# Accessing the Event store

Google [maintains documentation on how to access and use Google BigQuery](https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/docs/reference).

We urge you to download the [Google Cloud SDK](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/), which contains several tools that you’ll need to connect to BigQuery from the command line. Connecting from the command line is often a good place to start testing and interacting with BigQuery. In particular, we urge you to install the `gcloud` and `bq` command-line tools.

### Unizin member access <a href="#accessingtheeventstore-unizinmemberaccess" id="accessingtheeventstore-unizinmemberaccess"></a>

Unizin is required to seek authorization from your Institution’s UDP Data steward. Unizin will not grant any individual access to the Event store without explicit authorization from a recognized UDP data steward.

[**Request access to the UDP event store at your institution**.](https://resources.unizin.org/support-and-training#user-help-and-support)

When your institutional UDP data steward has approved access, you will use a [Google Service account](https://cloud.google.com/iam/docs/understanding-service-accounts) provided by the Unizin Services team (note: multiple service accounts can be created for a diverse set of data needs at your institution).

When you’ve installed the Google Cloud SDK, the first thing you should do is configure your local system to use a Google Service Account. Your Google Service Account was created by Unizin Services. The Unizin Services team provides you with a key to the Google Service account. The key is a JSON file that you need to store in a secure place on your local system. Once the Google Service Account key is in your local system, authenticate it against the UDP:

**Authenticate with GCP**

```bash
gcloud auth activate-service-account --key-file=<path-to-JSON-keyfile>
```

You should now have access to query your UDP Event store.

To query your Event store, you can use the bq command-line tool:

**Authenticate with GCP**

```bash
bq query “SELECT COUNT(id) ROM event_store.events WHERE event_time > '2021-01-01'”
```

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Once you’ve validated the above basic forms of access, you will likely want to explore your data in a more programmatic way. The following references may help provide you with the means of using the Event store in your applications and services:

1. [BigQuery command-line interface](https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/docs/bq-command-line-tool)
2. [BigQuery client libraries](https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/docs/reference/libraries)