JSON column type in Power BI Dataflow

[Jan_Hob]

I am using the following code to pull in data from an API in a Power BI Dataflow

Json.Document(Web.Contents("https://"&APIEnvironment&"/path/" & "?limit=100", [ Headers=[Authorization="Bearer " & #"AccessToken"]]))

This pulls back a column with nested record which I can expand.  

As an alternative is there anyway of not expanding the nested records and just having the pulled back field as a JSON type.  I would like to then connect to the dataflow and expand the JSON type in the Power Query in the desktop version.

[Neomarty]

I faced the same issue and struggled to have the pulled back field as a JSON type. Eventually, I ended up converting the JSON into text type (jsontext variable below) using the code below. The text can then be parsed and transformed into JSON using Power Query GUI.

let
    Source = Query(),
    jsontext = Text.FromBinary(Json.FromValue(Source)),
    #"Convert to table" = Table.FromValue(jsontext),
    #"Changed column type" = Table.TransformColumnTypes(#"Convert to table", {{"Value", type text}})
in
    #"Changed column type"

Function code:

let
    Source = () as list =>
    let
    Token = "token"
    body = Text.ToBinary("{""limit"":1000000}"),
    actualUrl = "url",
    options = [RelativePath="relative_path" ,
    Headers =[#"Content-type"="application/json",Authorization="Bearer "&""& Token &""],
    Content= body
    ],
    result = Web.Contents(actualUrl, options),
    #"Imported JSON" = Json.Document(result, 65001)
in
    #"Imported JSON"
in
    Source

[edhans · Accepted solution]

No. I am not aware of any way to return embedded lists, records, etc. in a loaded dataflow. 
This simple table:

let
  Source = #table(
            {"ID", "Name", "City"},
                {
                    {123, "Alice", {1.10}},
                    {456, "Bob", {100.150}}
                }
          )
in
  Source

has a nested list in the third column. When that is loaded in a dataflow nothing comes through into Power BI's Power Query. it is just a blank field.

You will need to do the expansion in the dataflow, or connect to the JSON directy from Power BI's Power Query if you want to expand it there.