Book Image

Hands-On Data Science with SQL Server 2017

By : Marek Chmel, Vladimír Mužný
Book Image

Hands-On Data Science with SQL Server 2017

By: Marek Chmel, Vladimír Mužný

Overview of this book

SQL Server is a relational database management system that enables you to cover end-to-end data science processes using various inbuilt services and features. Hands-On Data Science with SQL Server 2017 starts with an overview of data science with SQL to understand the core tasks in data science. You will learn intermediate-to-advanced level concepts to perform analytical tasks on data using SQL Server. The book has a unique approach, covering best practices, tasks, and challenges to test your abilities at the end of each chapter. You will explore the ins and outs of performing various key tasks such as data collection, cleaning, manipulation, aggregations, and filtering techniques. As you make your way through the chapters, you will turn raw data into actionable insights by wrangling and extracting data from databases using T-SQL. You will get to grips with preparing and presenting data in a meaningful way, using Power BI to reveal hidden patterns. In the concluding chapters, you will work with SQL Server integration services to transform data into a useful format and delve into advanced examples covering machine learning concepts such as predictive analytics using real-world examples. By the end of this book, you will be in a position to handle the growing amounts of data and perform everyday activities that a data science professional performs.
Table of Contents (14 chapters)

Working with JSON

JSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a popular format these days for exchanging data among various endpoints. The most common usage of JSON is on mobile and web services. JSON is also used to store data for NoSQL databases, such as the Azure Cosmos DB. While it might seem that, with NoSQL and JSON, we work with unstructured data, only it's actually not the case. The data has a structure, only it's schema agnostic and the storage schema is defined by JSON itself, based on the content.

SQL Server has supported working with JSON since SQL Server 2016. Unlike XML, however, JSON is not the native data type in SQL Server. You can, however, use many SQL Server functions and operators to work with JSON text and perform the following:

  • Parse JSON text, and read or modify values
  • Transform arrays of JSON objects into a table format
  • Run any Transact-SQL query...