12. Using JSON Data
Native support for JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data was introduced in Oracle Database 12c. You can use JSON with relational database features, including transactions, indexing, declarative querying, and views. You can project JSON data relationally, making it available for relational processes and tools. Also see Simple Oracle Document Access (SODA), which allows access to JSON documents through a set of NoSQL-style APIs.
For more information about using JSON in Oracle Database see the Database JSON Developer’s Guide.
Oracle Database 12c JSON Data Type
In Oracle Database 12c, JSON in relational tables is stored as BLOB, CLOB or VARCHAR2 data. All of these types can be used with python-oracledb in Thin or Thick modes.
The older syntax to create a table with a JSON column is like:
create table CustomersAsBlob (
id integer not null primary key,
json_data blob check (json_data is json)
);
The check constraint with the clause IS JSON
ensures only JSON data is
stored in that column.
The older syntax can still be used in Oracle Database 21c; however, the recommendation is to move to the new JSON type. With the old syntax, the storage can be BLOB, CLOB, or VARCHAR2. Of these, BLOB is preferred to avoid character set conversion overheads.
Oracle Database 21c JSON Data Type
Oracle Database 21c introduced a dedicated JSON data type with a new binary storage format that improves performance and functionality. To fully take advantage of the dedicated JSON type, use python-oracledb in Thick mode with Oracle Client libraries version 21, or later.
In Oracle Database 21, to create a table with a column called JSON_DATA
for
JSON data you might use:
create table CustomersAsJson (
id integer not null primary key,
json_data json
);
12.1. Using the Oracle Database 21c JSON Type in python-oracledb Thick Mode
Using python-oracledb Thick mode with Oracle Database 21c and Oracle Client 21c (or later), you can insert by binding as shown below:
data = [
(5, dict(name="Sally", dept="Sales", location="France")),
]
insert_sql = "insert into CustomersAsJson values (:1, :2)"
# Take advantage of direct binding
cursor.setinputsizes(None, oracledb.DB_TYPE_JSON)
cursor.execute(insert_sql, [1, data])
To fetch a JSON column, use:
for row in cursor.execute("select * from CustomersAsJson"):
print(row)
See json_direct.py for a runnable example. The example also shows how to use this type when python-oracledb Thick mode uses older Oracle Client libraries.
12.2. Using the Oracle Database 21c JSON Type and python-oracledb Thin Mode
Using python-oracledb Thin mode with Oracle Database 21c, you can insert into a JSON column as shown below:
data = [
(1, dict(name="Rod", dept="Sales", location="Germany")),
(2, dict(name="George", dept="Marketing", location="Bangalore")),
(3, dict(name="Sam", dept="Sales", location="Mumbai")),
(4, dict(name="Jill", dept="Marketing", location="Germany"))
]
insert_sql = "insert into CustomersAsJson values (:1, :2)"
# Insert the data as a JSON string
cursor.executemany(insert_sql, [(i, json.dumps(j)) for i, j in data])
For python-oracledb Thin mode, a type handler is required to fetch the Oracle 21c JSON datatype. If a type handler is used in the python-oracledb Thick mode, then the behavior is same in both the python-oracledb modes. The following example shows a type handler:
def my_type_handler(cursor, name, default_type, size, precision, scale):
if default_type == oracledb.DB_TYPE_JSON:
return cursor.var(str, arraysize=cursor.arraysize, outconverter=json.loads)
cursor.outputtypehandler = my_type_handler
for row in cursor.execute("select * from CustomersAsJson"):
print(row)
With a type handler, the python-oracledb Thin mode is equivalent
to using the python-oracledb Thick mode with Oracle Client 21c. The
python-oracledb Thin mode returns timestamps in a string representation.
Without a type handler, the python-oracledb Thin mode gives an error that
DB_TYPE_JSON
is not supported.
A type handler is not needed when fetching from the Oracle Database 19c JSON type, since this is represented as VARCHAR2 or LOB.
See json_type.py for a runnable example.
12.3. Using the Oracle 12c JSON type in python-oracledb
When using Oracle Database 12c or later with JSON using BLOB storage to insert JSON strings, use:
data = dict(name="Rod", dept="Sales", location="Germany")
inssql = "insert into CustomersAsBlob values (:1, :2)"
cursor.execute(inssql, [1, json.dumps(data)])
To fetch JSON strings, use:
import json
sql = "SELECT c.json_data FROM CustomersAsBlob c"
for j, in cursor.execute(sql):
print(json.loads(j.read()))
See json_blob.py for a runnable example.
12.4. IN Bind Type Mapping
When binding to a JSON value, the type
parameter for the variable must be
specified as oracledb.DB_TYPE_JSON
. Python values are converted to
JSON values as shown in the following table. The ‘SQL Equivalent’ syntax can
be used in SQL INSERT and UPDATE statements if specific attribute types are
needed but there is no direct mapping from Python.
