Querying Data
SQL Editor
A multi-tab SQL editor with syntax highlighting, dataset browser, query history, and direct BigQuery execution.
Editor overview
The SQL Editor is split into three panels: a dataset/table browser on the left, the editor in the center, and results below.
Left panel
Browse datasets and tables. Click a table to see its schema.
Editor panel
Multi-tab editor with syntax highlighting, auto-complete, and line numbers.
Results panel
Query results with row count, execution time, bytes scanned, and export options.
Keyboard shortcuts
Cmd/Ctrl + EnterRun entire queryCmd/Ctrl + Shift + EnterRun selected text onlyCmd/Ctrl + SSave queryCmd/Ctrl + /Toggle commentCmd/Ctrl + KOpen command paletteExecution stats
After each query runs, the status bar shows:
- Rows — number of rows returned
- Duration — total execution time
- Bytes scanned — data processed (affects cost)
- Cache hit — whether results came from cache (free)
Example queries
sql
-- Basic table sample
SELECT * FROM `project.dataset.table` LIMIT 100;
-- Count rows by category
SELECT category, COUNT(*) as count
FROM `project.dataset.orders`
GROUP BY category
ORDER BY count DESC;
-- Time-filtered query (partition pruning)
SELECT *
FROM `project.dataset.events`
WHERE DATE(created_at) >= DATE_SUB(CURRENT_DATE(), INTERVAL 7 DAY);Use partition filters on partitioned tables to dramatically reduce bytes scanned and cost.