How to read BigQuery view using BigQuery REST API? - api

Question

I have BQ table configuration in MAPPINGS and its view config_vw in SHARED_VIEWS data set.
Now I am trying to read the table and its view using REST API URI.
The table request GET https://bigquery.googleapis.com/bigquery/v2/projects/data-dev2/datasets/MAPPINGS/tables/configuration/data is responding correctly.
But when I am doing GET https://bigquery.googleapis.com/bigquery/v2/projects/data-dev2/datasets/SHARED_VIEWS/tables/config_vw/data for the view, it is giving below error.
{
"error": {
"code": 400,
"message": "Cannot list a table of type VIEW.",
"errors": [
{
"message": "Cannot list a table of type VIEW.",
"domain": "global",
"reason": "invalid"
}
],
"status": "INVALID_ARGUMENT"
}
}
Please suggest how to access BQ view using REST API ?
Regards,
San

Answer 1

It is expected that you cannot fetch data from a view using tabledata.list REST API.
VIEW is essentially a "saved query", which you need to make a query to materialize it into a table before you can use tabledata.list to fetch its data.
E.g., you can use jobs.insert API to run a query like
CREATE TABLE SHARED_VIEWS.materailized_config_vw
AS SELECT * FROM SHARED_VIEWS.config_vw
Then you can read SHARED_VIEWS.materailized_config_vw using tabledata.list.