title: "Include Null Values in JSON - INCLUDE_NULL_VALUES Option | Microsoft Docs" ms.custom: "" ms.date: "06/02/2016" ms.prod: sql ms.prod_service: "database-engine, sql-database" ms.component: "json" ms.reviewer: "" ms.suite: "sql" ms.technology:
- "dbe-json" ms.tgt_pltfrm: "" ms.topic: conceptual helpviewer_keywords:
- "INCLUDE_NULL_VALUES (FOR JSON)" ms.assetid: 06873768-3778-4ed8-a1db-61758726bda0 caps.latest.revision: 14 author: "jovanpop-msft" ms.author: "jovanpop" ms.reviewer: douglasl manager: craigg monikerRange: "= azuresqldb-current || >= sql-server-2016 || = sqlallproducts-allversions"
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To include null values in the JSON output of the FOR JSON clause, specify the INCLUDE_NULL_VALUES option.
If you don't specify the INCLUDE_NULL_VALUES option, the JSON output doesn't include properties for values that are null in the query results.
The following example shows the output of the FOR JSON clause with and without the INCLUDE_NULL_VALUES option.
| Without the INCLUDE_NULL_VALUES option | With the INCLUDE_NULL_VALUES option |
|---|---|
{ "name": "John", "surname": "Doe" } |
{ "name": "John", "surname": "Doe", "age": null, "phone": null } |
Here's another example of a FOR JSON clause with the INCLUDE_NULL_VALUES option.
Query
SELECT name, surname
FROM emp
FOR JSON AUTO, INCLUDE_NULL_VALUES Result
[{
"name": "John",
"surname": null
}, {
"name": "Jane",
"surname": "Doe"
}] For specific solutions, use cases, and recommendations, see these blog posts about the built-in JSON support in SQL Server and Azure SQL Database.
For a visual introduction to the built-in JSON support in SQL Server and Azure SQL Database, see the following videos: