Google BigQuery Adds New Features To Handle Big Data

Google's data analytics software

Batch Queries addresses the need for less time-sensitive data requests, and Connector for Excel executes data queries with Microsoft Excel.

Ju-kay Kwek, Google BigQuery's product manager, wrote in a Google Blog Wednesday that the new features will give users new ways to work with data.

[Related: Google BigQuery Offers Data Analytics In The Cloud ]

Batch Queries is designed for requests that are not dependent on a quick response.

"While BigQuery specializes in getting insights quickly, we understand that there are important, non-interactive queries, such as nightly reports, that businesses also need to run," Kwek wrote. "Now, you can designate a query as a batch query and it will complete within a few hours."

Using the standard, self-service BigQuery model, the cost is 2 cents per GB processed for batch queries compared with 3.5 cents per GB for interactive queries, Kwek wrote.

Connector for Excel addresses the desire for analysts and executives to use spreadsheets for large data sets.

BigQuery already allows users to execute requests inside Google spreadsheets using Google Apps Script integration. BigQuery Connector for Excel uses Excel’s own Web query feature to eliminate the work of manually importing data and running queries in Excel.

PUBLISHED AUG. 29, 2012