Using the wizard for JSON files

The DataMapper wizard for JSON files helps you create a data mapping configuration for a simple JSON file. The wizard provides limited options for specifying source records and boundaries, and adds one extraction step.

The wizard cannot create detail tables. If the file contains transactional data, create the data mapping configuration without a wizard (see Creating a new data mapping configuration), and add the extraction steps yourself.


The topic Setting up detail tables with JSON describes how to turn repeating items in an array or object in JSON into detail tables. In many cases, you can create detail tables from a JSON array automatically. See Create Detail Tables for JSON data.

There are two ways to open a JSON file with a wizard: from the Welcome screen or from the File menu.

  • From the Welcome screen

    1. Open the OL Connect Welcome page by clicking the Home icon at the top right or select the Help menu and then Welcome.

    2. Click New at the left..

    3. Click Data at the right and select JSON.

    4. Click the Browse button and select the file you want to work with. Click Next.

  • From the File menu

    1. In the menu, click File > New.

    2. Click the Data mapping Wizards drop-down and select From JSON File.

    3. Click Next.

    4. Click the Browse button and select the file you want to work with. Click Next.

After selecting a JSON file, specify if and how the JSON file must be split into multiple records.
This is done by selecting an object or array as parent element. Its direct child elements - objects and arrays, not key-value pairs - can be seen as individual source records. If the root is selected, there will be only one source record.

Whether source records are output as individual records depends on the trigger. Either:

  • Select On element to create a new record in the output for each object or array in the parent element.

  • Select On change to create a new record each time the value in a certain key-value pair changes. Only key-value pairs that exist at the root of a child element can be evaluated.

When you click Finish, a data mapping configuration will be set up with one Extract all step.

All data found in child elements of the selected parent element are extracted to fields at the root of the Data Model. If a value consists of an object or array, the entire object or array is extracted to one data field.

Field names are derived from keys, objects and arrays in the first record, but those aren't necessarily the same in a subsequent record. If following records have a different structure, for example if a record has more child elements compared to the first record, some data may not get extracted.

Any elements outside the selected parent element are repeated in the source records, but they don't get extracted automatically.