CSV (Comma-Separated Values)
Definition
A plain text file format that stores tabular data using commas to separate values and newlines to separate rows.
CSV is a simple, widely supported file format for storing tabular data. Each line represents a row, and values within each row are separated by commas (or sometimes semicolons or tabs). The first row often contains column headers.
CSV files are popular because they are human-readable, universally supported by spreadsheet applications, databases, and programming languages, and extremely lightweight compared to formats like Excel or JSON. They are commonly used for data import/export, database backups, data analysis, and inter-application data transfer.
Challenges with CSV include handling commas within values (requiring quoting), inconsistent encoding, lack of data type information, and no standardized escape mechanism. For complex structured data, formats like JSON or XML may be more appropriate, but for simple tabular data, CSV remains the most practical choice.
Related Calculators
Related Terms
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
techA lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write and easy for machines to parse and generate.
API (Application Programming Interface)
techA set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other and share data or functionality.
Markdown
techA lightweight markup language that uses plain text formatting syntax, designed to be easily converted to HTML and other formats.
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
techThe standard markup language for creating web pages, defining the structure and content of a page using elements represented by tags.
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