Bug: `dataframe_to_json_generator` doesn't support `pandas.NA` type

[LinuxChristian]

Environment details

• OS type and version: Ubuntu 20.04.2
• Python version: 3.9.4
• pip version: 21.1.2
• google-cloud-bigquery version: 2.20.0

Steps to reproduce

1. Run the code example below

Code example

import pandas
from google.cloud import bigquery

df = pandas.DataFrame({
    "series_a": [1, 2, pandas.NA]
})

json_iter = bigquery._pandas_helpers.dataframe_to_json_generator(df)
for row in json_iter:
    print(row)

Stack trace

{'series_a': 1}
{'series_a': 2}
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/christian/code/bug_example.py", line 11, in <module>
    for row in json_iter:
  File "/home/christian/miniconda3/envs/data-services-prod/lib/python3.9/site-packages/google/cloud/bigquery/_pandas_helpers.py", line 783, in dataframe_to_json_generator
    if value != value:
  File "pandas/_libs/missing.pyx", line 360, in pandas._libs.missing.NAType.__bool__
TypeError: boolean value of NA is ambiguous

Suggested fix

Starting with pandas 1.0, an experimental pandas.NA value (singleton) is available to represent scalar missing values as
opposed to numpy.nan. Comparing the variable with itself (value != value) results in a TypeError as the pandas.NA value doesn't support type-casting to boolean.

I am planning to make a PR that switches the syntax value != value on _pandas_helpers.py#L783 to use the pandas.isna function but wanted to check if there is a better solution before I submit a patch?

[tswast]

Yes, I agree that's the problematic line. I'd like NaN to continue to serve the same purpose, but happy to also support NA.

[plamut]

I can probably have a closer look at this some time next week.

[LinuxChristian]

I completely forgot to submit my PR after opening this issue, sorry about that. I looked through the code and switching to pandas.isna seemed like the obvious solution since the function only works for pandas.DataFrame objects.