Migrating data from SQL Server to BigQuery 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 MSSQL - SQL Server as a source connector (using Auth, or usually an API key)
2. set up BigQuery destination as a destination connector
3. define which data you want to transfer and how frequently

You can choose to self-host the pipeline using Airbyte Open Source or have it managed for you with Airbyte Cloud.

This tutorial’s purpose is to show you how.

What is MSSQL - SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server Consultants help companies choose the best business software solutions for their needs. Microsoft SQL Server Consultants help businesses resolve questions and issues, provide businesses with reliable information resources, and, ultimately, make better decisions on the software most appropriate for their unique needs. Consultants are available to help on call and can connect remotely to businesses’ computers to upgrade outdated editions of SQL servers to bring functions up to date for improved productivity.

What is BigQuery destination

BigQuery is an enterprise data warehouse that draws on the processing power of Google Cloud Storage to enable fast processing of SQL queries through massive datasets. BigQuery helps businesses select the most appropriate software provider to assemble their data, based on the platforms the business uses. Once a business’ data is acculumated, it is moved into BigQuery. The company controls access to the data, but BigQuery stores and processes it for greater speed and convenience.|
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Prerequisites

1. A MSSQL - SQL Server account to transfer your customer data automatically from.
2. A BigQuery destination account.
3. An active Airbyte Cloud account, or you can also choose to use Airbyte Open Source locally. You can follow the instructions to set up Airbyte on your system using docker-compose.

Airbyte is an open-source data integration platform that consolidates and streamlines the process of extracting and loading data from multiple data sources to data warehouses. It offers pre-built connectors, including MSSQL - SQL Server and BigQuery destination, for seamless data migration.

When using Airbyte to move data from MSSQL - SQL Server to BigQuery destination, it extracts data from MSSQL - SQL Server using the source connector, converts it into a format BigQuery destination can ingest using the provided schema, and then loads it into BigQuery destination via the destination connector. This allows businesses to leverage their MSSQL - SQL Server data for advanced analytics and insights within BigQuery destination, simplifying the ETL process and saving significant time and resources.

Step 1: Set up MSSQL - SQL Server as a source connector

1. Open the Airbyte platform and navigate to the "Sources" tab on the left-hand side of the screen.

2. Click on the "Add Source" button and select "MSSQL - SQL Server" from the list of available connectors.

3. Enter a name for the connector and click on the "Next" button.

4. Enter the required credentials for your MSSQL - SQL Server database, including the server name, port number, database name, username, and password.

5. Test the connection to ensure that the credentials are correct and the connection is successful.

6. Select the tables or views that you want to replicate from the MSSQL - SQL Server database.

7. Choose the replication mode that you want to use, either full or incremental.

8. Configure any additional settings, such as the replication frequency and the maximum number of rows to replicate.

9. Click on the "Create Source" button to save the configuration and start the replication process.

10. Monitor the replication process and troubleshoot any issues that may arise using the Airbyte platform's monitoring and logging features.

Step 2: Set up BigQuery destination as a destination connector

1. First, navigate to the Airbyte dashboard and select the "Destinations" tab on the left-hand side of the screen.

2. Scroll down until you find the "BigQuery" destination connector and click on it.

3. Click the "Create Destination" button to begin setting up your BigQuery destination.

4. Enter your Google Cloud Platform project ID and service account credentials in the appropriate fields.

5. Next, select the dataset you want to use for your destination and enter the table prefix you want to use.

6. Choose the schema mapping for your data, which will determine how your data is organized in BigQuery.

7. Finally, review your settings and click the "Create Destination" button to complete the setup process.

8. Once your destination is created, you can begin configuring your source connectors to start syncing data to BigQuery.

9. To do this, navigate to the "Sources" tab on the left-hand side of the screen and select the source connector you want to use.

10. Follow the prompts to enter your source credentials and configure your sync settings.

11. When you reach the "Destination" step, select your BigQuery destination from the dropdown menu and choose the dataset and table prefix you want to use.

