Introducing JSON functionality built into SQL Server
JSON functions were first released in SQL Server 2016. This is not the first NoSQL data supported inside of the SQL Server engine. Before this, XML was supported in SQL Server with similar functions but with one key difference. Unlike XML, which is supported as a native data type inside of SQL Server, JSON is only supported with functions that work with JSON data but not a data type. Before we discuss the functions available in SQL Server, let’s briefly review JSON formatting.
The basics of JSON
JSON is a flexible data storage solution. As noted in the introduction to this chapter, it is often used to support mobile and web applications. One key aspect of JSON is that it does not support a schema and is prone to schema drift through development life cycles. This means that the data within it and the construction or organization of that data can change over time. Another key aspect to understand about JSON is that it...