BigTable Connector

This section provides guides and references to use the BigTable connector. Configure and schedule BigTable metadata and profiler workflows from the Collate UI:

• Requirements
• Metadata Ingestion
• Troubleshooting

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How to Run the Connector Externally

To run the Ingestion via the UI you’ll need to use the OpenMetadata Ingestion Container, which comes shipped with custom Airflow plugins to handle the workflow deployment. If, instead, you want to manage your workflows externally on your preferred orchestrator, you can check the following docs to run the Ingestion Framework anywhere.

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Requirements

Before ingesting metadata from BigTable, complete the following setup in your GCP project.

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BigTable Admin API Permissions

• Follow Google’s instructions for enabling an API.
• Select the GCP Project ID.
• Search for and enable the Cloud Bigtable Admin API.

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BigTable API Permissions

• In the same API Library, search for the Cloud Bigtable API.
• Select the GCP Project ID.
• Click Enable API.

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GCP Permissions

To successfully execute the metadata extraction workflow, the user or service account must have sufficient access to fetch the required data. The following table describes the minimum required permissions:

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Metadata Ingestion

To ingest metadata from BigTable, you need to create a service connection. The service connects BigTable with Collate. Once you create a service, Collate automatically starts ingesting metadata.

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Step 1: Add New Service

1. In the left navigation, click Connections.
2. On the Connections page, click Add New Service.

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Step 2: Select a Service and Connector

From the service type dropdown, select Database Services, then click the BigTable connector tile.

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Step 3: Add Service Name and Description

• Enter a unique, descriptive Service Name. Collate identifies services by their service name. Enter a name that distinguishes this deployment from other BigTable services you are ingesting metadata from.
• Optional: Enter a Description for the service.

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Step 4: Configure Connection Options

Specify where ingestion runs, provide your source credentials, and verify the connection.

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Select Ingestion Runner

Select an Ingestion Runner: the runner where the ingestion pipeline will execute.

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Enter Connection Details

Enter the connection details for BigTable. The right-hand panel in the UI displays inline help for each field.

• GCP Credentials: Authenticate with the BigTable instance using either GCP Credentials Path, specifying the file path of the service account key, or GCP Credentials Values, passing the values directly from the service account key file. For more information, see Creating and managing service account keys.
  • GCP Credentials Values: Pass the raw credential values provided by BigTable, including the following information:
    • Credentials type: The type of the account. For a service account, the value of this field is service_account. To fetch this key, look for the value associated with the type key in the service account key file.
    • Project ID: A project ID is a unique string used to differentiate your project from all others in Google Cloud. To fetch this key, look for the value associated with the project_id key in the service account key file. Pass multiple project IDs to ingest metadata from different BigTable projects into one service.
    • Private Key ID: This is a unique identifier for the private key associated with the service account. To fetch this key, look for the value associated with the private_key_id key in the service account file.
    • Private Key: This is the private key associated with the service account that is used to authenticate and authorize access to BigTable. To fetch this key, look for the value associated with the private_key key in the service account file.
    • Client Email: This is the email address associated with the service account. To fetch this key, look for the value associated with the client_email key in the service account key file.
    • Client ID: This is a unique identifier for the service account. To fetch this key, look for the value associated with the client_id key in the service account key file.
    • Auth URI: This is the URI for the authorization server. To fetch this key, look for the value associated with the auth_uri key in the service account key file. The default value for Auth URI is https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth.
    • Token URI: The Google Cloud Token URI is a specific endpoint used to obtain an OAuth 2.0 access token from the Google Cloud IAM service. This token lets you authenticate and access various Google Cloud resources and APIs that require authorization. To fetch this key, look for the value associated with the token_uri key in the service account credentials file. The default value for Token URI is https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token.
    • Authentication Provider X509 Certificate URL: This is the URL of the certificate that verifies the authenticity of the authorization server. To fetch this key, look for the value associated with the auth_provider_x509_cert_url key in the service account key file. The default value for Auth Provider X509Cert URL is https://www.googleapis.com/oauth2/v1/certs.
    • Client X509Cert URL: This is the URL of the certificate that verifies the authenticity of the service account. To fetch this key, look for the value associated with the client_x509_cert_url key in the service account key file.
  • GCP Credentials Path: Pass a local file path that contains the credentials.
  Tip: To use ADC authentication for BigTable, leave the GCP credentials empty. They are not marked as required for this reason.

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Advanced Configuration

Database Services include an Advanced Configuration section for passing extra arguments to the connector and, if needed, changing the connection scheme. This is required only for advanced connectivity scenarios or customizations.

• Connection Options (Optional): Enter the details for any additional connection options that can be sent to the database during the connection. These details must be added as key-value pairs.
• Connection Arguments (Optional): Enter the details for any additional connection arguments, such as security or protocol configs, that can be sent during the connection. These details must be added as key-value pairs.

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Test Connection

Once the credentials have been added, click on Test Connection and Save the changes.

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Step 5: Configure Ingestion Options

In the What to Ingest step, use filter patterns to control which assets Collate ingests from your database service. Filter patterns use regular expressions applied to asset names.

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How Filter Patterns Work

• Include: Add one or more comma-separated regular expressions. Collate ingests only assets whose names match at least one expression. Leave blank to include all assets.
• Exclude: Add one or more comma-separated regular expressions. Collate skips any asset whose name matches an expression. Leave blank to exclude nothing.

Rules match asset names using one of five expressions:

• contains: matches any name containing the value. For example, sales matches my_sales_data and sales_2024.
• starts with: matches names beginning with the value. For example, prod_ matches prod_db and prod_schema.
• ends with: matches names ending with the value. For example, _raw matches events_raw and logs_raw.
• is exactly: matches the exact name only. For example, analytics matches only analytics.
• matches regex: matches names using a regular expression. For example, ^prod_.*_v\d+$ matches prod_events_v1.

