How to Convert JSON to SQL

Step by step

1. Start from an array of objects

   Each object becomes one row and its keys become columns. A bare object is treated as a single row; an array of arrays has no field names and cannot be converted.

2. Name the table and pick the quoting style

   MySQL and MariaDB use `backticks`, PostgreSQL and standard SQL use "double quotes", SQL Server uses [brackets]. Using the wrong style is a syntax error, not a stylistic difference.

3. Let every identifier be quoted

   order, group, key, user and desc are all reserved words and all common field names. Quoting only the identifiers that look unusual leaves those bare and the statement fails. Quoting everything is never wrong.

4. Check the column list

   When records carry different fields, the column list should be the union of all of them, with NULL filling the gaps. If your converter uses only the first record's keys, later records silently lose data.

5. Decide what to do with nested values

   An object or array has no column type. Storing it as JSON text is the honest default; if you need the values as columns, flatten the document before converting.

6. Read the SQL before running it

   Generated SQL escapes quotes but is not parameterised. Treat it as a script to review, run it against a development database first, and never paste untrusted data through it into production.

Example

Note the quoted "order" — a reserved word — and the NULL filling the field the first record lacks.

[
  { "id": 1, "order": 10 },
  { "id": 2, "order": 20, "note": "late" }
]

INSERT INTO "orders" ("id", "order", "note") VALUES
(1, 10, NULL),
(2, 20, 'late');

Frequently asked questions

• JSON to SQL Converter Turn a JSON array into INSERT statements. In your browser
• JSON Flatten Turn nested JSON into a flat map of dot-separated paths. In your browser
• JSON Formatter Beautify, validate and sort JSON with precise error messages. In your browser
• SQL Formatter Reformat dense SQL into readable, indented statements. In your browser
• CSV to JSON Converter Turn CSV rows into a clean JSON array of objects. In your browser

• How to Convert CSV to JSON Turn a spreadsheet export into a clean JSON array, with the delimiter and header options that matter.
• How to Format JSON Turn minified or broken JSON into something readable, and fix it when it will not parse.