Nested JSON to CSV: Handling Arrays Within Objects
Handle nested arrays and objects when converting JSON to CSV. Compare row explosion vs. serialized columns vs. multiple output sheets.
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Tags: data, json, csv
Nested JSON to CSV Handling: Strategies for Arrays Within Objects The array-within-object problem is where most JSON-to-CSV converters either make a silent wrong choice or crash. Given a record with a nested array, you have fundamentally incompatible representations: one CSV row per record, or one CSV row per array element. Neither is universally correct. This post examines the core challenge, the two main strategies, multiple arrays at different depths, and when to use each approach. --- The Core Tension Consider a simple order record: Option 1: One row per order (joins array into string): This preserves one row per order but destroys item structure — the array is JSON-serialized into a cell. Option 2: One row per item (expands array into rows): This is queryable and readable, but the…
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