Python Type or Value |
JSON Attribute Type or Value |
SQL Equivalent Example |
---|---|---|
None |
null |
NULL |
True |
true |
n/a |
False |
false |
n/a |
int |
NUMBER |
json_scalar(1) |
float |
NUMBER |
json_scalar(1) |
decimal.Decimal |
NUMBER |
json_scalar(1) |
str |
VARCHAR2 |
json_scalar(‘String’) |
datetime.date |
TIMESTAMP |
json_scalar(to_timestamp(‘2020-03-10’, ‘YYYY-MM-DD’)) |
datetime.datetime |
TIMESTAMP |
json_scalar(to_timestamp(‘2020-03-10’, ‘YYYY-MM-DD’)) |
bytes |
RAW |
json_scalar(utl_raw.cast_to_raw(‘A raw value’)) |
list |
Array |
json_array(1, 2, 3 returning json) |
dict |
Object |
json_object(key ‘Fred’ value json_scalar(5), key ‘George’ value json_scalar(‘A string’) returning json) |
n/a |
CLOB |
json_scalar(to_clob(‘A short CLOB’)) |
n/a |
BLOB |
json_scalar(to_blob(utl_raw.cast_to_raw(‘A short BLOB’))) |
n/a |
DATE |
json_scalar(to_date(‘2020-03-10’, ‘YYYY-MM-DD’)) |
n/a |
INTERVAL YEAR TO MONTH |
json_scalar(to_yminterval(‘+5-9’)) |
n/a |
INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND |
json_scalar(to_dsinterval(‘P25DT8H25M’)) |
n/a |
BINARY_DOUBLE |
json_scalar(to_binary_double(25)) |
n/a |
BINARY_FLOAT |
json_scalar(to_binary_float(15.5)) |
An example of creating a CLOB attribute with key mydocument
in a JSON column
using SQL is:
cursor.execute("""
insert into mytab (myjsoncol) values
(json_object(key 'mydocument' value json_scalar(to_clob(:b))
returning json))""",
['A short CLOB'])
When mytab is queried in python-oracledb, the CLOB data will be returned as a Python string, as shown by the following table. Output might be like:
{mydocument: 'A short CLOB'}
12.5. Query and OUT Bind Type Mapping
When getting Oracle Database 21 JSON values from the database, the following attribute mapping occurs:
Database JSON Attribute Type or Value |
Python Type or Value |
---|---|
null |
None |
false |
False |
true |
True |
NUMBER |
decimal.Decimal |
VARCHAR2 |
str |
RAW |
bytes |
CLOB |
str |
BLOB |
bytes |
DATE |
datetime.datetime |
TIMESTAMP |
datetime.datetime |
INTERVAL YEAR TO MONTH |
not supported |
INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND |
datetime.timedelta |
BINARY_DOUBLE |
float |
BINARY_FLOAT |
float |
Arrays |
list |
Objects |
dict |
12.6. SQL/JSON Path Expressions
Oracle Database provides SQL access to JSON data using SQL/JSON path
expressions. A path expression selects zero or more JSON values that match, or
satisfy, it. Path expressions can use wildcards and array ranges. A simple
path expression is $.friends
which is the value of the JSON field
friends
.
For example, the previously created customers
table with JSON column
json_data
can be queried like:
select c.json_data.location FROM customers c
With the JSON '{"name":"Rod","dept":"Sales","location":"Germany"}'
stored
in the table, the queried value would be Germany
.
The JSON_EXISTS functions tests for the existence of a particular value within
some JSON data. To look for JSON entries that have a location
field:
for blob, in cursor.execute("""
select json_data
from customers
where json_exists(json_data, '$.location')"""):
data = json.loads(blob.read())
print(data)
This query might display:
{'name': 'Rod', 'dept': 'Sales', 'location': 'Germany'}
The SQL/JSON functions JSON_VALUE
and JSON_QUERY
can also be used.
Note that the default error-handling behavior for these functions is
NULL ON ERROR
, which means that no value is returned if an error occurs.
To ensure that an error is raised, use ERROR ON ERROR
.
For more information, see SQL/JSON Path Expressions in the Oracle JSON Developer’s Guide.
12.7. Accessing Relational Data as JSON
In Oracle Database 12.2 or later, the JSON_OBJECT function is a great way to convert relational table data to JSON:
cursor.execute("""
select json_object('deptId' is d.department_id, 'name' is d.department_name) department
from departments d
where department_id < :did
order by d.department_id""",
[50]);
for row in cursor:
print(row)
This produces:
('{"deptId":10,"name":"Administration"}',)
('{"deptId":20,"name":"Marketing"}',)
('{"deptId":30,"name":"Purchasing"}',)
('{"deptId":40,"name":"Human Resources"}',)