularly for organizations dealing with very large data volumes. Furthermore, BigQuery is praised for its seamless data integration, with 3 of 7 reviewers emphasizing its efficiency with Google and CRM tools, and its utility as a data lake for ETL pipelines. Beyond data storage and integration, the platform also demonstrates strong performance in data transformation, enabling users to flatten nested fields for more accessible tabular structures, a feature mentioned by 29% of the reviewers. Its advanced functionalities extend to machine learning, with a quarter of reviewers pointing to its utility for LLM training and BigQuery ML applications.

Handling Large Datasets

3 mentions

Reviewers frequently commend Google BigQuery's exceptional ability to manage and process large datasets efficiently. Th…

Reviewers frequently commend Google BigQuery's exceptional ability to manage and process large datasets efficiently. This capability is seen as a significant advantage, allowing organizations to handle substantial data volumes without experiencing performance degradation or increased processing times, thereby supporting large-scale data operations.

Data Integration

3 mentions

The platform is highly valued for its seamless and efficient integration capabilities, particularly with other Google s…

The platform is highly valued for its seamless and efficient integration capabilities, particularly with other Google services and CRM tools. Reviewers appreciate its role in acting as a data lake, which streamlines ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) pipelines and facilitates a more unified data ecosystem.

Cost Effectiveness

2 mentions

Reviewers consistently identify Google BigQuery as a cost-effective solution, especially for enterprises managing subst…

Reviewers consistently identify Google BigQuery as a cost-effective solution, especially for enterprises managing substantial data volumes. Its infrastructure management capabilities are noted for reducing the financial burden associated with handling large-scale data operations, making it an economical choice for data warehousing.

Data Transformation

2 mentions

BigQuery is recognized for its robust data transformation features, which allow users to prepare complex data for analy…

BigQuery is recognized for its robust data transformation features, which allow users to prepare complex data for analysis. Specifically, its ability to flatten nested fields into more readable tabular structures is highlighted as a key benefit, simplifying data manipulation and improving accessibility.

Machine Learning

2 mentions

The platform's utility extends to advanced analytics, with reviewers noting its strong support for machine learning ini…

The platform's utility extends to advanced analytics, with reviewers noting its strong support for machine learning initiatives. This includes capabilities for training large language models (LLM) and leveraging BigQuery ML, indicating its versatility as a tool for data science and AI development.