#PowerPlatformTip 104 – ‘Efficient JSON Handling’

💡 Challenge

Effectively managing JSON structures in Power Automate can seem daunting without a solid grasp of JSON structures and schemas.

✅ Solution

Master basic and advanced JSON handling techniques to streamline your Power Automate flows for better efficiency.

🔧 How It’s Done

Here’s how to do it:

1. Basic Structure
   🔸 Use objects {} to define key-value pairs, where the key is a unique identifier and the value can contain different data types.
   🔸 Example:

   { “name”: “John Doe”, “age”: 30 }

   🔸 Use arrays [] to create an ordered list of values, ideal for storing multiple items of the same type.
   🔸 Example:

   [“Apple”, “Banana”, “Cherry”]

2. Type Restrictions
   🔸 Specify a specific data type for each field in your JSON schema to ensure correct formatting and interpretation. Include null or multiple types for flexibility.
   🔸 Example:

   { “type”: “object”, “properties”: { “name”: { “type”: “string” }, “age”: { “type”: “number” }, “verified”: { “type”: “boolean” }, “nickname”: { “type”: [“string”, “null”] } } }

3. Detailed Specifications
   🔸 Define properties for objects to specify expected data fields and their types.
   🔸 Example for properties:

   “properties”: { “name”: { “type”: “string” }, “hobbies”: { “type”: “array”, “items”: { “type”: “string” } } }

   🔸 Specify items in arrays to determine the type of included elements.
   🔸 Example for items:

   “hobbies”: { “type”: “array”, “items”: { “type”: “string” } }

4. Required Fields
   🔸 Use the required attribute to mark essential fields in an object.
   🔸 Example:

   { “type”: “object”, “properties”: { “name”: { “type”: “string” }, “age”: { “type”: “number” } }, “required”: [“name”] }

5. Constraints
   🔸 Define limits for string lengths or numerical value ranges.
   🔸 Example for constraints:

   “name”: { “type”: “string”, “minLength”: 2, “maxLength”: 100 }, “age”: { “type”: “number”, “minimum”: 0, “maximum”: 120 }

6. Format Validation
   🔸 Use the format attribute to validate specific data types like email addresses or date values.
   🔸 Example for format validation:

   “email”: { “type”: “string”, “format”: “email” }, “birthday”: { “type”: “string”, “format”: “date” }

7. Add extra informations
   🔸 Add title and description within each type specification to provide context and detailed descriptions in your JSON schema.
   🔸 Example:

   “name”: { “type”: “string”, “title”: “User’s Name”, “description”: “The full name of the user” }, “age”: { “type”: “number”, “title”: “User’s Age”, “description”: “The age of the user in years” }

🎉 Result

By applying these structuring and validation techniques in your Power Automate flows, you can enhance data integrity, reduce errors, and improve the efficiency of your automation processes.

🌟 Key Advantages

🔸 Clearly defined data structures improve readability and maintainability.
🔸 Strict data type validation minimizes errors and ensures consistent data processing.
🔸 Customizable validation rules allow for flexible data checking and manipulation.

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🎥 Video Tutorial

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🛠️ FAQ

1. What is the difference between JSON objects and arrays?
Objects use curly braces to define key-value pairs, while arrays use square brackets to store ordered lists of values.

2. How do type restrictions improve JSON validation in Power Automate?
Type restrictions ensure each field matches an expected data type, reducing errors and improving flow reliability.

3. Can I include multiple formats like email and date validations in one schema?
Yes, you can use the format attribute on different properties to enforce email, date, URI, and other standard validations.

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