Import data from JSON files (2024)

A JSON file is a file that stores simple data structures and objects inJavaScript Object Notation format, which is a standard data interchange format.The data you want to import to the database is often saved in JSON format, andyou might want to import parts of that data as graph objects - nodes orrelationships.

Data can be imported using query modules implemented in the MAGE library:

• json_util query module
• import_util query module.

The difference is that json_util.load_from_path() has no requirements aboutthe formatting of data inside the JSON file, while the import_util.json()procedure requires data to be formatted in a specific way. It is the sameformatting the export_util.json() procedure generates when it's used to exportdata from Memgraph into a JSON file.

JSON file data format required by the import_util.json() procedure:

[ { "id": 6114, "labels": [ "Person" ], "properties": { "name": "Anna" }, "type": "node" }, { "id": 6115, "labels": [ "Person" ], "properties": { "name": "John" }, "type": "node" }, { "id": 6116, "labels": [ "Person" ], "properties": { "name": "Kim" }, "type": "node" }, { "end": 6115, "id": 21120, "label": "IS_FRIENDS_WITH", "properties": {}, "start": 6114, "type": "relationship" }, { "end": 6116, "id": 21121, "label": "IS_FRIENDS_WITH", "properties": {}, "start": 6114, "type": "relationship" }, { "end": 6116, "id": 21122, "label": "IS_MARRIED_TO", "properties": {}, "start": 6115, "type": "relationship" }]

To be able to call the procedures, you need to install MAGE graph library andload query modules.

The library is already a part of the memgraph-platform and memgraph-mage Dockerimages.

Examples

Below, you can find two examples of how to load data from a JSON file dependingon the file location:

• Load JSON from a local file
• Load JSON from a remote address

Load JSON from a local file

To import data from a local JSON file, you can use thejson_util.load_from_path() procedureor import_util.json() procedure.

The difference is that json_util.load_from_path() has no requirements aboutthe formatting of data inside the JSON file while the import_util.json()procedure does. It is the same formatting the export_util.json() proceduregenerates when it's used to export data from Memgraph into a JSON file.

json_util.load_from_path() procedure

The json_util.load_from_path() procedure takes one string argument (path)and returns a list of JSON objects from the file located at the provided path.

Let's import data from a file data.json with the following content:

{ "first_name": "Jessica", "last_name": "Rabbit", "pets": ["dog", "cat", "bird"]}

If you are using Docker to run Memgraph, you will need to copy the files fromyour local directory into theDockercontainer where Memgraph can access them.

To create a node with the label Person and first_name, last_name and petsas properties, run the following query:

CALL json_util.load_from_path("path/to/data.json")YIELD objectsUNWIND objects AS oCREATE (:Person {first_name: o.first_name, last_name: o.last_name, pets: o.pets});

After you execute the above query, the graph in Memgraph should look like this:

import_util.json() procedure

To find out how to import data with the import_util.json() procedure checkout the MAGE documentation.

Load JSON from a remote address

To import data from a remote JSON file, use load_from_url(url) procedure thattakes one string argument (url) and returns a list of JSON objects from thefile located at the provided URL.

For example, at "https://download.memgraph.com/asset/mage/data.json", you canfind the following data.json file:

{ "first_name": "James", "last_name": "Bond", "pets": ["dog", "cat", "fish"]}

To create a node with the label Person and first_name, last_name andpets as properties from the data.json file. You can run the following query:

CALL json_util.load_from_url("https://download.memgraph.com/asset/mage/data.json")YIELD objectsUNWIND objects AS oCREATE (:Person {first_name: o.first_name, last_name: o.last_name, pets: o.pets});

After you run the above query, the graph in Memgraph should look like this: