Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery: BigQuery Tables in Excel, Access and SQL Server Through Plain ODBC
Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery is a $139.95-per-year Windows ODBC driver that lets Excel, Access, Power BI, Tableau, SQL Server Linked Server, DBeaver, Python and other ODBC tools query Google BigQuery with standard SQL and change data with INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE. It signs in with your Google account or a service account key and needs no Google client software.
BigQuery is easy to load and hard to get into the everyday tools where people actually work. This driver makes a BigQuery dataset look like a database to anything that speaks ODBC, which matters most for the tools without a BigQuery connector of their own.
Quick facts
- Version: 1.9.0, released October 16, 2026 (first released May 2020)
- Developer: Devart
- Platform: Windows Vista or later, 32-bit and 64-bit, including Terminal Server, with .NET Framework 4.5 or later. There is no macOS or Linux edition
- Connects to: a BigQuery project and dataset over HTTPS, optionally through a proxy
- Authentication: Google user account (browser sign-in, refresh token) or service account JSON key (added in 1.8.0)
- SQL: BigQuery standard SQL functions and data types; INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE
- Price: $139.95 per year for a Desktop license, or $279.95 perpetual
- Trial: 30 days, activated with a trial key from a Devart account
- Refund: within 30 days of purchase, if a technical problem that support can't fix stops the driver from working
- What we checked: the Buy Now order page charged $139.95 for Desktop for Windows with a 1-year subscription, and the same cart showed $279.95 for a perpetual Desktop license and $899.95 per year for Server Standard. The download page listed version 1.9.0 with a 40.00 MB EXE and a 45.23 MB MSI installer. All checked on November 13, 2026. We didn't install the driver or connect it to a BigQuery project
Before you buy
Every query the driver sends runs as a BigQuery job in your Google Cloud project and is billed like any other query, so a spreadsheet that refreshes a full-table SELECT every hour can cost real money on large tables. Filter in SQL and select only the columns you need. For unattended jobs and servers, plan on the service account JSON key added in 1.8.0 rather than a personal Google sign-in. A subscription license needs internet access to activate and to check the license.
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Overview
Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery sits between BigQuery and any ODBC program on a Windows computer. It processes standard ODBC calls, sends SQL to BigQuery and returns the results as rows and columns, so you work with the data warehouse as you would with a regular database. You create a DSN (data source name) with a project ID and dataset ID, sign in once, and every ODBC-aware tool on the machine can use it.
It's a single installer with no Google SDK or database client to deploy, which Devart pitches for large rollouts with silent installs. The tested-tool list covers Power BI, Tableau, QlikView, TIBCO Spotfire, Excel, Access, LibreOffice, SQL Server linked servers, Oracle database links, DBeaver, Visual Studio, FileMaker, PHP and Python.
The driver's Windows configuration dialog: project ID and dataset ID, User Account authentication with a Sign in to Google BigQuery button that fills in the refresh token, and proxy settings.
Features
BigQuery standard SQL
Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery supports BigQuery standard SQL expressions and all BigQuery data types, including aggregate, array, datetime, geography, JSON, navigation, net and hash functions, so queries written in the BigQuery console run from Excel or Access as they are.
Writes as well as reads
Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery supports INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE, so you can correct or append rows from Access forms, SQL scripts or ETL tools rather than only reading. A linked-server data modification bug was fixed back in 1.0.4, and row deletes were fixed in 1.3.0.
User or service account sign-in
Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery signs in with a Google user account through a browser, storing a refresh token, or with a service account private key JSON file, which suits scheduled jobs and shared servers. Service account support arrived in 1.8.0 (April 2026); custom OAuth client IDs have been supported since 1.3.0.
Primary keys for tools that need them
BigQuery tables have no primary keys, which trips up some tools that want to edit rows. Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery has a Primary Key Columns setting that tells it which column, or comma-separated columns, to report as the key (id by default).
Caching, pooling and Unicode
Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery uses local data caching and connection pooling to speed up repeated work, is fully Unicode, and can return strings as ANSI or Unicode for older tools that only handle one.
