You might think that it is easy to get JSON data from a spreadsheet, and there are plenty of utilities around that are based on the idea that it is trivial. If such data was strictly tabular, then it might be. The problem is that any conversion tool makes assumptions about the way that data … Read more
We’re going to set up a web service for a SQL Server database using node js on a windows server. This is intended for a mobile application, but has a variety of other uses where an ODBC connection isn’t possible. This service is purely done as a demonstration for people with a database background, so … Read more
In this sixth and final installment in this introductory series on JSON I’d like to revisit the question of generating JSON from your Oracle database. Cos it’s great to be able to consume a format; but if you can’t spit it out easily too you’ll probably want to look elsewhere. Easily, that’s the keyword in that sentence. In my previous… Read more
In this fifth article in our series on JSON and the Oracle database we’ll be pulling the curtains back on the magic tricks that can convert your boring old relational data to JSON. OK, maybe that’s overselling it a little. Obviously there’s no magic involved; indeed some may say it’s anything but. But before we get to all of that,… Read more
There’s a possibility you’ve parachuted into this series on JSON and Oracle at this point. If you are already familiar with what JSON is and how it is created, and are only interested in discovering how to wrestle JSON data from an Oracle database, then you’re welcome, grab a seat. However, if you see the words JSON and Oracle, and… Read more
Welcome to part three in this series of articles about Oracle and its uneasy romance with JSON. Uneasy? Well, that’s a bit of a spoiler; so far it’s been smooth sailing. Part 1 was a precis of JSON, while Part 2 delved into the reasons for Oracle’s involvement in the area. So far so good; but now we’ve got to… Read more
In this short series of articles, we’ll be talking about JSON and its integration with the Oracle database. The first part was an introduction to JSON itself, and was, admittedly, very light on Oracle. But now it’s probably time to bring Oracle more into the story and talk about how the database has adapted to handle this new format. Or, actually,… Read more
Hi, meet my friend JSON. Chances are you’ve heard of it, perhaps you have a vague idea of what it’s for – something to do with data-interchange – perhaps you even suspect that the J stands for Javascript… or is that Java? The rise in JSON’s popularity has been pretty meteoric, from its early days back in the year 2001… Read more
At last, SQL Server has caught up with other RDBMSs by providing a useful measure of JSON-support. It is a useful start, even though it is nothing like as comprehensive as the existing XML support. For many applications, what is provided will be sufficient. Robert Sheldon describes what is there and what isn't.… Read more
Even the most experienced programmers can be caught unawares by software they've used for years without trouble. Dino Esposito explains why and how the JSON method in an ASP.NET MVC controller class suddenly started to cause an exception on a production server, and how he fixed the problem.… Read more
Hosted TFS, now called Visual Studio Online (VSO), has a new way of writing build processes called Build vNext. Agent tasks are the building blocks of processes and you can supplement the built-in ones with custom build tasks defined in JSON that use targets written in node.js or PowerShell. Jason Crease shows how to develop custom build tasks for building, testing, publishing and synchronizing databases.… Read more
Sometimes, the sheer byzantine complexity of the typical JavaScript frameworks underlying a typical web application can give you pause for thought. If all you need is a simple way of creating a mobile-first application that involves creating simple markup templates, loading them into a DOM fragment and dynamically populating them with JSON data, then maybe a lean micro-framework like Mustache.JS would provide a better, leaner approach.… Read more
For any browser-based application, it makes sense to load into the web page just the content that is immediately required and avoid whole-page refreshes whenever possible. Ajax technology and JSON makes this partial-rendering easy. It is, however, worth considering ASP.NET's own partial-rendering techniques, returning HTML. It requires less client-logic and is quicker to implement.… Read more
In the grand finale to Michael Sorens' series of PowerShell one-liners, we come to the handling of data, reading it in and writing it out, whether by files; input/output streams or a database. It shows how it can be done in a variety of formats including CSV, JSON, and XML.… Read more
Although SQL Server supports XML well, XML's little cousin JSON gets no love. This is frustrating now that JSON is in so much demand. Maybe, Phil suggests, it is possible to leverage all that XML, and XPath, goodness in SQL Server to produce JSON in a versatile way from SQL Queries? Yes, it so happens that there are plenty of alternatives.… Read more
The Web API framework is a useful tool for building RESTful ASP.NET MVC4 applications, but it's not essential. Dino Esposito demonstrates how you can use MVC3 to simulate several of the really useful web API framework features, and still maintain a nice, clean controller method.… Read more
It has always seemed strange to Phil that SQL Server has such complete support for XML, yet is completely devoid of any support for JSON. In the end, he was forced, by a website project, into doing something about it. The result is this article, an iconoclastic romp around the representation of hierarchical structures, and some code to get you started.… Read more
Doug Crockford is the man behind JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). He is a well-known critic of XML and guides the development of Javascript on the ECMA Standards Committee, as well as being the senior JavaScript architect at Yahoo! He is also the author of the popular 'JavaScript: The Good Parts'. Richard Morris was dispatched to ask him which the good parts were.… Read more
The ADO.Net Data Services framework enables you to provide data services to Web applications that are simple to integrate with them. The data services use URIs to point to pieces of data, and use standards such as JSON and XML to transfer that data. ADO.NET Data Services uses the Entity Framework, which allows an easy translation from a Database layer based on Stored procedures, to an object-orientated Application layer. It all seems surprisingly sensible. Prasanna explains all, as usual.… Read more
The easiest way to speed up an Ajax application is to take out the 'X' and use JSON rather than XML. Of course, it isn't that simple, as William Brewer explains, but JSON, and YAML, are fascinating solutions to the old problem of transferring complex data between modules, services and applications, nonetheless.… Read more
