What Is a CSV File?

CSV is a common file format used regularly in data analytics and BI tools. It is important to get a good understanding of the CSV format to better handle the data you work with. This article runs through some of the nuances of working with CSV files. Feel free to share your own tips in the comments section at the end.

A comma-separated values (CSV) file is a text file that uses a comma to separate values. The use of the comma as a field separator is the source of the name for this file format. The term "CSV" also denotes several closely related, but not fully standardized, formats that use semicolons or other field-separating characters to separate fields. These include tab-separate values and space-separation files that use other field delimiter characters such as semicolons or tabs to separate field data.

The loose terminology can cause problems in data exchange, especially in many European locales where semicolons are often used instead of commas in many locales to use a decimal separator and, possibly, the period as a grouping character.

Basic rules for the creation and formatting of CSV files are:

1. Each record should be on its own line. A single record can have many columns, but it must start on its own line.
2. Use a delimiter, such as a comma, to separate data fields. This can only contain one character. If you don't want to use a comma, you can use a tab or a pipe (|) character instead.
3. Have a header with a list of the column names in the first line of the file. This is optional but highly recommended, since it makes the file self-documenting.
4. As for the rest of the data, make sure the header list is delimited in the same manner. This prevents the data fields from being transposed in the data as it is initialized, which can result in incorrect results when querying the data.
5. When the enclosing character (typically double quotes) is used, such as when the delimiter appears in a cell value, remember to use it.

CSV is a common data exchange format. It is widely supported by consumer, business, and scientific applications. Among its most common uses is moving tabular data between programs that natively operate on incompatible (often proprietary or undocumented) formats.

CSV files helps the users to save information in a structured text format.
Most of the databases support CSV file format for the import or export of data from the databases.

You can store, transfer or analyse data in .CSV files using BI RPA tools with easy setup and intuitive use for multiple CSV files.

Data visualization applications are also compatible with CSV files, so anyone can have an Intuitive Natural Language Interface to CSV files to inform and speed business decisions with significant benefits for anyone.