#PowerPlatformTip 125: ‘Convert CSV to JSON’

TL;DR: Convert CSV to JSON in Power Automate with only standard actions, split, Select and Parse JSON, no premium connector.

💡 Challenge

You need to convert CSV data into JSON in Power Automate, without premium connectors or external services.

✅ Solution

Use standard Power Automate actions to split the CSV and map it into JSON, quickly and directly, with no premium dependency.

🔧 How It’s Done

1. Split the CSV into lines

🔸 Compose: @split(outputs('CSV_File'), outputs('NewLine')) to break the content into individual lines.

2. Extract the field names

🔸 Compose: @split(first(outputs('SplitByLines')), ',') to get the header row.

3. Map fields to JSON

🔸 Use a Select action to map each remaining line. Reference field names with @{outputs('FieldNames')?[0]} and values with @split(item(), ',')?[1], continuing for each field.

4. Count the fields

🔸 Compose: @length(outputs('FieldNames')).

5. Parse to JSON

🔸 Feed the mapped data into a Parse JSON action to finish the transformation.

🎉 Result

You convert CSV data into JSON entirely within Power Automate using standard actions, no premium connectors or external services required.

🌟 Key Advantages

🔸 Uses only standard Power Automate actions

🔸 Fast, direct conversion with no extra cost

🔸 Simplifies data handling and integration

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🛠️ FAQ

1. Do I need premium connectors to convert CSV to JSON? No. This approach uses only built-in Power Automate actions, no premium connectors or external services required.

2. How can I handle CSV files with different delimiters? Adjust the split function to use your delimiter, for example @split(item(), ';') for semicolon-separated files.

3. What if header names contain spaces or special characters? Use string functions like replace() to sanitize header values before mapping, ensuring valid JSON property names.

🔗 Related Tips

• #PowerPlatformTip 124: Recognize Plain Text File Formats, read CSV and other text files without Base64 decoding.
• #PowerPlatformTip 104: Efficient JSON Handling, work with the resulting JSON efficiently.