CSV Data Format: What It Is and How to Use It

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a simple text format for tabular data. It is widely used for spreadsheets, reporting, imports and exports, and data exchange between tools.

If you need to turn CSV into structured JSON, use our CSV to JSON converter.

What is CSV?

CSV stores data as rows and columns, where each line is a row and separators split values into columns.

Example:

name,country,score
Alice,AU,97
Budi,ID,91

Why CSV is still popular

  • Easy to generate and parse
  • Works with Excel and Google Sheets
  • Supported by almost every data platform
  • Lightweight and portable

CSV vs JSON

  • CSV is best for flat, table-like data.
  • JSON is best for nested and structured data.

For APIs and automation, JSON is often easier. For reporting and spreadsheet work, CSV is often faster.

Common CSV workflows

  • Export data to CSV for spreadsheet analysis
  • Convert CSV to JSON for API and app workflows
  • Prepare CSV files for imports into CRMs and tools

CSV tools on Data.Page

Need help with a CSV file?

If your file has encoding issues, delimiter problems, or inconsistent headers, we can help. Contact us with a sample and target output.

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