Run BigQuery from Command Line Using Python Subprocess Module - FATAL Command 'bq ls redacted:dataid ' unknown

Question

I need to use Python's Subprocess module to run BigQuery CLI commands via the Google Cloud SDK. When I run the below command from the command line things work as I expect:

I have tried running this bq command in the below scenarios with no success:

• in tandem with the full path to the windows cmd.exe file
• in tandem with the full path to the bq.cmd file
• after first running the full path to the bq.cmd file in tandem with just the bq command

Here is the code from the second example I listed because I think it's closest to being correct?

  list_tables_bigquery = 'bq ls redacted:dataid'

    try:
        process = subprocess.Popen(["C:\\Users\\redacted.user\\AppData\\Local\\Google\Cloud SDK\\google-cloud-sdk\\bin\\bq.cmd",list_tables_bigquery],stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr = subprocess.STDOUT,shell=True,universal_newlines=True)
    except Exception as error:
        print(error)

powershell_communication = process.communicate()[0]

print(powershell_communication)

Here is the error message:

FATAL Command 'bq -q ls redacted:dataid' unknown
Run 'bq.py help' to get help

Thanks!

Answer 1

figured it out, I needed to list each element of my command separately:

try:
    #open bq program
    process = subprocess.Popen(["C:\\Users\\redacted.user\\AppData\\Local\\Google\Cloud SDK\\google-cloud-sdk\\bin\\bq.cmd",'ls', 'redacted:id'],stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT,shell=True,universal_newlines=True)
except Exception as error:
    print(error)

bq_communication = process.communicate()[0]
print(powershell_communication)