Move beyond BigQuery with a composable, AI-native lakehouse
Run DuckDB SQL over managed Parquet tables and live external sources. Give BI, applications, and AI agents the same data and business context.
One lakehouse for stored and connected data
Altertable combines Parquet-backed catalogs, DuckDB execution, and live federation so you can store new data and query existing systems together.
Store data in open Parquet
Create managed catalogs backed by Parquet files in object storage.
Size compute for each query
Use AUTO or a fixed Worker size for HTTP queries within your environment’s capacity.
Join data across systems
Query BigQuery, databases, and lakehouse tables in one DuckDB SQL namespace.
Share business definitions
Define measures, dimensions, and relationships for dashboards and AI agents.
Move workloads progressively.
Start with a report or cross-source query. Keep existing BigQuery pipelines running while you validate results, latency, and total cost.
Connect BigQuery
Add your project as an external catalog using service account credentials.
Test representative queries
Compare results and performance against your existing BigQuery workload.
Port SQL selectively
Use HTTP API dialect transpilation for BigQuery SQL, then validate compatibility.
Migrate proven workloads
Move selected tables into Altertable catalogs once the workload fits.
Build the foundation for agent work
Choose by storage, execution, and integration needs. Test the queries your team actually runs.
Query architecture
BigQuery: A serverless, petabyte-scale warehouse on Google Cloud.Altertable: DuckDB Workers query managed lakehouse tables and external sources, including BigQuery.Compute and cost planning
BigQuery: On-demand pricing by data processed, or capacity pricing by slots.Altertable: Environment compute allocation with AUTO or fixed sizing per HTTP query. Source-system charges still apply.SQL migration
BigQuery: GoogleSQL for queries and transformations.Altertable: DuckDB SQL, with optional BigQuery dialect transpilation through the HTTP API. Validate compatibility before cutover.Storage
BigQuery: Managed BigQuery storage, billed separately from query compute.Altertable: Managed catalogs backed by open Parquet files in object storage.Frequently asked questions
When is Altertable a BigQuery alternative?
Evaluate Altertable when you want managed Parquet storage, DuckDB SQL, and federation across existing sources in one lakehouse. Validate your workload’s SQL compatibility, latency, and total cost before switching.
Do I have to migrate everything at once?
No. Connect BigQuery as an external catalog while existing pipelines keep running. Move selected tables and queries after validation. Federation does not remove BigQuery or data-transfer charges.
Can AI agents use the same lakehouse?
Yes. MCP clients can query through environment-scoped OAuth access. Semantic models and business knowledge give agents shared context; scheduled tasks support recurring analysis.
How does Cousteau take the lakehouse further?
Cousteau uses connected data and business context to investigate questions. Add scheduled tasks to revisit what matters and deliver noteworthy findings in Altertable, email, or Slack. Your lakehouse becomes a foundation for ongoing analysis, beyond storing data and running queries.
Build your next workload on an open lakehouse
Connect existing data, test DuckDB SQL, and migrate on your terms.
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