XML to JSON conversion in ADF missing out 'lang' tag details

Alefiya Tikiwala 0

I am converting an xml from html source to a json file using ADF. However, for one of the attributes, the 'lang' element is not getting translated.

The xml data in file is as follows:

'''

<displayname xml:lang="deAT"> Weiß</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="deCH"> Weiß</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="deDE"> Weiß</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="xdefault">Colour Portable Photo Printer  White</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="enAE">Colour Portable Photo Printer  White</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="enGB">Colour Portable Photo Printer  White</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="enIE">Colour Portable Photo Printer  White</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="esES">blanco</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="frBE"> Blanc</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="frCH"> Blanc</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="frFR"> Blanc</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="itIT"> Bianco</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="nlBE"> wit</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="nlNL"> wit</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="plPL"> biała</displayname>

<displayname xml:lang="ptPT"> Branco</displayname>

'''

However, in my json file in sink it is translated as follows:'

'''

 "displayname": [

                    "Weiß",

                    "Weiß",

                    "Weiß",

                    "Colour Portable Photo Printer  White",

                    "Colour Portable Photo Printer  White",

                    "Colour Portable Photo Printer  White ",

                    "Colour Portable Photo Printer  White",

                    "blanco",

                    " Blanc",

                    " Blanc",

                    " Blanc",

                    " Bianco",

                    " wit",

                    " wit",

                    "biała",

                    " Branco"

                ],

'''

I want the 'lang' tag value to filter out data based on different languages. The array in json doesn't let me identify the language name associated i.e. nlNL, frFR etc.

Smaran Thoomu 20,395 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-02-20T17:25:50.98+00:00
Hi @Alefiya Tikiwala

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A platform and thanks for posting your query here.

The issue here is that Azure Data Factory (ADF) is extracting the <displayname> values into an array but not retaining the xml:lang attributes in the transformation to JSON. To properly map and filter based on language, you need to restructure the conversion to preserve the lang attributes.

Enable Proper XML Parsing

When defining the XML dataset in ADF, ensure that the xml:lang attributes are not being ignored. If ADF does not automatically recognize attributes, consider the following:

Use an XML dataset with the "Preserve Attribute" option enabled (if applicable).

Manually flatten the XML structure in Data Flow to extract xml:lang separately.

Use a Derived Column to Structure Data as Key-Value Pairs

Instead of an array, format the JSON output as an object with language codes as keys:

{ "displayname": { "deAT": "Weiß", "deCH": "Weiß", "deDE": "Weiß", "xdefault": "Colour Portable Photo Printer White", "enAE": "Colour Portable Photo Printer White", "frFR": "Blanc", "nlNL": "wit" } }

To achieve this, use a Derived Column transformation in Data Flow to create a structured mapping like:

struct(xml:lang, displayname)

This way, each displayname is correctly associated with its respective language.

Flatten and Filter by Language

To filter out specific languages, apply a Filter transformation:

Expression Example (for "frFR")
xml:lang == "frFR"

This ensures only records with the desired language are retained.

After implementing these changes, your JSON output should correctly link each displayname value to its respective language code, making filtering easier.

I hope this information helps. Please do let us know if you have any further queries.

Kindly consider upvoting the comment if the information provided is helpful. This can assist other community members in resolving similar issues.
Smaran Thoomu 20,395 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-02-21T13:01:13.51+00:00

@Alefiya Tikiwala We haven’t heard from you on the last response and was just checking back to see if you have a resolution yet. In case if you have any resolution please do share that same with the community as it can be helpful to others. Otherwise, will respond with more details and we will try to help.

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