1.
JSON Usage and
Performance in
SQL Server 2016
NEO SQL Server User Group | Bert Wagner | April 4, 2017
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2.
Background
● BI developer at Progressive Insurance for 6+ years
● I love JSON - I use it in APIs, hardware projects, websites
● I also love SQL and relational database structures
● Slide, demos, code is available on bertwagner.com
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3.
Overview
● What is JSON?
● Why use JSON?
● When is it appropriate to store JSON in SQL?
● Usage examples:
○ ETL and reporting
○ Database object maintenance
○ Performance parsing
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What does JSON look like?
{
“Make” : “Volkswagen”,
“Year” : 2003,
“Model” : {
“Base” : “Golf”,
“Trim” : “GL”
},
“Colors” : [“White”, “Pearl”, “Rust”],
“PurchaseDate” : “2006-10-05T00:00:00.000Z”
}

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Why use JSON?
Easy Processing
var car = { "Make" : "Volkswagen" };
console.log(car.Make);
// Output: Volkswagen
car.Year = 2003;
console.log(car);
// Output: { "Make" : "Volkswagen", "Year" : 2003" }
Javascript:

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Why use JSON?
APIs

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Why use JSON?
Storage Size
<Car>
<Make>Volkswagen</Make>
<Year>2003</Year>
<Model>
<Base>Golf</Base>
<Trim>GL</Trim>
</Model>
<Colors>
<Color>White</Color>
<Color>Pearl</Color>
<Color>Rust</Color>
</Colors>
<PurchaseDate>
2006-10-05 00:00:00.000
</PurcaseDate>
</Car>
{
“Make” : “Volkswagen”,
“Year” : 2003,
“Model” : {
“Base” : “Golf”,
“Trim” : “GL”
},
“Colors” :
[“White”, “Pearl”, Rust”],
“PurchaseDate” :
“2006-10-05T00:00:00.000Z”
}
XML: 225 Characters JSON: 145 Characters

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Appropriate Usage
Staging Data
● Load data raw
● Validate
● Transform

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Appropriate Usage
Error Logging
ErrorDate Component Data
2016-03-17 21:23:39 GetInventory { "Make : "Volkswagen", "Year" : 2003}
2016-03-19 12:59:31 Login { "User" : "Bert", "Referrer" : "http://google.com",
"AdditionalDetails" : "Invalid number of login attempts" }

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Appropriate Usage
Non-Analytical Data
● Sessions
● User preferences
● Non-frequently changing variables
○ Admin emails
○ Static dropdown menus

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Inappropriate Usage
High-Performance Requirements

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Inappropriate Usage
Validation/Integrity Requirements

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Inappropriate Usage
Being Lazy

14.
Demos
1. ETL and reporting
2. Database object maintenance
3. Performance parsing
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Performance Results
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● Indexes on computed columns are the solution
● Faster than C# libraries in some cases

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Recap
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● Many good (and bad) uses for JSON in SQL exist
● JSON can be fully manipulated in SQL Server 2016
● Performance is fast, especially with computed
column indexes

17.
Thank you!
● Twitter: @bertwagner
● Blog: https://bertwagner.com
● Email: bertwagner@bertwagner.com
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