Convert a Simple JSON Object to a SQL INSERT Statement

From JSON to a SQL INSERT

The most fundamental JSON-to-SQL conversion takes a flat JSON object and produces an INSERT INTO statement. Each key becomes a column name, and each value becomes a quoted or unquoted literal depending on its type.

Example JSON

{
  "id": 1,
  "name": "Alice",
  "email": "alice@example.com",
  "age": 30,
  "active": true
}

Generated SQL

INSERT INTO users (id, name, email, age, active)
VALUES (1, 'Alice', 'alice@example.com', 30, TRUE);

Type Mapping Rules

JSON type	SQL representation
string	Single-quoted literal ('value')
number (integer)	Unquoted numeric literal
number (decimal)	Unquoted numeric literal
boolean	TRUE / FALSE (or 1 / 0 for MySQL)
null	NULL

Column Naming

JSON keys are used directly as column names. If a key contains spaces or reserved words, the converter wraps it in double quotes ("column name") or backticks (\column name``) depending on the target database dialect.

String Escaping

Single quotes inside string values must be escaped. The standard SQL approach is to double the single quote: O'Brien becomes 'O''Brien'. This prevents SQL injection and syntax errors.

Why Convert JSON to SQL?

Many workflows involve receiving data as JSON (from APIs, config files, or exports) and needing to persist it in a relational database. Manually writing INSERT statements is tedious and error-prone. Automated conversion ensures consistent quoting, correct escaping, and proper type handling.