CSV is the universal format for data exchange between spreadsheets, databases, and applications.
Format rules
- Each line is one record.
- Fields separated by commas (or other delimiters).
- Text fields with commas/quotes must be quoted.
- First row often contains headers.
Example
Name,Email,Age
"Doe, John",[email protected],30
Jane Smith,[email protected],25
Challenges
- No standard for encoding special characters.
- Date/number formats vary by locale.
- No built-in data types (everything is text).
- Inconsistent delimiter usage (comma vs semicolon vs tab).
Best practices
- Always include headers in first row.
- Quote fields containing delimiters or newlines.
- Use UTF-8 encoding for international characters.
- Validate data after import.
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