JSON to fields API reference

The "databaseName" property is an optional string that specifies the database that contains the tables. It defaults to the database name supplied at login.

"params": {
  "databaseName": "mainDatabase"
  }

The "fields" property is an array of objects. It is required when creating a table. Each object in the array defines a field by specifying its properties.

"fields": [
  {
    "autoValue": "none",
    "name": "name",
    "type": "varchar",
    "length": 50,
    "scale": null,
    "defaultValue": null,
    "nullable": false
  }
]

The "name" property is a required string. It is the field named that is mapped to the property name specified in "propertyPath".

The "type" property is a required string that defines the data type of the field in the table. See Data Types in the FairCom DB SQL Reference Guide for full documentation on FairCom field types.

The "ownerName" property is an optional string from 1 to 64 bytes that specifies the account that owns an object, such as a table or code package. If it is set to null or is omitted, it defaults to the account that created the JSON Action session, see "createSession" and the "defaultOwnerName" property. 

You specify this property when you want to use a different account instead of the default. Your session's account must have the appropriate privileges to access the code package. 

This property is useful because objects, such as tables and code packages, can have the same name in the same database as long as different accounts own each object. This feature allows you to create duplicate objects for different users on the same server and reuse the same JSON actions on those objects. For example, an administrator can copy objects from a production environment to her account so she can troubleshoot an issue using the same JSON actions, JavaScript, and SQL code.

It is an error to set "ownerName" to the empty string "".

If no default owner is specified during "createSession", the server sets the "defaultOwnerName" to the "defaultOwnerName" value specified in the services.json file.

The "tableName" property contains the name of the table in the database where the event occurred. It is a non-zero-length string.

See table name in System limits for table naming requirements and limitations.

A table in DBnotify is defined by "databaseName", "ownerName" and "tableName" or by "dataFilePath".

The "transformSteps" property is an array of transform step objects. 

Different actions interpret "transformSteps": [] differently.

Each transform step object contains the required "transformStepMethod" property. It also supports the following optional properties:

Each transform step method also supports unique properties that are defined below.

The "mapOfPropertiesToFields" property takes fields in the table and maps them to a field containing JSON properties. It is an array of property map objects. Each object maps a field in a table to a JSON property in another field.

The required "fieldName" property specifies a field in a record. Depending on the context, the server reads or writes the field's value. 

For example, in the "tableFieldsToJson" transform method, "fieldName" is the location where the transform step reads a value that it transforms.  In the "jsonToTableFields" and "jsonToDifferentTableFields" transform methods, "fieldName" is the location where the transform step writes a transformed value.

The "recordPath" property specifies the location in a record where the server reads or writes a JSON value. It specifies a field name followed by an optional JSONPath. Depending on the context, it refers to a value the server reads or writes. 

For example, in the "tableFieldsToJson" transform method, "recordPath" is the location where the transform step writes a transformed value.  In the "jsonToTableFields" and "jsonToDifferentTableFields" transform methods, "recordPath" is the location where the transform step reads the value that it transforms.

Several FairCom APIs, such as the DB and Transform APIs, treat each record in each table as a JSON document. The top-level fields in the record are treated as top-level properties in the JSON document. In other words, you can think of each record as a JSON document, and you can use the "recordPath" property to refer to any field in the record and any JSON property or array item within a JSON field.

When the server writes a value to a "recordPath", it looks for the specified field and JSONPath and does the following.

When the server reads a value from a "recordPath", it looks for the specified field and JSONPath and does the following.

{
  "humidity": 
  [
    {
      "temperature": 20.1,
      "pressure": 1003
    }
  ]
}

{
  "id": 1,
  "source_payload": 
  {
    "humidity": 
    [
      {
        "temperature": 20.1,
        "pressure": 1003
      }
    ]
  },
  "create_ts": "2025-07-07T14:14:02.012"
}

{
  "humidity": 
  [
    {
      "temperature": 20.1,
      "pressure": 1003
    }
  ]
}

[
  {
    "temperature": 20.1,
    "pressure": 1003
  }
]

{
  "temperature": 20.1,
  "pressure": 1003
}

The "transformStepMethod" property is a required string that specifies the type of transform, such as the "javascript" transform method that runs JavaScript to change the table's data or the "jsonToTableFields" transform method that extracts values from properties in a JSON field and stores them in other fields.

The value of the "transformStepMethod" affects the value of the "transformService" property. The following table defines the possible values of the "transformService" property when combined with the "transformStepMethod". Notice that some transform step methods are built into the server and do not require you to specify the "transformService".