json-to-excel

Handling Nested JSON Data in Excel A Guide to json-to-excel Plugin

Introduction

In our daily data processing work, we often encounter scenarios where we need to handle nested JSON data, especially when dealing with API responses that have complex hierarchical structures. Today, I’d like to share a very useful tool - WTSolutions’ json-to-excel plugin, which helps us easily process such data in Excel.

Plugin Overview

json-to-excel is a plugin specifically designed for Microsoft Excel that can convert JSON data into Excel spreadsheet format. The most notable feature of this plugin is its support for handling nested JSON data, capable of flattening complex JSON structures into an easy-to-understand and manageable tabular format.

Key Features

  1. Supports two conversion modes:

    • Flat JSON Mode
    • Nested JSON Mode

  2. Pro Features:

    • Custom nested delimiter (choose from . _ /)
    • Configurable nesting depth limit (0-20 levels)
    • 7-day free trial

Usage Steps

  1. Install the Plugin

    • Visit the official website
    • Follow the installation guide to complete the setup

  2. Choose Conversion Mode

    • Select “Flat JSON Mode” for simple JSON data
    • Select “Nested JSON Mode” for data with nested structures

  3. Data Preparation

    • Ensure JSON data format is correct
    • Data must be in array format, e.g.: [{"name":"John","age":25},{"name":"Jane","age":30}]
    • Each object in the array must contain at least one property

  4. Pro Features Setup (Optional)

    • Click “Pro Features” to expand advanced settings
    • Choose appropriate nested delimiter
    • Set desired maximum nesting depth

Usage Examples

Example 1: Processing Simple JSON Data

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[
  {"name":"John","age":25},
  {"name":"Jane","age":30}
]

Example 2: Processing Nested JSON Data

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[
  {
    "user": {
      "name": "John",
      "contact": {
        "email": "[email protected]",
        "phone": "1234567890"
      }
    },
    "orders": [
      {
        "id": "001",
        "amount": 100
      }
    ]
  }
]

The converted Excel spreadsheet will contain the following columns:

  • user.name
  • user.contact.email
  • user.contact.phone
  • orders.0.id
  • orders.0.amount

Best Practices

  1. Data Preprocessing

    • Check JSON format correctness before conversion
    • Use online JSON validation tools for format verification

  2. Choose Appropriate Conversion Mode

    • Use Flat JSON Mode for simple data structures
    • Use Nested JSON Mode for multi-level nested data

  3. Pro Features Usage Tips

    • Choose delimiter based on data structure
    • Set reasonable nesting depth to avoid over-complexity

  4. Performance Optimization

    • Avoid processing too much data at once
    • Process large datasets in batches

Common Issues and Solutions

  1. Data Format Errors

    • Ensure JSON data is in valid array format
    • Check for illegal characters

  2. Incomplete Conversion Results

    • Verify nesting depth settings
    • Confirm all necessary data fields are present

Conclusion

The json-to-excel plugin greatly simplifies the task of handling JSON data in Excel. By properly utilizing its features, we can more efficiently process various complex data structures. I hope this experience sharing helps those who need to handle JSON data in Excel.