Someone sent me a CSV file. What is it, and what do I do with it?
CSV stands for Comma Separated Values, and is a format capable of storing tabular data in a text file [Wikipedia].
First of all a table, in computer terms, is data organized into rows and columns. Now, suppose you have the following data:
| Name | Location | Attending? |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Smith | Austin, TX | Y |
| Mike Cooper | Boston, MA | N |
| Andrew Burke | Seattle, WA | Y |
CSV would be an excellent file format for distributing this data between a number of different places. This is because CSV is very simple, elegant, and has been around for a long time. It can be understood by a variety of software among many different computer systems. Plus, a person looking at the contents of a CSV file can easily interpret them. Well, small CSV files, anyway. CSV files with mounds of data look a little hairy to th naked eye. Back to the point — CSV is both machine-readable and able to be understood by humans.
A CSV file would with the same data from above would look like this:
Name,Location,Attending?<br />Joe Smith,"Austin, TX",Y<br />Mike Cooper,"Boston, MA",N<br />Andrew Burke,"Seattle, WA",Y
Simply put, CSV organizes data into rows and columns by putting each row on it’s own line, and separating the columns (or fields) with commas. A person looking at this data could understand what it means, and it’s organized in a simple pattern that a piece of software could analyze.
Finally, look closely at how the locations in the second column are enclosed in double quotes. This is because even though each location contains a comma, we don’t want those commas to be mis-interpreted as dividing each location into two separate fields. Those double quotes instruct any CSV-reading software that “Boston, MA” is one field containing a literal comma, instead of two fields “Boston” and “MA”.
How to open a CSV file
Any good spreadsheet will be able to open a CSV file. If you have spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel installed on your computer, odds are that simply double-clicking on a CSV file will open it up in spreadsheet form. If that doesn’t work, follow these instructions to open said CSV file with Microsoft Excel:
- Start up Microsoft Excel
- Click Data → Get External Data
- Locate your CSV file and open it
Excel’s Text Import Wizard will start up with this screen:
Select “Delimited”, change “File Origin” to “Windows (ANSI)” (unless you’re either on a Mac, or have been given instructions to use another origin). Click “Next”, and you’ll move on to this screen:
Check off “Comma” and make sure “Text qualifier” is set to a double quote (unless you have instructions otherwise). Click “Next” and then “Finish”, and you’ll be brought to this screen:
Hit “OK” and your CSV data will be imported into Excel.
Saving your own CSV file
Conversely, you can also save spreadsheets as CSV files with Microsoft Excel. To do so, follow these steps:
- Compose your spreadsheet
- Click File → Save As
- Give the file a name, and select “CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv)” from the “Save as type:” box.
- Click the “Save” button to save your data as a CSV file
Keep in mind that CSV is format that simply carries raw data. Formatting features such as fonts, colors, and images will be lost if you save your spreadsheet as a CSV file.
