SQL SERVER 2016 - JSON Data

JSON is a popular textual data format used for exchanging data in modern web and mobile applications. JSON is also used for storing unstructured data in log files or NoSQL databases. Many REST web services return results formatted as JSON text or accept data formatted as JSON. JSON is also the main format for exchanging data between web pages and web servers using AJAX calls.

SQL Server provides built-in functions and operators for following JSON data manipulation:

• Parse JSON text and read or modify values.
• Transform arrays of JSON objects into table format.
• Use any Transact SQL query on the converted JSON objects.
• Format the results of Transact-SQL queries in JSON format.

Transform JSON text to relational table:
OPENJSON is table-value function (TVF) that seeks into some JSON text, locate an array of JSON objects, iterate through the elements of array, and for each element generates one row in the output result. This feature will be available in CTP3. One example of OPENJSON function in T-SQL query is shown in the following example:

SELECT Number, Customer, Quantity
FROM OPENJSON (@JSalestOrderDetails, '$.OrdersArray')
WITH (
Number varchar(200),
Customer varchar(200),
Quantity int
) AS OrdersArray

Exporting data as JSON:
First feature that will be available in SQL Server 2016 CTP2 is ability to format query results as JSON text using FOR JSON clause. If you are familiar with FOR XML clause you will easily understand FOR JSON. When you add FOR JSON clause at the end of T-SQL SELECT query, SQL Server will take the results, format them as JSON text, and return it to client. Every row will be formatted as one JSON object, values in cells will be generated as values of JSON objects, and column names or aliases will be used as key names. Below is the syntax:

SELECT column, expression, column as alias
FROM table1, table2, table3
FOR JSON [AUTO | PATH]