MCQs on BigQuery APIs and SDKs | Google BigQuery

BigQuery offers powerful APIs and SDKs that enable developers to programmatically interact with its data warehouse capabilities. This chapter covers essential topics such as using the BigQuery REST API, authentication, client libraries for different programming languages, and integrating BigQuery with other Google Cloud Platform services like Cloud Functions, Dataflow, and Dataproc. Test your knowledge with 30 MCQs.

Topic 1: Using the BigQuery REST API

1. What is the primary purpose of the BigQuery REST API?
   a) To store and retrieve large datasets
   b) To interact programmatically with BigQuery
   c) To create virtual machines in GCP
   d) To monitor BigQuery billing
2. Which HTTP method is used to run a query using the BigQuery REST API?
   a) GET
   b) POST
   c) PUT
   d) DELETE
3. Which endpoint is used to run a query in BigQuery via the REST API?
   a) /query
   b) /datasets
   c) /jobs/query
   d) /jobs/run
4. What does the query job type in the BigQuery REST API represent?
   a) A table creation request
   b) A long-running data processing job
   c) An API call to list datasets
   d) A SQL query execution task
5. How can you specify the query’s destination in the BigQuery REST API?
   a) By including a destinationTable property in the request body
   b) By setting a destinationUri parameter
   c) By using a storeInBucket field
   d) By passing the table name as a query parameter
6. Which of the following is a required parameter when sending a query request to the BigQuery REST API?
   a) Project ID
   b) Dataset ID
   c) Table ID
   d) Data format
7. How do you handle large result sets when using the BigQuery REST API?
   a) Use pagination with the pageToken parameter
   b) Set a larger query timeout
   c) Use data compression in the query
   d) Use larger disk storage
8. What type of data format does the BigQuery REST API use for responses?
   a) XML
   b) CSV
   c) JSON
   d) Avro
9. Which API service do you need to enable before using the BigQuery REST API?
   a) Cloud Storage API
   b) BigQuery API
   c) Cloud Pub/Sub API
   d) Cloud Functions API
10. What is the purpose of the dryRun parameter in the BigQuery REST API?
    a) To preview query results
    b) To perform a cost estimation without executing the query
    c) To test connection speed
    d) To skip error checking

Topic 2: Authentication and API Keys

11. Which authentication method is required for the BigQuery REST API?
    a) OAuth 2.0
    b) Basic Authentication
    c) API Key only
    d) Client Certificate Authentication
12. What is the role of an API key in authenticating BigQuery API requests?
    a) It identifies the user to the BigQuery service
    b) It encrypts data before sending to BigQuery
    c) It authorizes the request to access BigQuery resources
    d) It provides a user-specific encryption key
13. How do you obtain an API key for using the BigQuery REST API?
    a) From the Google Cloud Console under API & Services > Credentials
    b) By sending a request to the BigQuery team
    c) By enabling OAuth 2.0
    d) By signing up for a GCP billing account
14. Which OAuth 2.0 flow is recommended for server-to-server BigQuery access?
    a) Authorization code flow
    b) Implicit flow
    c) Client credentials flow
    d) Password credentials flow
15. What should you do to avoid exposing your API key in client-side applications?
    a) Use OAuth 2.0 credentials instead
    b) Store the API key in a Google Cloud Storage bucket
    c) Hardcode the API key in your application
    d) Use an HTTP proxy to secure the key
16. What type of authentication is recommended for accessing the BigQuery API from a service or application?
    a) API key
    b) Service account with a JSON key file
    c) User login credentials
    d) Static IP addresses
17. Which of the following is true about the BigQuery API’s quota limits?
    a) They are global for all users
    b) They can be increased by contacting Google Cloud support
    c) They are fixed and cannot be modified
    d) They are applied per user account
18. How can you ensure that your BigQuery API requests are secure?
    a) Always use HTTPS to encrypt API traffic
    b) Use private IP addresses for API calls
    c) Disable authorization on requests
    d) Use a proxy server
19. What is the recommended way to authenticate from a Python application using the BigQuery API?
    a) Use the google-auth library
    b) Use the pyodbc library
    c) Use a direct API key in the script
    d) Authenticate with username and password
20. What should you do if an API key is compromised?
    a) Change the key immediately
    b) Ignore it, as it cannot be used for malicious purposes
    c) Log it to monitor usage
    d) Only change it if there are reports of misuse

Topic 3: Querying and Managing Tables Programmatically

21. How can you create a new table in BigQuery using the REST API?
    a) Send a POST request to /projects/{projectId}/datasets/{datasetId}/tables
    b) Use the CREATE TABLE SQL query
    c) Send a PUT request to /tables/create
    d) Use the INSERT INTO query
22. What parameter must be specified when querying a specific table using the BigQuery REST API?
    a) Project ID and Table ID
    b) Dataset ID and Query ID
    c) Dataset ID and Table ID
    d) Table ID and Query Statement
23. Which of the following options is used to update an existing table schema in BigQuery?
    a) PATCH request to the /tables/{tableId} endpoint
    b) PUT request with a new schema
    c) Directly modify the table from the BigQuery Console
    d) Use the SQL ALTER TABLE statement
24. Which of the following BigQuery operations cannot be performed through the REST API?
    a) Data insertion
    b) Data deletion
    c) Schema modifications
    d) Data transformations
25. How can you manage table data programmatically?
    a) Use the tabledata.insertAll endpoint
    b) Send the data using a POST request to the /tables endpoint
    c) Use the CREATE TABLE statement
    d) Use SELECT INTO queries
26. How can you export the result of a query into a CSV file using the BigQuery REST API?
    a) Use the export endpoint and specify a destination URI
    b) Use a COPY statement in the query
    c) Send the results to Cloud Storage using a POST request
    d) Use gsutil to manually export results
27. How do you delete a table in BigQuery programmatically?
    a) Send a DELETE request to /tables/{datasetId}/{tableId}
    b) Use the DROP TABLE SQL statement
    c) Use the BigQuery Console
    d) Send a PUT request to /tables/delete
28. How do you list all the tables in a dataset using the BigQuery REST API?
    a) Send a GET request to /datasets/{datasetId}/tables
    b) Use the SHOW TABLES SQL query
    c) Use a query to list table names
    d) Access through the table.list endpoint
29. What parameter is required to create a table in a specified dataset via the REST API?
    a) Table name
    b) Table schema
    c) Table data
    d) Dataset location
30. Which method is recommended for handling large datasets when querying programmatically?
    a) Use pagination with pageToken for results
    b) Use a single API call to get all results
    c) Use a separate API call for each row
    d) Use the LIMIT clause in the query

Answers