Data Formats
data
formats
tabular
What is CSV?
Definition
CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a plain text format that stores tabular data with rows separated by newlines and columns separated by commas. Fields containing commas or newlines are enclosed in double quotes.
Why It Matters
CSV is the universal data exchange format for spreadsheets, databases, and data analysis tools. It is human-readable, supported by Excel/Google Sheets, and trivial to parse. Most data exports and imports use CSV.