12. Review your settings and click the "Create Connection" button to start syncing data from your source to your BigQuery destination.

Step 3: Set up a connection to sync your data from SQL Server to BigQuery

Once you've successfully connected MSSQL - SQL Server as a data source and BigQuery destination as a destination in Airbyte, you can set up a data pipeline between them with the following steps:

1. Create a new connection: On the Airbyte dashboard, navigate to the 'Connections' tab and click the '+ New Connection' button.
2. Choose your source: Select MSSQL - SQL Server from the dropdown list of your configured sources.
3. Select your destination: Choose BigQuery destination from the dropdown list of your configured destinations.
4. Configure your sync: Define the frequency of your data syncs based on your business needs. Airbyte allows both manual and automatic scheduling for your data refreshes.
5. Select the data to sync: Choose the specific MSSQL - SQL Server objects you want to import data from towards BigQuery destination. You can sync all data or select specific tables and fields.
6. Select the sync mode for your streams: Choose between full refreshes or incremental syncs (with deduplication if you want), and this for all streams or at the stream level. Incremental is only available for streams that have a primary cursor.
7. Test your connection: Click the 'Test Connection' button to make sure that your setup works. If the connection test is successful, save your configuration.
8. Start the sync: If the test passes, click 'Set Up Connection'. Airbyte will start moving data from MSSQL - SQL Server to BigQuery destination according to your settings.

Remember, Airbyte keeps your data in sync at the frequency you determine, ensuring your BigQuery destination data warehouse is always up-to-date with your MSSQL - SQL Server data.

Use Cases to transfer your MSSQL - SQL Server data to BigQuery destination

Integrating data from MSSQL - SQL Server to BigQuery destination provides several benefits. Here are a few use cases:

1. Advanced Analytics: BigQuery destination’s powerful data processing capabilities enable you to perform complex queries and data analysis on your MSSQL - SQL Server data, extracting insights that wouldn't be possible within MSSQL - SQL Server alone.
2. Data Consolidation: If you're using multiple other sources along with MSSQL - SQL Server, syncing to BigQuery destination allows you to centralize your data for a holistic view of your operations, and to set up a change data capture process so you never have any discrepancies in your data again.
3. Historical Data Analysis: MSSQL - SQL Server has limits on historical data. Syncing data to BigQuery destination allows for long-term data retention and analysis of historical trends over time.
4. Data Security and Compliance: BigQuery destination provides robust data security features. Syncing MSSQL - SQL Server data to BigQuery destination ensures your data is secured and allows for advanced data governance and compliance management.
5. Scalability: BigQuery destination can handle large volumes of data without affecting performance, providing an ideal solution for growing businesses with expanding MSSQL - SQL Server data.
6. Data Science and Machine Learning: By having MSSQL - SQL Server data in BigQuery destination, you can apply machine learning models to your data for predictive analytics, customer segmentation, and more.
7. Reporting and Visualization: While MSSQL - SQL Server provides reporting tools, data visualization tools like Tableau, PowerBI, Looker (Google Data Studio) can connect to BigQuery destination, providing more advanced business intelligence options. If you have a MSSQL - SQL Server table that needs to be converted to a BigQuery destination table, Airbyte can do that automatically.

Wrapping Up

To summarize, this tutorial has shown you how to:

1. Configure a MSSQL - SQL Server account as an Airbyte data source connector.
2. Configure BigQuery destination as a data destination connector.
3. Create an Airbyte data pipeline that will automatically be moving data directly from MSSQL - SQL Server to BigQuery destination after you set a schedule

With Airbyte, creating data pipelines take minutes, and the data integration possibilities are endless. Airbyte supports the largest catalog of API tools, databases, and files, among other sources. Airbyte's connectors are open-source, so you can add any custom objects to the connector, or even build a new connector from scratch without any local dev environment or any data engineer within 10 minutes with the no-code connector builder.

We look forward to seeing you make use of it! We invite you to join the conversation on our community Slack Channel, or sign up for our newsletter. You should also check out other Airbyte tutorials, and Airbyte’s content hub!