---
description: "Use OPENJSON with an Explicit Schema (SQL Server)"
title: "Use OPENJSON with an Explicit Schema"
ms.date: 06/03/2020
ms.prod: sql
ms.technology: 
ms.topic: conceptual
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "OPENJSON, with explicit schema"
ms.assetid: 9c1c3bfb-e1ad-4659-b94f-722b0848d5a2
author: jovanpop-msft
ms.author: jovanpop
ms.reviewer: jroth
ms.custom: seo-dt-2019
monikerRange: "=azuresqldb-current||>=sql-server-2016||>=sql-server-linux-2017||=azuresqldb-mi-current"
---
# Use OPENJSON with an Explicit Schema (SQL Server)
[!INCLUDE [SQL Server Azure SQL Database](../../includes/applies-to-version/sqlserver2016-asdb.md)]

  Use **OPENJSON** with an explicit schema to return a table that's formatted as you specify in the WITH clause.  
  
 Here are some examples that use **OPENJSON** with an explicit schema. For more info and more  examples, see [OPENJSON (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/openjson-transact-sql.md).  
  
## Example - Use the WITH clause to format the output  
 The following query returns the results shown in the following table. Notice how the AS JSON clause causes values to be returned as JSON objects instead of scalar values in col5 and array_element.  
  
```sql  
DECLARE @json NVARCHAR(MAX) =
N'{"someObject":   
    {"someArray":  
      [  
          {"k1": 11, "k2": null, "k3": "text"},  
          {"k1": 21, "k2": "text2", "k4": { "data": "text4" }},  
          {"k1": 31, "k2": 32},  
          {"k1": 41, "k2": null, "k4": { "data": false }}     
       ]  
    }  
 }'  
   
SELECT * FROM  
 OPENJSON(@json, N'lax $.someObject.someArray')  
WITH ( k1 int,   
        k2 varchar(100),  
        col3 varchar(6) N'$.k3',  
        col4 varchar(10) N'lax $.k4.data',  
        col5 nvarchar(MAX) N'lax $.k4' AS JSON, 
        array_element nvarchar(MAX) N'$' AS JSON  
 )  
```  
  
 **Results**  
  
|k1|k2|col3|col4|col5|array_element|  
|--------|--------|----------|----------|----------|--------------------|  
|11|*NULL*|"text"|*NULL*|*NULL*|{"k1": 11, "k2": null, "k3": "text"}|  
|21|"text2"|*NULL*|"text4"|{ "data": "text4" }|{"k1": true, "k2": "text2", "k4": { "data": "text4" } }|  
|31|"32"|*NULL*|*NULL*|*NULL*|{"k1": 31, "k2": 32 }|  
|41|*NULL*|*NULL*|false|{ "data": false }|{"k1": 41, "k2": null,       "k4": { "data": false }    }|  
  
## Example - Load JSON into a [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] table.  
 The following example loads an entire JSON object into a [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] table.  
  
```sql  
DECLARE @json NVARCHAR(MAX) = '{  
  "id" : 2,  
  "firstName": "John",  
  "lastName": "Smith",  
  "isAlive": true,  
  "age": 25,  
  "dateOfBirth": "2015-03-25T12:00:00",  
  "spouse": null  
  }';  
   
  INSERT INTO Person  
  SELECT *   
  FROM OPENJSON(@json)  
  WITH (id int,  
        firstName nvarchar(50), lastName nvarchar(50),   
        isAlive bit, age int,  
        dateOfBirth datetime2, spouse nvarchar(50))  
```  

## Learn more about JSON in SQL Server and Azure SQL Database  
  
### Microsoft videos

For a visual introduction to the built-in JSON support in SQL Server and Azure SQL Database, see the following videos:

-   [JSON as a bridge between NoSQL and relational worlds](https://channel9.msdn.com/events/DataDriven-SQLServer2016/JSON-as-bridge-betwen-NoSQL-relational-worlds)
  
## See Also  
 [OPENJSON (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/openjson-transact-sql.md)