---
title: "Setup guide"
slug: "bigquery-setup-guide"
updated: 2026-08-06T09:15:17Z
published: 2026-08-06T09:15:17Z
canonical: "bobsled.com/bigquery-setup-guide"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://bobsled.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Setup guide

This article will describe the steps for a Provider to configure Bobsled access to a **Google BigQuery** to be used as a source in Bobsled.

---

## Setup instructions

### Step1: Configure source in Bobsled

1. **Log in** to your Bobsled Environment.
2. Select **Data Sources** in the Left sidebar and then **Add source** at the top right of the page.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/87a415ff-4d6a-4c0c-adbb-26c563a2d9a8/Images/Documentation/gbq1.png)
3. Enter a human-readable **name** to describe the source.
4. Select **BigQuery** and the **region** of your BigQuery account. Click **Continue** to move to the next step.
5. **Copy** the `Bobsled Service Account email` for use in configuring access to Bobsled in your **Google Cloud Project**. Leave this tab open and log in to your Google Cloud Console in a new tab.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/87a415ff-4d6a-4c0c-adbb-26c563a2d9a8/Images/Documentation/GB1(1).png)

---

### Step 2: Configure BigQuery Source in your Google Cloud Console

Bobsled needs to assume the **BigQuery Data Viewer** role to connect your specified datasets to the Bobsled platform. You will use the service account email you copied from your Bobsled environment for each.

#### Granting access to your BigQuery dataset(s)

1. Log in to the **Google Cloud Platform Console** as a **project editor**.
2. From the **Home** dashboard, Select **BigQuery**.
3. Navigate the **BigQuery Explorer panel** to find the dataset(s) you want to connect to Bobsled. For each dataset, select the **vertical** **ellipsis** > **Share** > **Manage Permissions**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/87a415ff-4d6a-4c0c-adbb-26c563a2d9a8/Images/Documentation/gbq5.png)
4. Select **ADD PRINCIPAL** in the top right.
5. Add the same **Bobsled Principal** as above in the '**New principals ***' section. Add the **Big Query Data Viewer role** and hit **SAVE**.

> [!NOTE]
> **NOTE:** If any dataset you share contains **views**, Bobsled must also be able to read the underlying data those views reference. Grant the **BigQuery Data Viewer** role to the Bobsled service account on every dataset the views read from as well — or configure them as **authorized views** on those datasets. Granting access only to the dataset that contains the view is not enough, and transfers will fail with a permission error when they run.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/87a415ff-4d6a-4c0c-adbb-26c563a2d9a8/Images/Documentation/gbq6.png)

---

### Step 3: Finish source configuration in Bobsled

1. Grab the **BigQuery Project ID** from your Google Cloud console where your data lives and return to the source setup page in the Bobsled UI.
2. Enter the relevant `Project ID(s)` and hit **Save**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/87a415ff-4d6a-4c0c-adbb-26c563a2d9a8/Images/Documentation/GB2.png)

---

Once you’ve successfully configured your Source, you can add it to a [Share](https://docs.bobsled.co/docs/configure-share) or start syncing [Sledhouse Tables](/v2/docs/create-and-manage-sledhouse-tables) and defining [Data Products](/v2/docs/create-and-manage-data-products).

---

### Troubleshooting

#### A transfer or sync fails with a “permission to query table” error

If a transfer or Sledhouse sync fails with an error such as `User does not have permission to query table …, or perhaps it does not exist`, the Bobsled service account is missing read access to that object — or, if the object is a **view**, to one of the datasets the view reads from. Grant the **BigQuery Data Viewer** role to the Bobsled service account on the object’s dataset and on any datasets its views reference (or configure those as authorized views), then let the transfer retry.