Azure Data Factory aggregating SQL rows into JSON with path data and values

Question

I've seen how to use the Aggregate transformation in an ADF Data Flow along with a static hierarchy specified in a Derived Columns transformation and the collect() function to output custom JSON.

What I want to do is a little different. If my tabular data contains one column with a single attribute value, and another column with a string representing the JSON path where I want the first column's attribute value to be output in the JSON schema, how would this sort of transformation be achieved?

Table Input:

JSON Output:

{  
 "user": {  
 "id" : 1  
 "firstName": "John",  
 "lastName": "Doe",  
 "address": {  
 "city": "Pittsburgh",  
 "state": "Pennsylvania"  
 }  
 },  
 "user": {  
 "id" : 2  
 "firstName": "Jane",  
 "lastName": "Doe",  
 "address": {  
 "city": "Pittsburgh",  
 "state": "Pennsylvania"  
 }  
 },  
}  

Answer 1

Hello @Cory Seaman ,

Thanks for the question and using MS Q&A platform.

I was able to get this by combining Mappng data flow and Copy Activity. The mapping Data Flow to transform the columns.

For Demonstration purpose,

I took only the below columns :

user.name  
entity  
user.address.state  
user.address.city  

Source :

The complete DataFlow :

The first thing I did was the transpose the AttributePath and Attribute Values using Pivot columns

For 1 EntityID - there will be one row of the record.

The below is the Pivot Configuration I had

There will be drifted columns generated - I mapped them with Window Schema Modifier. Or you can click on the "Map drifted Columns" in the data preview section of the Pivot Action.

I outputted as a JSON file using a sink transformation

Now with as a source file - output of the Above DataFlow,

I did copy activity to destination (sink) - as a JSON.

I imported schema from a sample file - this would be file with output that you had shared in the question,

Now in the Copy activity, you could map the columns as required.

Output :

Hope this will help. Please let us know if any further queries.

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