How to load data from BigQuery to Clickhouse

Learn how to use Airbyte to synchronize your BigQuery data into Clickhouse within minutes.

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Start syncing with Airbyte in 3 easy steps within 10 minutes

Set up a BigQuery connector in Airbyte

Connect to BigQuery or one of 400+ pre-built or 10,000+ custom connectors through simple account authentication.

Set up Clickhouse for your extracted BigQuery data

Select Clickhouse where you want to import data from your BigQuery source to. You can also choose other cloud data warehouses, databases, data lakes, vector databases, or any other supported Airbyte destinations.

Configure the BigQuery to Clickhouse in Airbyte

This includes selecting the data you want to extract - streams and columns -, the sync frequency, where in the destination you want that data to be loaded.

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How to Sync BigQuery to Clickhouse Manually

Begin by extracting the necessary data from BigQuery. This can be done by writing a SQL query in the BigQuery console to select the data you need. Once you have your query, run it and export the results as a CSV or JSON file. You can do this through the BigQuery web interface by selecting the "Export" option after running your query.

After exporting the data from BigQuery, download the CSV or JSON file to your local machine or a server where you have access. Make sure the file is complete and check for any export limits, especially if you're handling large datasets.

Before importing data into ClickHouse, ensure you have a database and table ready to receive the data. Use the ClickHouse client or web interface to create a database and table. Define the table schema according to the structure of your exported data, ensuring data types are compatible.

If not already installed, set up the ClickHouse client on your machine or server. You can download it from the official ClickHouse repository or use a package manager like `apt` for Ubuntu or `yum` for CentOS. This client will be used to execute queries and import data into ClickHouse.

Depending on the data structure differences between BigQuery and ClickHouse, you might need to transform your data. Use scripting languages like Python or Bash to modify CSV or JSON files. This could involve changing data formats, adapting time zones, or modifying field names to match the ClickHouse table schema.

Use the ClickHouse client to import the data. For CSV, you can use the `clickhouse-client` command line tool with the `--query` option to execute an `INSERT INTO` statement that reads from your CSV file. The basic syntax would be:
```bash
clickhouse-client --query="INSERT INTO your_table FORMAT CSV" < your_data.csv
```
Replace `your_table` with your actual table name and `your_data.csv` with your data file path.

After the import process is complete, verify that the data has been correctly transferred by running queries in ClickHouse. Compare a sample of data between BigQuery and ClickHouse to ensure consistency. Check for any discrepancies and address them by re-importing or correcting the data.
By following these steps, you can effectively transfer data from BigQuery to ClickHouse manually without relying on third-party connectors or integrations.

How to Sync BigQuery to Clickhouse Manually - Method 2:

FAQs

ETL, an acronym for Extract, Transform, Load, is a vital data integration process. It involves extracting data from diverse sources, transforming it into a usable format, and loading it into a database, data warehouse or data lake. This process enables meaningful data analysis, enhancing business intelligence.

BigQuery is a cloud-based data warehousing and analytics platform that allows users to store, manage, and analyze large amounts of data in real-time. It is a fully managed service that eliminates the need for users to manage their own infrastructure, and it offers a range of features such as SQL querying, machine learning, and data visualization. BigQuery is designed to handle petabyte-scale datasets and can be used for a variety of use cases, including business intelligence, data exploration, and predictive analytics. It is a powerful tool for organizations looking to gain insights from their data and make data-driven decisions.

BigQuery provides access to a wide range of data types, including:

1. Structured data: This includes data that is organized into tables with defined columns and data types, such as CSV, JSON, and Avro files.
2. Semi-structured data: This includes data that has some structure, but not necessarily a fixed schema, such as XML and JSON files.
3. Unstructured data: This includes data that has no predefined structure, such as text, images, and videos.
4. Time-series data: This includes data that is organized by time, such as stock prices, weather data, and sensor readings.
5. Geospatial data: This includes data that is related to geographic locations, such as maps, GPS coordinates, and spatial databases.
6. Machine learning data: This includes data that is used to train machine learning models, such as labeled datasets and feature vectors.
7. Streaming data: This includes data that is generated in real-time, such as social media feeds, IoT sensor data, and log files.

Overall, BigQuery's API provides access to a wide range of data types, making it a powerful tool for data analysis and machine learning.

This can be done by building a data pipeline manually, usually a Python script (you can leverage a tool as Apache Airflow for this). This process can take more than a full week of development. Or it can be done in minutes on Airbyte in three easy steps: 
1. Set up BigQuery to ClickHouse as a source connector (using Auth, or usually an API key)
2. Choose a destination (more than 50 available destination databases, data warehouses or lakes) to sync data too and set it up as a destination connector
3. Define which data you want to transfer from BigQuery to ClickHouse and how frequently
You can choose to self-host the pipeline using Airbyte Open Source or have it managed for you with Airbyte Cloud. 

ELT, standing for Extract, Load, Transform, is a modern take on the traditional ETL data integration process. In ELT, data is first extracted from various sources, loaded directly into a data warehouse, and then transformed. This approach enhances data processing speed, analytical flexibility and autonomy.

ETL and ELT are critical data integration strategies with key differences. ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) transforms data before loading, ideal for structured data. In contrast, ELT (Extract, Load, Transform) loads data before transformation, perfect for processing large, diverse data sets in modern data warehouses. ELT is becoming the new standard as it offers a lot more flexibility and autonomy to data analysts.

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