Comma-Separated Values File (CSV)

The following sequence illustrates a typical CSV file: John Smith, 50, $5000, New York David Benz, 36, $10000, Miami Note that each the line of text corresponds to a row in the database table. The various columns are represented with comma. Generally, the following are true: The leading and trailing spaces are generally ignored when conversion is being made from CSV to a typical database. Double quotes are used to delimit embedded commas. A field that contains double quotes is surrounded by double quotes and the embedded double quotes in the field are also surrounded by an additional pair of double quotes. A field that has embedded line breaks is also surrounded by double quotes. The fields at the top row indicate the column names of the target table into which the CSV file will be converted. The advantage of using CSV file format for data exchange is that the CSV file is relatively easy to process by any application and data extraction can be achieved with the help of a simple program. In the earlier years when database technologies were still in their infancy, the CSV was the most standard portable format. For the most part, you'd only use a CSV file for a relatively simple application - XML would be used for a transfer involving more complexity.