Prepared by the Nadali editorial team using AI
On 19 October, Google announced conversational analysis of connected BigQuery data in Gemini for Sheets.
Who may find it useful
A small retail or service business already storing data in BigQuery and using Connected Sheets for reporting. Our practical takeaway: test whether natural-language questions help clarify the report you need. This is not a reason to migrate data to a new warehouse solely for the feature.
Access and limitations
Rollout began on 19 October 2026 and may take up to 15 days. Eligible plans include Business Standard and Plus; the announcement lists the others. Check access in your account.
Connected Sheets documentation requires Google Cloud and BigQuery access and a project with billing configured; it separately describes a trial environment. Do not assume queries are free because you are working in a spreadsheet. Agree a budget and cost controls with the cloud project owner before trying it.
Creating, editing and refreshing Connected Sheets requires a computer. Sheets cannot change the underlying BigQuery data. This is a different update from Gemini in Sheets for iPhone and iPad.
Check it against a small report
The following is an editorial scenario, not a test we performed. Imagine a shop with an approved sales table in BigQuery. Its owner needs totals by location for a completed week.
- Agree on a dataset without unnecessary customer information and ensure permissions match the task.
- Define the measure: sales before or after returns, currency, time zone and the week’s boundaries.
- Open Gemini in the connected spreadsheet’s side panel. Request a report plan and review it before creating the output.
- Compare totals with an independently verified report for the same period. Do not resolve differences by guessing.
- Before sharing with a colleague, label the data date and check the refresh rules and access to the file itself.
Connected objects need manual or configured scheduled refreshing, rather than continuously syncing. General Gemini in Sheets documentation describes different modes of operation. Do not apply the properties of the new connected report to every AI-generated chart: check the output type and its refresh behaviour separately.
Nadali has not tested the feature in a work account or measured accuracy or time savings. Sources checked on 21 October 2026. Our guide to verifying AI-generated formulas can help with checking calculations.
Cover: an original AI-generated illustration, not a Google interface or evidence of testing.