When both Include and Exclude are set, Exclude takes priority. Filter Options The Database, Schema, Table, and Stored Procedure sections each include the following filter options:

• Database: Controls which databases Collate ingests from the source.
• Schema: Controls which schemas within the ingested databases are included.
• Table: Controls which tables and views within the ingested schemas are included.
• Stored Procedure: Controls which stored procedures are included in metadata ingestion.

Each section provides the following controls:

• Scan Mode: Choose between the following scan modes:
  • Scan all: Ingests every asset of that type the connector can access. This is the default.
  • Only specific: Enables include rules so only assets matching at least one rule are ingested.
• Exclude system toggle: Use this toggle to automatically filter out system-reserved names defined by the connector—for example, Exclude system databases—for the Databases section.
• Always exclude: Add permanent exclusion rules (shown in red). Assets matching these rules are never ingested, regardless of include rules.
• Preview: Shows a real-time summary of what will be in scope based on your current rules.
• Include rules (available only in Only specific mode): Click + Add to define a rule. Added rules appear as chips; an asset is included if it matches any rule.

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Step 6: Create & Deploy

Click Create & Deploy to deploy the agent and start the first metadata ingestion run. Collate saves the service configuration and immediately begins pulling metadata from the source. To monitor ingestion progress or view the service you just added, go to Connections in the left navigation and select your service.

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Configure Metadata Agent and Schedule Ingestion

The Metadata Agent extracts schemas, tables, columns, and other structural metadata from your source and keeps your Collate catalog in sync. It powers discovery, lineage, and governance across your data assets. When you click Create & Deploy, Collate automatically deploys a Metadata Agent for this service and triggers the first ingestion run. View its status and run history from the Agents tab on the service detail page. To configure the additional Metadata Agent and schedule ingestion, follow these steps:

1. In the left navigation, click Connections and select your service.
2. Click the Agents tab.
3. Click Add Agent and select Metadata from the dropdown. For some services, the dropdown is not available and clicking Add Agent takes you directly to the agent configuration page.
4. On the Configure Ingestion page, do the following and click Next.
   • Name this Ingestion: Enter a unique recognizable name for this ingestion pipeline.
   • Agent Setup: Configure core parameters for metadata extraction. The following fields are available:

     Field	Default	Description
     Default Owner	—	Owner applied to all entities when no specific level owner is configured. Accepts a user or team name/email.
     Service Owner	—	Owner assigned to the service entity.
     Database Owner	—	Owner assigned to all ingested databases. Accepts a single owner or a per-database name mapping.
     Database Schema Owner	—	Owner assigned to all ingested schemas. Accepts a single owner or a per-schema name mapping.
     Table Owner	—	Owner assigned to all ingested tables. Accepts a single owner or a per-table name mapping.
     Enable Inheritance	On	When on, child entities inherit the owner from their parent when they have no owner configured.
     Query Log Duration	1	Number of days to look back in query logs when processing stored procedure results.
     Query Parsing Timeout Limit	300	Timeout in seconds for parsing a single query.
     Number of Threads	1	Number of threads to use for parallel table ingestion.
     Incremental Extraction	Off	When enabled, subsequent runs only extract entities changed since the last successful run.
     Successful Pipeline Run Lookback Days	7	Number of days to search back for a prior successful run to use as a baseline for incremental extraction.
     Safety Margin Days	1	Additional days added to the baseline timestamp as a buffer for incremental extraction.
     JSON Schema Sample Size	10	Number of rows sampled to infer JSON column schema. Only applies when Extract JSON Schema is enabled in Advanced Config.

     
   • Filter Patterns: Apply include or exclude rules to scope which databases, schemas, tables, and stored procedures this agent ingests. For more information about various filter options, see Step 5: Configure Ingestion Options.
   • Scope & Behaviour: Control how the agent handles metadata during ingestion. Toggle each option on or off based on your needs:

     Toggle	Default	Description
     Include Tables	On	Ingest table metadata from the source. Turn off to skip tables entirely.
     Include Tags	On	Ingest tags from the source.
     Include Stored Procedures	On	Ingest stored procedure metadata.
     Include DDL Statements	Off	Ingest DDL statements alongside table metadata.
     Include Owners	Off	Assign owners to ingested entities when the source owner’s email matches a user in Collate. Does not overwrite an existing owner.
     Include Custom Properties	Off	Ingest connector-specific custom properties onto entities.
     Mark Deleted Tables	On	Soft-delete tables in Collate when they are removed from the source. Applies only within the currently ingested schema.
     Mark Deleted Stored Procedures	On	Soft-delete stored procedures in Collate when they are removed from the source.
     Mark Deleted Schemas	Off	Soft-delete schemas and all their child assets when removed from the source.
     Mark Deleted Databases	Off	Soft-delete databases and all their child assets when removed from the source.
     Override Metadata	Off	When on, source values overwrite existing descriptions, tags, owners, and display names in Collate. When off, Collate only updates fields that have no existing value.
     Enable Debug Log	Off	Sets the ingestion log level to DEBUG. Useful for troubleshooting.

     Note: Available toggles vary by connector. Stored procedure options only appear for connectors that support stored procedures.
     
   • Advanced Config: Optional connector-specific settings such as Include Views and Extract JSON Schema.
5. On the Schedule Interval page, set when the agent runs:
   • Schedule: Choose a preset interval (Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly) or enter a custom cron expression.
   • On-Demand: No automatic schedule; trigger the agent manually when needed.
   
6. Click Add to deploy the agent.

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Troubleshooting