---
title: "Use OPENJSON with the Default Schema"
description: "Use OPENJSON with the default schema."
author: WilliamDAssafMSFT
ms.author: wiassaf
ms.reviewer: jovanpop, umajay
ms.date: 07/23/2025
ms.service: sql
ms.topic: language-reference
ms.custom:
  - ignite-2025
helpviewer_keywords:
  - "OPENJSON, with default schema"
monikerRange: "=azuresqldb-current || =azure-sqldw-latest || >=sql-server-2016 || >=sql-server-linux-2017 || =azuresqldb-mi-current || =fabric-sqldb"
---
# Use OPENJSON with the Default Schema

[!INCLUDE [SQL Server 2016 Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance Azure Synapse Analytics FabricSQLDB](../../includes/applies-to-version/sqlserver2016-asdb-asdbmi-asa-fabricsqldb.md)]

  Use `OPENJSON` with the default schema to return a table with one row for each property of the object or for each element in the array.  

 Here are some examples that use `OPENJSON` with the default schema. For more info and more examples, see [OPENJSON (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/openjson-transact-sql.md).  

## Example - Return each property of an object

 **Query**  

```sql  
SELECT *
FROM OPENJSON('{"name":"John","surname":"Doe","age":45}') 
```  

 **Results**  

|Key|Value|  
|---------|-----------|  
|name|John|  
|surname|Doe|  
|age|45|  

## Example - Return each element of an array

 **Query**  

```sql  
SELECT [key],value
FROM OPENJSON('["en-GB", "en-UK","de-AT","es-AR","sr-Cyrl"]') 
```  

 **Results**  

|Key|Value|  
|---------|-----------|  
|0|en-GB|  
|1|en-UK|  
|2|de-AT|  
|3|es-AR|  
|4|sr-Cyrl|  

## Example - Convert JSON to a temporary table

 The following query returns all properties of the **info** object.  

```sql  
DECLARE @json NVARCHAR(MAX)

SET @json=N'{  
     "info":{    
       "type":1,  
       "address":{    
         "town":"Bristol",  
         "county":"Avon",  
         "country":"Great Britain"  
       },  
       "tags":["Sport", "Water polo"]  
    },  
    "type":"Basic"  
 }'

SELECT *
FROM OPENJSON(@json,N'lax $.info')
```  

 **Results**  

|Key|Value|Type|  
|---------|-----------|----------|  
|type|1|0|  
|address|{ "town":"Bristol", "county":"Avon", "country":"Great Britain" }|5|  
|tags|[ "Sport", "Water polo" ]|4|  

## Example - Combine relational data and JSON data

 In the following example, the SalesOrderHeader table has a SalesReason text column that contains an array of SalesOrderReasons in JSON format. The SalesOrderReasons objects contain properties like "Manufacturer" and "Quality." The example creates a report that joins every sales order row to the related sales reasons by expanding the JSON array of sales reasons as if the reasons were stored in a separate child table.  

```sql  
SELECT SalesOrderID,OrderDate,value AS Reason
FROM Sales.SalesOrderHeader
CROSS APPLY OPENJSON(SalesReasons)
```  

 In this example, OPENJSON returns a table of sales reasons in which the reasons appear as the value column. The CROSS APPLY operator joins each sales order row to the rows returned by the OPENJSON table-valued function.  

## Learn more about JSON in the SQL Database Engine

### Microsoft videos

For a visual introduction to the built-in JSON support, see the following videos:

- [JSON as a bridge between NoSQL and relational worlds](/events/datadriven-sqlserver2016/json-as-bridge-betwen-nosql-relational-worlds)

## Related content

- [OPENJSON (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/openjson-transact-sql.md)