diff --git a/integration_tests/models/plugins/bigquery/bigquery_external.yml b/integration_tests/models/plugins/bigquery/bigquery_external.yml
index 3d6a0062..5cf76647 100644
--- a/integration_tests/models/plugins/bigquery/bigquery_external.yml
+++ b/integration_tests/models/plugins/bigquery/bigquery_external.yml
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ sources:
         columns: &cols-of-the-people
           - name: id
             data_type: int64
+            description: id_of_the_person
           - name: first_name
             data_type: string
           - name: last_name
diff --git a/macros/common/stage_external_sources.sql b/macros/common/stage_external_sources.sql
index 7fad72d5..eaf55301 100644
--- a/macros/common/stage_external_sources.sql
+++ b/macros/common/stage_external_sources.sql
@@ -66,6 +66,9 @@
             
         {% endfor %}
         
+        {% set update_columns = dbt_external_tables.update_external_table_columns(node) %}
+        {{ update_columns }}
+
     {% endfor %}
     
 {% endmacro %}
diff --git a/macros/common/update_external_table_columns.sql b/macros/common/update_external_table_columns.sql
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a37ec52f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macros/common/update_external_table_columns.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{% macro update_external_table_columns(source_node) %}
+    {{ return(adapter.dispatch('update_external_table_columns', 'dbt_external_tables')(source_node)) }}
+{% endmacro %}
+
+{% macro default__update_external_table_columns(source_node) %}
+
+{% endmacro %}
diff --git a/macros/plugins/bigquery/create_external_table.sql b/macros/plugins/bigquery/create_external_table.sql
index f578782a..fe7a5ac8 100644
--- a/macros/plugins/bigquery/create_external_table.sql
+++ b/macros/plugins/bigquery/create_external_table.sql
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 {% macro bigquery__create_external_table(source_node) %}
-
     {%- set columns = source_node.columns.values() -%}
     {%- set external = source_node.external -%}
     {%- set partitions = external.partitions -%}
diff --git a/macros/plugins/bigquery/update_external_table_columns.sql b/macros/plugins/bigquery/update_external_table_columns.sql
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5af562e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macros/plugins/bigquery/update_external_table_columns.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{% macro bigquery__update_external_table_columns(source_node) %}
+    {%- set columns = source_node.columns -%}
+    {%- set relation = source(source_node.source_name, source_node.name) -%}
+    {%- do adapter.update_columns(relation, columns) -%}
+{% endmacro %}