The same dialog set to Service Account: a Private Key JSON button loads the service account key file instead of a personal sign-in.
Benefits
- BigQuery in tools without a connector. Access, FileMaker, older reporting tools and SQL Server linked servers can reach BigQuery through one DSN.
- SQL instead of exports. Analysts query the warehouse directly instead of exporting CSV files from the console.
- Server-friendly sign-in. A service account key keeps scheduled jobs running without anyone's personal Google login.
- Edits back to the warehouse. Reference and lookup tables in BigQuery can be maintained from familiar tools.
Real-World Uses
- Excel reports on event data. A marketing analyst pulls a daily aggregate of web events from BigQuery into a pivot table, filtering by date in the query to keep scan costs down.
- SQL Server linked server. A DBA adds BigQuery as a linked server so SQL Server jobs can join warehouse summaries with on-premises tables.
- Access front end for a lookup table. An operations team edits a small BigQuery mapping table through an Access form, with Primary Key Columns set to its ID column.
- Scheduled Python extract. A Windows task runs pyodbc against a System DSN that signs in with a service account key, and writes results to a file share.
Who It's For, and Who Should Skip It
Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery is for Windows users who want BigQuery data in Excel, Access, SQL Server, Power BI or their own code through standard ODBC, especially teams that already use Devart's other drivers and want one setup and one support desk for all of them.
Skip it if you work on a Mac or Linux: this driver is Windows-only. Skip it too if your only tool is one with a built-in BigQuery connector, such as Power BI, Tableau or Looker Studio, or if Google's own ODBC driver already works for you. If you need many sources, Devart's ODBC Universal Bundle covers all its ODBC drivers from $499.95 per year.
Usage Guide
- Download the trial from the Download button (a free Devart account is needed) and run the EXE, or the MSI for Group Policy deployment.
- Open the ODBC Data Source Administrator that matches your application's bitness (32-bit or 64-bit), choose User DSN or System DSN, click Add and select Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery.
- On the License tab, enter the trial or purchased activation key; the trial needs activating too.
- Enter the Project Id and Dataset Id from the Google Cloud console.
- For User Account, click Sign in to Google BigQuery and approve access in the browser. For Service Account, click Private Key JSON, load your key file and save.
- Click Test Connection, then OK, and pick the DSN as an ODBC source in Excel, Power BI or your tool.
Tip
Create one DSN per dataset you report on, and write queries that filter on partitioned date columns. That keeps each refresh small and quick, and keeps the BigQuery bill predictable.
Where It Falls Short
- Windows only. There's no macOS or Linux build of the BigQuery driver.
- Google offers drivers of its own. Google documents a Google-developed ODBC driver and the Simba ODBC driver for BigQuery, so this one has to win on support, tool compatibility and fit with other Devart drivers.
- Query costs are yours to watch. The driver can't stop a tool from scanning a whole table; careless refreshes cost money.
- One dataset per DSN. Each data source is set up with a single dataset ID, so reporting on several datasets means setting up several data sources.
- Per-user licensing. A Desktop license covers one user at a time; a shared server or gateway needs Server Standard at $899.95 a year.
What Users Say
We found no reviews of the BigQuery driver on its own in November 2026: review sites file Devart's ODBC drivers as one product. The ratings and comments below cover the whole line, which shares this driver's setup dialog, licensing and support team.
Ratings
Capterra shows 4.7 out of 5 from 26 reviews of Devart ODBC Drivers. G2 lists Devart ODBC Driver at 4.5 out of 5 from 17 reviews on its product page and 4.6 from 18 on a comparison page. TrustRadius gives an aggregate 5.2 out of 10 from 58 ratings, noticeably cooler than the other two.
What reviewers like
Setup is the most common compliment: reviewers describe installation and DSN configuration as simple, and one Capterra reviewer said the drivers just work. Reliability comes next, with a TrustRadius reviewer crediting "almost no connection failures" for making it "very reliable". Price gets praise from people comparing it with enterprise connectors: a Capterra reviewer wrote that "for less than $200 per year, you can't beat it", and another liked that a perpetual license was available.
