SQL For Dummies, 9th Edition

Chapter 19

SQL and JSON

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bridging the gap between JSON-formatted data and SQL-formatted data

Understanding the elements of the SQL/JSON data model

Converting data with SQL/JSON functions

Testing whether a string is valid JSON data

In the early days of computing, there were no databases. Data was kept in flat files, with no organizing structure. Clearly, there had to be a better way, and database architectures were devised in the 1950s and 1960s, primarily the hierarchical architecture and the network architecture. These early architectures were largely superseded by the relational architecture, which became dominant in the 1980s and the decades since. Relational databases are based on that relational architecture, and SQL is the universally used language for operating on relational databases.

In recent years, primarily with the advent of “big data,” a variety of non-relational architectures have taken hold in different application areas. Collectively known as NoSQL database architectures, each one has its own way of organizing and storing data.

It became clear that ...