BigQuery

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Zeta supports integration with Google BigQuery for seamless data access and segmentation within the Zeta Marketing Platform (ZMP). This guide will help you set up a secure connection using service account credentials and key pair authentication.

Prerequisites:

Before you begin, ensure that External databases are enabled for your ZMP account.

  • This requires submitting a support ticket to Zeta to enable the ext_db_segmentation_enabled flag on your account.

Setting Up the BigQuery Connection

Once external databases are enabled:

1. Navigate to Settings > Integrations > Connections. Click on Create Connection.

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2. On the Select Connection Type page, click on the Google BigQuery tile. Click on Next.

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  • Zeta uses Key Pair Authentication to connect to your BigQuery instance.

3. Create a Service Account in Google Cloud Console.

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  • Once the key is created, download the JSON key file; you will need it for ZMP configuration.

4. Zeta provides a BigQuery test instance for onboarding and sandbox testing: Zeta Demos Project on Google Cloud Console. [Invite required; reach out to David Harry]


Service Account Key Configuration (Sample)

When adding the connection in ZMP, you'll be asked to provide details from your service account JSON. The required format looks like this (example only):

{
  "type": "service_account",
  "project_id": "zeta-demos",
  "private_key_id": "xxxxxxx",
  "private_key": "-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----\n...",
  "client_email": "bq-services@zeta-demos.iam.gserviceaccount.com",
  "client_id": "xxxxxxx",
  "auth_uri": "https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth",
  "token_uri": "https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token",
  ...
}

There is a parameter called tmp_dataset. If unsure what to enter, use: zeta-demos


Using BigQuery After the Connection Is Live

Once your BigQuery connection is saved and active, you can typically:

  • Use Zero Copy Database Explorer to segment and personalize against BigQuery tables without copying data into ZMP first. See Zero Copy Database Explorer.

  • Use BigQuery as a source in Data Flows when you want selected data ingested into ZMP. See Data Flows.

If you plan to use Zero Copy, open the connection’s action menu (⋯) → Configure Tables & Groups, assign a User ID, and configure targeting / personalization columns as needed.