JSON to XLSX

How this reads your output

The JSON is flattened to a table and written as a workbook. Flattening rather than stringifying is the choice worth explaining: a nested object rendered into a cell as JSON text is unusable — you cannot filter, sort or reference it — whereas dotted column names keep every value addressable and the structure reversible. Arrays of scalars are joined with semicolons for the same reason, because a column of bracketed JSON is not something anyone can work with in a spreadsheet. Records with differing keys produce the union of all columns, so nothing is silently dropped, and the type warnings apply here exactly as they do to a CSV.

What the results mean

Dotted columns

Nested keys become a.b.c. Addressable and reversible, unlike a stringified object.

Joined arrays

Scalar arrays become a semicolon list, which is filterable. Bracketed JSON in a cell is not.

Union of keys

Records with different fields all contribute columns. Missing values are blank rather than dropped.

Values kept as text

On by default, for the same reason as any other spreadsheet write.

Common problems and fixes

My nested objects became columns with dots in the name

That is the flattening, and it is the useful outcome. The alternative is a cell containing JSON text, which cannot be sorted or filtered.

Some rows have blank columns

Those records did not have that key. Blanks are used rather than dropping the column, so nothing is lost.

Numbers turned into dates

Turn on keeping values as text. Anything resembling a date is reinterpreted otherwise.

Frequently asked questions

More in Data

• CSV to XLSXTurn a CSV into a workbook without letting the spreadsheet mangle your data.
• XLSX to JSONConvert a spreadsheet to JSON without turning dates into serial numbers.