JSON

Note

This feature is available in Lite, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions only.

This guide provides instructions on how to set up and use JSON files with DBeaver. The JSON driver supports standard JSON files and allows you to work with JSON data as if it were in a database. You can retrieve data and apply filters, sorting, and other operations, even combining data from multiple files.

Important

When using the JSON driver, all connected JSON files are read-only. To make changes, you need to update the original files outside DBeaver.

Before you start, you need to create a connection in DBeaver and select the appropriate JSON driver. If you haven’t done this, see our Database Connection article.

Tip

DBeaver can create a connection directly from AI Chat.

Upload one or more JSON files in AI Chat and click Open as table.

You can open and work with JSON files stored in your Cloud Storage directly in DBeaver. Double-click a file to create a temporary connection. Files opened during a session appear in the File databases folder in Database Navigator. These temporary connections are removed when you close DBeaver.

JSON Files driver connection settings

This section describes how to set up a connection using the JSON driver. The connection settings page requires the following fields:

Field	Description
Connect by (Path/URL)	Choose whether to connect using a local host path or a URL.
File paths	Specify the location of the JSON file(s). Choose an action: - Edit: Modify an existing file or folder selection. - Add: Add a new file or folder. - Remove: Delete a selected file or folder. When Editing or Adding, choose from: - File: Select a single file. - Folder: Choose a directory containing multiple JSON files. For more details, see Folder structure section. - Remote: Access a remote folder via Cloud Storage. This feature is available only in Ultimate and Team Editions.
Driver name	This field will be auto-filled based on your selected driver type.
Driver settings	If there are any specific driver settings, configure them here.

For details on driver properties, see File-based driver properties.

Tip

When using the Folder option, DBeaver scans the directory up to two levels deep for JSON files. For more information, see folder structure. If you select a folder, DBeaver organizes files in schemas based on their directory structure.

Features and capabilities

Advanced SQL query capabilities

The JSON driver supports the full range of SQL queries:

• Simple queries (e.g., SELECT * FROM table): Data is read directly from the JSON file.
• Complex queries (e.g., using WHERE, JOIN, ORDER BY, GROUP BY): When a complex query is executed for the first time, the driver imports the entire JSON file into an internal database to enable advanced SQL functions. Subsequent queries run faster because the data is already imported into an internal database.

Structuring JSON files with a schema

To enhance how DBeaver interprets JSON files, you can define a schema using a DDL (Data Definition Language) file.

How to create a DDL file

1. Create a .ddl file with the same name as your JSON file, placing it in the same directory (e.g., employees.json and employees.json.ddl).
2. Write a schema using the CREATE TABLE statement:

CREATE TABLE employees
(
    id         INTEGER,
    name       TEXT NOT NULL,
    age        INTEGER,
    department TEXT
);

You can also use the WITH clause to set a data range - add firstRow and rowCount to your CREATE TABLE statement:

WITH (firstRow = 2, rowCount = 100)

• firstRow - row number to start reading from (default: 1)
• rowCount - maximum number of rows to read

Tip

You can also set firstRow and rowCount in the connection properties. DDL file settings take priority.

Important

If the DDL file contains errors, DBeaver will ignore it.

Folder structure

When working with a folder containing multiple JSON files, DBeaver organizes them as follows:

Folder structure	Schema in DBeaver
Root files	Default schema
Subfolder files	Schema named after the subfolder
Files in deeper folders	Ignored

If your folder looks like this:

Data/
├── employees.json
├── sales.json
└── Reports/
    └── monthly.json
    └── yearly.json

DBeaver will create:

• Default schema: employees, sales
• Reports schema: monthly, yearly

Tip

To focus on specific files, consider selecting individual files or folders when configuring the connection.

Internal database

When you execute a complex query (such as WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY, or ORDER BY.), on a JSON file for the first time, the JSON driver processes the data by importing it into a temporary internal SQLite database.

By default, this internal database stores data temporarily on the disk during your session and is cleared when DBeaver restarts. To speed up queries on the same file in future sessions, you can specify the internalDbFilePath option in the Driver properties tab (e.g., C:\User\database.db) to reuse the processed data.

Additional features

DBeaver provides additional features compatible with JSON driver, but not exclusive to it:

Category	Feature
Data Transfer	Data Export
Data Visualization	Visual Query Builder
	Charts