BaseDeck

BigQuery Setup

How to create a BigQuery JSON key for BaseDeck.

Create a Google service account, grant the right BigQuery access, download a JSON key, then import it into BaseDeck.

Download BaseDeck Open Google Docs

4-step flow

Do the setup in Google Cloud Console, then come back and import once.

The JSON file is only a transfer step. After import, BaseDeck stores the credential in Keychain and does not keep the original file path.

1

Create a service account

In Google Cloud Console, switch to the target project and open IAM & Admin -> Service Accounts. Create a new service account for BaseDeck.

2

Grant BigQuery access

Give the service account the permissions it needs. A common read-only setup is:

  • roles/bigquery.jobUser
  • roles/bigquery.metadataViewer
  • roles/bigquery.dataViewer
3

Create a JSON key

Open the service account, go to Keys, then click Add key -> Create new key -> JSON. Your browser will download a .json file.

4

Import it into BaseDeck

In the BigQuery connection form, enter your projectId, optionally set a defaultDataset, then click Choose JSON Key and select the downloaded file.

Important

If you cannot create a key, check your IAM permissions and org policy.

If the Create new key action is missing or disabled, you may not have permission to manage service account keys, or your Google Cloud organization may block key creation by policy.

Google Cloud reference: Create and delete service account keys

Security note

Delete the downloaded file after import if you do not need it elsewhere.

After importing, BaseDeck stores the credential in Keychain and does not keep the original file path. If this JSON key is only for BaseDeck, you can remove the downloaded file from your machine.

Next step

Import the key and test the connection in BaseDeck.

Once the JSON key is ready, open BaseDeck, create the BigQuery connection, and verify that the schema explorer loads with the expected datasets.

Download BaseDeck Browse all guides