How to Insert Data in BigQuery
Last updated August 23, 2026 · By the SaturnSQL team
INSERT INTO ... VALUES suits a few rows; bulk analytics loads normally use a load job or CREATE TABLE AS SELECT. Streaming inserts add rows in near real time instead.
INSERT INTO analytics.events (event_id, event_time, user_id, event_type)
VALUES ('e1', CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), 101, 'page_view'),
('e2', CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), 102, 'signup');Bulk loads and CTAS
For anything beyond a few rows, INSERT ... VALUES is the wrong tool: BigQuery is built around batch load jobs (bq load, or loading from Cloud Storage) and CREATE TABLE AS SELECT. Batch load jobs are free, you pay only for the storage, and CTAS is billed like any other query, both are far cheaper and faster than row-by-row inserts.
CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE analytics.events_backfill AS
SELECT * FROM raw.events_staging
WHERE event_date >= '2026-01-01';Streaming inserts
The tabledata.insertAll API (or the Storage Write API) streams rows in as they happen, making them queryable within seconds. Streaming is billed by the volume of data streamed rather than as a free load job, so use it for real-time pipelines, not routine batch ETL.
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