Reading JSON activity

This activity will help you:

• Recognize JSON data when viewing API responses in a browser.

• Break down key-value pairs and understand different data types.

• Practice reading and interpreting real API responses to extract meaningful information.

• Understand how automation tools like Rewst generate and use JSON for workflows.

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Open a real API response in JSON format

Let’s start by looking at real JSON data from Microsoft Graph API!

Click this link:

Microsoft Graph "Get User" API response

This page contains a sample JSON response showing user data from Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD).

Example of what you’ll see:

Identify key-value pairs

JSON is made up of key-value pairs—think of it like entries in a dictionary.

Let's analyze this response by answering a few questions. Try to answer each question on your own first, then click the accordion to check your response.

What is the "displayName" of this user? (Hint: Look for "displayName")

• "displayName": "Adele Vance"

• The user's display name is Adele Vance

What type of data is stored in "id"? (Is it a number, string, or Boolean?)

• The "id" field contains a string (text) value: "id" : "3a2a1bcd-4a62-4865-b3c8-4a8e3b9f5f29"

What is the difference between "givenName" and "displayName"? (Why might a system need both?)

• "givenName" refers to the user's first name. "givenName" : "Adele"

• "displayName" is typically a full name that appears in applications. "displayName" : "Adele Vance"

• A system. might store both so it can show the full name in some places while using just the first name in others

What is missing from this user's data?

• "mobilePhone" : null

• The mobile phone numer is missing or unavailable, which is why it has a value of null

• This could mean the user hasn't provided one, or it's not required in this system

What does "userPrincipalName" represent, and how is it different from "mail"?

• "userPrincipalName" : "[e-mail]" is the username used for logging in

• "mail" : "[e-mail]" is the email address used for communication

• Sometimes they are the same, but in some systems, they can be different

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Compare to other JSON structures

Try looking at other types of JSON! Click the links below, then review the question and answers.

List of Users (Multiple User Accounts) → Get Users API Response

How is this different from the single-user response?

Instead of a single object { ... }, this response contains an array [ { ... }, { ...} ]

What structure do you see when multiple users are returned?

The JSON response wraps multiple user objects inside square brackets [ ], making it a list (array)

User's Messages (Emails in JSON format) → Get Messages API Response

What fields appear in an email message?

Fields include "subject", "from", "to", "body", and "recievedDateTime"

Can you find the "subject" field? What about "from"?

• The "subject" field contains the email's subject line

• The "from" field contains the sender's details

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See JSON in automation (a glimpse into Rewst)

Now that you’ve explored JSON structures, let’s look at a real example from an automation tool—Rewst!

When a workflow runs in Rewst, it generates results in JSON format, showing details about the action taken. Below is an example of a JSON result from a workflow that adds or removes a user from Microsoft Graph (Azure AD).

Here’s a sample JSON output from this type of workflow:

Breaking it down

This JSON output is from a workflow that adds a user to a group in Microsoft Graph. Let’s analyze what we see here:

What action is being performed? (Hint: Look for the "action" key)

• The "action" key shows - "action" : "add"

• This means the workflow is adding something (likely a user to a group)

Which organization is this affecting?

• The "organization" section contains:

• The affected organization is "pedroaviary"

Who trigged this action? (Hint: Find the "user" section)

• the "user" section shows:

• The user who triggered this action is [e-mail]

What does "rewst" tell us? What information does it include?

• The "rewst" section contains:

• This provides the Rewst app URL. This is where this automation was executed

The "execution_id" is a long, unique string - why do you think automation tools generate these?

• "execution_id" : "01943d11-3b6e-7b9f-9e6f-0c0d92773e38"

• Automation tools use unique execution IDs to track and reference specific workflow runs

• This helps in logging, debugging, and tracing issues

Why does this matter?

• This is the type of JSON output you’ll see in Rewst when automating IT workflows.

• Understanding JSON will help you interpret automation results and troubleshoot issues.

• Later in the Rewst Foundations course, you’ll start working with workflows like this!

💡 Key Takeaway: JSON isn’t just abstract data—it’s how automation tools like Rewst communicate and execute actions in IT environments.