CSV files

Comma Separated Values (CSV) is a plain-text file format that stores tabular data in a structured way, where each line represents a data record and fields within a record are separated by commas. It is widely used for exchanging data between disparate applications, databases, and spreadsheets…

Key facts

First appeared: 1972
Category: technology
Problem solved: CSV was created to provide a simple, common, and human-readable format for exchanging tabular data between different computing programs, especially spreadsheets and databases, circumventing proprietary formats and the rigid limitations of fixed-width files.
Platforms: Platform-independent (any operating system with text file support)

Related technologies

Database systems (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle)
Business Intelligence (BI) software
Programming languages (e.g., Python, R, Java, C#)
Data analysis tools (e.g., Pandas, R data.table)
Spreadsheet software (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets)
ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) tools

Notable users

Almost all businesses across industries
Scientific researchers and academic institutions
Data analysts and data scientists
Software developers for configuration and logging
Government agencies for public data dissemination