We use affiliate links. They let us sustain ourselves at no cost to you.

CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

Comma-Separated Values (CSV) is a file format used to store data in plain text. CSV files are easy to use, manipulate, and share. Almost all spreadsheet software (Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers) can import and export CSV files, which makes CSV a go-to choice for transferring data between different applications or systems.

In a CSV file, each line represents a record, and the fields within that record are separated by commas, so it’s easy to visualize the data like a spreadsheet.

The format is also popular for data parsing because it works well with many programming languages often used for data analysis, such as Python and R. There are plenty of libraries to help you read and create CSV files.

Limitations of CSV

However, CSV has some limitations. CSV files can’t handle complex data types like arrays or lists, or may need extra steps to simplify the data for proper display. For example, you can’t easily store a list of tags or multiple values in one cell. And if a field includes a comma, it needs to be surrounded by quotes to avoid confusion. This can make data parsing a bit tricky at times.