How to import Google Maps API into PostgreSQL? - json

Question

I am trying to transfer data from a JSON file produced by the Google Maps API onto my PostgreSQL database. This is done through cURL and I made sure that the permissions have been correctly set.
The url:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/distancematrix/json?units=imperial&origins=London&destinations=Paris&key=AIza-[key-redacted]-3z6ho-o
The query:
copy bookings.import(info) from program 'C:/temp/mycurl/curl "https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/distancematrix/json?units=imperial&origins=London&destinations=Paris&key=AIzaSyBIhOMI68hTIFarH4jrb_eKUmvY3z6ho-o" --insecure'
However, when I try to do this on my table with column 'info' of type 'json', I get the following error:
ERROR: invalid input syntax for type json DETAIL: The input string
ended unexpectedly. CONTEXT: JSON data, line 1: { COPY import, line
1, column info: "{"
********** Error **********
ERROR: invalid input syntax for type json SQL state: 22P02 Detail: The
input string ended unexpectedly. Context: JSON data, line 1: { COPY
import, line 1, column info: "{"
I am trying to not include things such as PHP or any other tool currently, yet if the only option is that I would certainly consider it.
What exactly do you guys think I am doing wrong? Is it the syntax, the format or am I missing something?
Thanks!

Answer 1

COPY assumes that each newline indicates a new record. Unfortunately, the Google Maps DistanceMatrix API is pretty-printing your response which means that it comes through as 23 rows, none of which are valid JSON.
You can get around this by piping the curl response through something like jq.
copy imports(info) from program 'curl "https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/distancematrix/json?units=imperial&origins=London&destinations=Paris&key=<my_key>" --insecure | /usr/local/bin/jq "." -c'
jq has lots of useful features if you want to massage the response a bit more before stashing it in the database.