format-nested-json-output-with-path-mode-sql-server.md

title	Format Nested JSON Output with PATH Mode (SQL Server) | Microsoft Docs
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ms.date	07/17/2017
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Format Nested JSON Output with PATH Mode (SQL Server)

[!INCLUDEtsql-appliesto-ss2016-asdb-xxxx-xxx_md]

To maintain full control over the output of the FOR JSON clause, specify the PATH option.

PATH mode lets you create wrapper objects and nest complex properties. The results are formatted as an array of JSON objects.

The alternative is to use the AUTO option to format the output automatically based on the structure of the SELECT statement.

• For more info about the AUTO option, see Format JSON Output Automatically with AUTO Mode .
• For an overview of both options, see Format Query Results as JSON with FOR JSON.

Here are some examples of the FOR JSON clause with the PATH option. Format nested results by using dot-separated column names or by using nested queries, as shown in the following examples. By default, null values are not included in FOR JSON output.

Example - Dot-separated column names

The following query formats the first five rows from the AdventureWorks Person table as JSON.

The FOR JSON PATH clause uses the column alias or column name to determine the key name in the JSON output. If an alias contains dots, the PATH option creates nested objects.

Query

SELECT TOP 5   
       BusinessEntityID As Id,  
       FirstName, LastName,  
       Title As 'Info.Title',  
       MiddleName As 'Info.MiddleName'  
   FROM Person.Person  
   FOR JSON PATH   

Result

[{
	"Id": 1,
	"FirstName": "Ken",
	"LastName": "Sanchez",
	"Info": {
		"MiddleName": "J"
	}
}, {
	"Id": 2,
	"FirstName": "Terri",
	"LastName": "Duffy",
	"Info": {
		"MiddleName": "Lee"
	}
}, {
	"Id": 3,
	"FirstName": "Roberto",
	"LastName": "Tamburello"
}, {
	"Id": 4,
	"FirstName": "Rob",
	"LastName": "Walters"
}, {
	"Id": 5,
	"FirstName": "Gail",
	"LastName": "Erickson",
	"Info": {
		"Title": "Ms.",
		"MiddleName": "A"
	}
}]

Example - Multiple tables

If you reference more than one table in a query, FOR JSON PATH nests each column using its alias. The following query creates one JSON object per (OrderHeader, OrderDetails) pair joined in the query.

Query

SELECT TOP 2 SalesOrderNumber AS 'Order.Number',  
        OrderDate AS 'Order.Date',  
        UnitPrice AS 'Product.Price',  
        OrderQty AS 'Product.Quantity'  
FROM Sales.SalesOrderHeader H  
   INNER JOIN Sales.SalesOrderDetail D  
     ON H.SalesOrderID = D.SalesOrderID  
FOR JSON PATH   

Result

[{
	"Order": {
		"Number": "SO43659",
		"Date": "2011-05-31T00:00:00"
	},
	"Product": {
		"Price": 2024.9940,
		"Quantity": 1
	}
}, {
	"Order": {
		"Number": "SO43659"
	},
	"Product": {
		"Price": 2024.9940
	}
}]

Learn more about the built-in JSON support in SQL Server

For lots of specific solutions, use cases, and recommendations, see the blog posts about the built-in JSON support in SQL Server and in Azure SQL Database by Microsoft Program Manager Jovan Popovic.

See Also

FOR Clause (Transact-SQL)