Updated: May 31, 2023 (August 7, 2022)

SQL Server 2022: JSON Updates Are Minimal but Useful

Andrew analyzes and writes about Microsoft's data management, business intelligence, and machine learning solutions, as well as aspects of licensing... more

SQL Server 2022 (in preview) updates existing JSON capabilities for working with document-based data.
The enhancements address previous shortcomings and help developers work with complex data structures and reduce custom coding.
SQL Server provides basic JSON capabilities and does not have plans to become a true document database solution.

SQL Server 2022, along with Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance, are previewing updated JSON capabilities. The JSON updates allow developers to query, parse, convert, and store document-based data using T-SQL, and to process document-based data alongside traditional SQL Server relational data. The features reduce the need to pre-process data with an external solution; however, SQL Server is not and does not plan to be a replacement for a full document database product, such as MongoDB.

JSON Document Data Overview

JSON is a data exchange format, based on self-describing data objects called documents, and fits into the classification of semi-structured data, also called nonrelational or not only (NoSQL) data. JSON document databases differ from SQL Server databases in numerous ways, but most noticeably in how the database is designed and managed:

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