How do I create a BigQuery service account key for an import sync?

Last updated: May 13, 2026

To connect BigQuery to Pylon as an import source, you'll create a Google Cloud service account, grant it read access to your BigQuery data, and download a JSON key that you'll paste into Pylon.

Pylon only reads from BigQuery — it never writes, updates, or deletes anything in your warehouse.

Before you start

You'll need:

  • Access to the Google Cloud project that contains the BigQuery dataset you want to sync.

  • Permission in that project to create service accounts and grant IAM roles (typically roles/iam.serviceAccountAdmin and roles/resourcemanager.projectIamAdmin, or Owner/Editor).

1. Create a service account

1. Open the Google Cloud Console and select the project that contains your BigQuery dataset.

2. Go to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts.

3. Click Create service account.

4. Give it a recognizable name, e.g. pylon-bigquery-import.

5. Click Create and continue.

2. Grant BigQuery read permissions

On the Grant this service account access to project step, add these two roles:

Role

Why

BigQuery Data Viewer (roles/bigquery.dataViewer)

Lets Pylon read your dataset, table schemas, and row data.

BigQuery Job User (`roles/bigquery.jobUser)

Lets Pylon run the SELECT queries needed to pull data.

Click Continue, then Done.

Tip: If you'd rather not grant project-wide access, you can skip granting roles here and instead grant BigQuery Data Viewer directly on the specific dataset (BigQuery → your dataset → Sharing → Permissions). You'll still need BigQuery Job User at the project level so Pylon can run query jobs.

3. Create and download a JSON key

1. From the service account list, click the service account you just created.

2. Open the Keys tab.

3. Click Add key → Create new key.

4. Choose JSON and click Create.

5. A .json file will download to your computer. Keep it safe — anyone with this file can read your BigQuery data. Google does not let you re-download it.

4. Upload the key in Pylon

1. In Pylon, go to Settings → Product Data Sync and start a new BigQuery sync (or open an existing one).

2. On the Connect BigQuery step:

- Enter your GCP Project ID.

- Click Choose file and select the .json key you just downloaded.

- (Optional) Set the Location if your dataset is in a specific region.

3. Click Test connection. If it succeeds, you're ready to pick your dataset and table.

Rotating or revoking the key

- To rotate: create a new key in GCP, upload it to Pylon (it replaces the stored key), then delete the old key from the Keys tab in GCP.

- To revoke access entirely: delete the service account in GCP, or remove its BigQuery roles. The next Pylon sync will fail until a new key is provided.