What reviewers complain about
The criticism is about polish and paperwork rather than broken connections. A TrustRadius reviewer wrote that the "user interface could be better" and that "error messages could be improved to be more relevant and specific". A G2 reviewer found the documentation confusing at times, and one buyer said licensing "took a while to be ready and delivered". On Devart's Salesforce driver, another cloud-API driver, a reviewer said it "isn't very fast" but could be tuned until speed was no problem.
The pattern: people trust Devart's drivers to connect and stay connected, and find them cheap next to enterprise alternatives, while the rough edges are terse error messages, documentation gaps and per-user licensing. For this driver, check during the 30-day trial how your tools handle large BigQuery tables and what the queries they generate cost.
Comparisons
Devart driver vs. Google's ODBC drivers
Google points BigQuery users to its own Google-developed ODBC driver and to the Simba ODBC driver from insightsoftware. Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery costs $139.95 a year and stands out for its configuration dialog shared with 90-plus other Devart drivers, the Primary Key Columns setting for tools that edit rows, write support, and Devart's support desk.
ODBC driver vs. native BI connectors
Power BI, Tableau and Looker Studio connect to BigQuery on their own. Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery is for the tools that don't: Excel's ODBC import, Access, FileMaker, SQL Server linked servers and custom code, all through one shared DSN.
Desktop vs. Server editions
Desktop covers one user at a time on one Windows computer. A reporting server, Power BI gateway or web server that several people use needs Server Standard (one server with up to 6 cores) or Server Enterprise. Site licenses cover a whole company, and OEM lets you ship the driver inside your own application.
Editions and Pricing
| Edition | Subscription (1 year) | Perpetual | Who can use it |
|---|
| Desktop for Windows | $139.95 | $279.95 | One user at a time on one computer |
| Server Standard for Windows | $899.95 | $1,799.95 | Many users on one server with up to 6 cores |
| Server Enterprise, Site, OEM | On request | On request | Any core count, a whole company, or redistribution |
Every edition and term is sold under one product: the Buy Now button opens the order page set to Desktop for Windows with a 1-year subscription, and you pick the edition, subscription length or perpetual license there. Each license includes a year of support and upgrades, priority support costs extra, and Devart takes 5, 10 or 15 percent off for 5, 10 or 20 or more copies.
FAQs
Can Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery use a service account?
Yes, since version 1.8.0. Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery loads a service account private key JSON file, which is the better choice for servers, gateways and scheduled jobs than a personal Google sign-in.
Does the BigQuery ODBC driver need the Google Cloud SDK?
No. Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery is a standalone installer that connects to BigQuery over HTTPS with no Google client libraries or SDK.
Can I edit BigQuery rows from Microsoft Access?
Yes. Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery supports INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE, and its Primary Key Columns setting tells Access which column identifies a row, since BigQuery tables have no primary keys.
Does the BigQuery ODBC driver work on a Mac?
No. Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery runs only on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows with .NET Framework 4.5 or later.
Does it work through a proxy?
Yes. Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery has proxy server, port, user and password settings for networks without direct HTTPS access to Google.
What happens when the subscription ends?
Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery on a subscription license works only during the paid term and needs internet access to check the license. A perpetual license keeps the version you bought working indefinitely and can be activated offline.
System Requirements
- Windows Vista or later, 32-bit or 64-bit, including Windows Server and Terminal Server
- .NET Framework 4.5 or later
- 40.00 MB EXE or 45.23 MB MSI installer; only one version of the driver installed at a time
- A Google Cloud project with BigQuery and either a Google user account or a service account JSON key
- Internet access to Google over HTTPS (or through a proxy), and to activate a subscription license
Conclusion
Devart ODBC Driver for Google BigQuery is worth $139.95 a year if you need BigQuery in Windows tools that lack a native connector, such as Access, Excel's ODBC import, SQL Server linked servers or your own scripts, and you want a supported driver that can write as well as read. Service account sign-in in 1.8.0 makes it practical on servers too.
The reason not to buy: Google offers its own ODBC drivers, and BI tools like Power BI and Tableau already connect natively. Use the 30-day trial to check your tools, your query costs and your data types before you pay.
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