{"id":7590,"date":"2026-10-01T18:10:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T01:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/?p=7590"},"modified":"2026-10-01T18:10:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T01:10:52","slug":"data-api-builder-2-1-5-json-and-vector-data-type-support-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/data-api-builder-2-1-5-json-and-vector-data-type-support-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Data API builder 2.1.5: JSON and Vector Data Type Support, and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

Data API builder (DAB) 2.1.5 is now available as a stable release, and it is about meeting modern data where it lives: documents next to rows, embeddings next to both. This release brings native support for the SQL json<\/code> and vector<\/code> data types to the REST and GraphQL endpoints, so the same entities that serve your CRUD traffic can now store and expose document-shaped data and embeddings without custom code. It also introduces DAB as an embeddable NuGet library, hardens the MCP endpoint, moves the engine to .NET 10, and ships a set of security and reliability improvements.<\/p>\n

Try it today and tell us what you think.<\/p>\n

What’s new in Data API builder 2.1.5<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Feature<\/th>\nNotes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
SQL json<\/code> data type support<\/td>\nEngine mapping, REST CRUD, OpenAPI and GraphQL coverage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SQL vector<\/code> data type support<\/td>\nREST and GraphQL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Microsoft.DataApiBuilder.Core NuGet package<\/td>\nEmbed the DAB engine in your own .NET app<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Multi-segment runtime paths<\/td>\n\/api\/v2<\/code> style base paths for REST and GraphQL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MCP endpoint hardening<\/td>\nHost\/Origin allowlist, authorization improvements, health probe<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Non-root container image<\/td>\nDual image publishing for locked-down environments<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.NET 10 runtime<\/td>\nPlus Microsoft.Data.SqlClient 6.x and Hot Chocolate 16.6.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

JSON data type support<\/h2>\n

SQL Server’s native json<\/code> data type finally has a first-class path through your API. DAB 2.1.5 maps the type end to end: you can create, read, update, and delete rows with json<\/code> columns through REST, query them through GraphQL, and the generated OpenAPI description documents them correctly.<\/p>\n

\n
CREATE<\/span> TABLE<\/span> dbo.Products (<\/span>\r\n    Id<\/span> INT<\/span> PRIMARY<\/span> KEY<\/span>,<\/span>\r\n    Name NVARCHAR<\/span>(100<\/span>) NOT<\/span> NULL<\/span>,<\/span>\r\n    Attributes<\/span> JSON<\/span>\r\n);<\/span><\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n
Expose the table as an entity and the Attributes<\/code> column travels with it. On read, JSON column values are returned as serialized JSON strings. Clients can preserve the value as text or parse the string when they need structured access<\/span>:<\/p>\n
GET \/api\/Products\/Id\/42<\/code><\/pre>\n
\n
{<\/span><\/span>\r\n  \"value\"<\/span>:<\/span> [<\/span><\/span>\r\n    {<\/span><\/span>\r\n      \"Id\"<\/span>:<\/span> 42<\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\r\n      \"Name\"<\/span>:<\/span> \"Trailhead Tent\"<\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\r\n      \"Attributes\"<\/span>:<\/span> \"{<\/span>\\\"<\/span>capacity<\/span>\\\"<\/span>: 2, <\/span>\\\"<\/span>season<\/span>\\\"<\/span>: <\/span>\\\"<\/span>3-season<\/span>\\\"<\/span>, <\/span>\\\"<\/span>weightKg<\/span>\\\"<\/span>: 1.9}\"<\/span><\/span>\r\n    }<\/span><\/span>\r\n  ]<\/span><\/span>\r\n}<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n
Key highlights<\/h3>\n