Okta Certified Workflows - Specialty · Part I

Workflows Overview

27% of Part I — the exam's largest single knowledge area alongside Building Flows.

Workflows Overview

Sub-topic 7: Understand JSON Basics

7 sub-topics · this deck covers sub-topic 7 of 7

The Task

"JSON is a standard format used by web developers to send data to and from RESTful web services."

Almost every third-party API a Workflows connector talks to communicates in JSON. The exam wants you to understand JSON conceptually (objects, lists/arrays, typed values) and to know the two core function cards that move data between "JSON as a string" and "JSON as a Workflows type": Parse and Stringify.

Parse — String to Type

"This function card parses a JSON string into a typed field, such as an object or a list, that you can use in subsequent functions."

Input: a required string field containing the raw JSON text. Output: a field typed to match what the string actually represents. "If the input string isn't in a valid JSON format, Workflows returns a runtime error." You must also set the output field's type correctly — Okta warns that a type mismatch here can cause runtime errors too.

Parse — Worked Examples From Okta's Docs

Input string: {"a":"this","b":"that","c":"the other"} Output type: Object Result: object with keys a, b, c

Input string: ["this is the first","this is the second","this is the third"] Output type: List of Text Result: a 3-item text list

Note the pattern: JSON objects ({ }) map to the Workflows Object type; JSON arrays ([ ]) map to the Workflows List type. Get the output type wrong and the flow won't parse the data the way you expect.

Stringify — The Inverse Operation

"Stringify converts a typed value, such as an object or a list, into a JSON string. It's the inverse of the Parse function." You reach for Stringify whenever a downstream system (an HTTP POST body, a log entry, a webhook payload) needs a raw JSON string rather than a live Workflows Object or List value.

Where Parse/Stringify Fit Among the Function Families

JSON functions live in the Advanced function category (Sub-topic 3), alongside API Connector, XML, URL, Encryption, and JWT functions. They pair naturally with the raw HTTP function cards (Get, Post, Put, Delete, Raw Request) — those cards' output already comes back as an object with headers and output keys, and the output key is frequently a JSON string that still needs a Parse card before your flow can read individual fields out of it.

The Gotcha — Object/List Function Cards Assume Parsed Data

Cards like Object > Get, Object > Keys, List > For Each, or List > Pluck all operate on already-typed Workflows values — not on raw JSON text. If a card's input still looks like {"a":"one"} as a plain string, those function cards won't be able to reach into it; you need a Parse card first. This is one of the most common "the flow ran but returned nothing" mistakes.

The Connection

This closes the loop on Sub-topic 4's mapping rule — "the format of an output field and any mapped input fields must match" — JSON Parse/Stringify are the tools that make a mismatched format (string vs. object/list) match. It also sets up Part I's Building Flows section, where JSON manipulation is a routine step when wiring raw API Connector output into action-card-style logic.

The Angle — What Trips People Up

→ Setting Parse's output type to the wrong shape (Object vs. List) for the actual JSON string — Okta's own docs stress matching the output type to what the string represents.

→ Forgetting Parse throws a runtime error on invalid JSON — a flow that occasionally receives malformed input needs error handling (If Error, Return Error If) wrapped around the Parse card.

→ Calling Object/List function cards directly on data that's still a raw JSON string instead of Parsing it first.

One Line To Remember

JSON objects ({ }) parse into the Workflows Object type and JSON arrays ([ ]) parse into the Workflows List type via the Parse function card; Stringify reverses that. Parse throws a runtime error on invalid JSON or a mismatched output type — set the type correctly before mapping the result into Object or List function cards.

Sources: help.okta.com — Functions (ext-functions-reference); Parse (ext-json-method-parse)

✓ Workflows Overview — 7 of 7 sub-topics complete