| File extension | .csv |
| Category | Document File |
| Description | A CSV file is a way to collect the data from any table so that it can be conveyed as input to another table-oriented application such as a relational database application. Microsoft Excel, a leading spreadsheet or relational database application, can read CSV files. A CSV file is sometimes referred to as a flat file. |
| Actions |
Convert CSV file
View other document file formats |
| Technical Details | In computers, a CSV file contains the different values in a table as a series of ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) text lines which are then organised so that each column value is separated by a comma from the next columns value and each row starts a new line. CSV is one example of a delimited text file, which uses a comma to separate values (many other implementations of CSV allow different seperators such as back or forward slash to be used). However CSV differs from other delimiter separated file formats in using a double quote character around fields that contain reserved characters (such as commas or newlines). The benefit of this approach is that it allows the transfer of data across different applications. |
| Associated programs |
The CSV file format is very simple and supported by almost all spreadsheets and database management systems |
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| Developed by |
Microsoft |
| MIME type |
text/comma-separated-values |
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| Useful links |
More detailed information on CSV files
How to use CSV files
Programs that open CSV files
Convert CSV file |
