A comma-separated values (CSV) file is a text file that uses a comma to separate each value. Each line in the file is a data record that consists of one or more fields that are separated by commas. The use of the comma as a field separator is where the file gets its name from. A CSV file stores tabular data (numbers and texts) as a plain text, with each case line having the same number of fields.

Why CSV?

·      Files are easily exportable due to its small size

·      Files are easily importable due to accessibility of format

·      Data from CSV files are easily readable 

·      CSV files can be edited manually with ease

·      Easy to generate data using CSV 

·      CSV file format is supported by other software such as Microsoft Excel

·      CSV files can be read using different text editors

·      CSV files easier to parse when compared with XML or JSON parser

·      CSV is a common format for data interchange

·      Column headers only need to be inputted once unlike Excel

·      Microsoft’s Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) protocol can be launched.

·      CSV formats can be used to represent sets and/or sequences of records.

·      It corresponds to a single relation in a relational database.

·      There are no limits in regards to character sets.

·      Unicode (UTF-8, UTF—16 etc) and ASCII characters are supported.

·      CSV file format is supported by Apple Numbers, LibreOffice Calc, and Apache OpenOffice Calc and other spreadsheets and database management systems.