---
title: "JSON_QUERY (Transact-SQL)"
description: JSON_QUERY extracts an object or an array from a JSON string.  
author: WilliamDAssafMSFT
ms.author: wiassaf
ms.reviewer: jovanpop
ms.date: 05/02/2024
ms.service: sql
ms.subservice: t-sql
ms.topic: reference
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  - "JSON_QUERY_TSQL"
helpviewer_keywords:
  - "JSON, extracting"
  - "JSON, querying"
  - "JSON_QUERY function"
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---
# JSON_QUERY (Transact-SQL)

[!INCLUDE [sqlserver2016-asdb-asdbmi-asa](../../includes/applies-to-version/sqlserver2016-asdb-asdbmi-asa.md)]

 Extracts an object or an array from a JSON string.  
  
 To extract a scalar value from a JSON string instead of an object or an array, see [JSON_VALUE (Transact-SQL)](json-value-transact-sql.md). For info about the differences between **JSON_VALUE** and `JSON_QUERY`, see [Compare JSON_VALUE and JSON_QUERY](../../relational-databases/json/validate-query-and-change-json-data-with-built-in-functions-sql-server.md#JSONCompare).  
  
 :::image type="icon" source="../../includes/media/topic-link-icon.svg" border="false"::: [Transact-SQL syntax conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Syntax
  
```syntaxsql
JSON_QUERY ( expression [ , path ] )  
```  
  
## Arguments

#### *expression*  
 An expression. Typically the name of a variable or a column that contains JSON text.  
  
 If `JSON_QUERY` finds JSON that is not valid in *expression* before it finds the value identified by *path*, the function returns an error. If `JSON_QUERY` doesn't find the value identified by *path*, it scans the entire text and returns an error if it finds JSON that is not valid anywhere in *expression*.  
  
#### *path*  
 A JSON path that specifies the object or the array to extract.

In [!INCLUDE [sssql17-md](../../includes/sssql17-md.md)] and in [!INCLUDE [ssazure-sqldb](../../includes/ssazure-sqldb.md)], you can provide a variable as the value of *path*.

The JSON path can specify lax or strict mode for parsing. If you don't specify the parsing mode, lax mode is the default. For more info, see [JSON Path Expressions (SQL Server)](../../relational-databases/json/json-path-expressions-sql-server.md).  

The default value for *path* is '$'. As a result, if you don't provide a value for *path*, `JSON_QUERY` returns the input *expression*.

If the format of *path* isn't valid, `JSON_QUERY` returns an error.  
  
## Return value

 Returns a JSON fragment of type **nvarchar(max)**. The collation of the returned value is the same as the collation of the input expression.  
  
 If the value is not an object or an array:  
  
- In lax mode, `JSON_QUERY` returns null.  
  
- In strict mode, `JSON_QUERY` returns an error.  
  
## Remarks

### Lax mode and strict mode

 Consider the following JSON text:  
  
```json  
{
   "info": {
      "type": 1,
      "address": {
         "town": "Cheltenham",
         "county": "Gloucestershire",
         "country": "England"
      },
      "tags": ["Sport", "Water polo"]
   },
   "type": "Basic"
} 
```  
  
 The following table compares the behavior of `JSON_QUERY` in lax mode and in strict mode. For more info about the optional path mode specification (lax or strict), see [JSON Path Expressions (SQL Server)](../../relational-databases/json/json-path-expressions-sql-server.md).  
  
|Path|Return value in lax mode|Return value in strict mode|More info|  
|----------|------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------|  
|$|Returns the entire JSON text.|Returns the entire JSON text.|N/a|  
|$.info.type|NULL|Error|Not an object or array.<br /><br /> Use **JSON_VALUE** instead.|  
|$.info.address.town|NULL|Error|Not an object or array.<br /><br /> Use **JSON_VALUE** instead.|  
|$.info."address"|N'{ "town":"Cheltenham", "county":"Gloucestershire", "country":"England" }'|N'{ "town":"Cheltenham", "county":"Gloucestershire", "country":"England" }'|N/a|  
|$.info.tags|N'[ "Sport", "Water polo"]'|N'[ "Sport", "Water polo"]'|N/a|  
|$.info.type[0]|NULL|Error|Not an array.|  
|$.info.none|NULL|Error|Property does not exist.|  

### <a id="using-json_query-with-for-json"></a> Use JSON_QUERY with FOR JSON

`JSON_QUERY` returns a valid JSON fragment. As a result, **FOR JSON** doesn't escape special characters in the `JSON_QUERY` return value.

If you're returning results with FOR JSON, and you're including data that's already in JSON format (in a column or as the result of an expression), wrap the JSON data with `JSON_QUERY` without the *path* parameter.

## Examples
  
### Example 1

 The following example shows how to return a JSON fragment from a `CustomFields` column in query results.  
  
```sql  
SELECT PersonID,FullName,
  JSON_QUERY(CustomFields,'$.OtherLanguages') AS Languages
FROM Application.People
```  
  
### Example 2

The following example shows how to include JSON fragments in the output of the FOR JSON clause.  
  
```sql  
SELECT StockItemID, StockItemName,
         JSON_QUERY(Tags) as Tags,
         JSON_QUERY(CONCAT('["',ValidFrom,'","',ValidTo,'"]')) ValidityPeriod
FROM Warehouse.StockItems
FOR JSON PATH
```  
  
## Related content

- [JSON Path Expressions (SQL Server)](../../relational-databases/json/json-path-expressions-sql-server.md)
- [JSON data in SQL Server](../../relational-databases/json/json-data-sql-server.md)