CSV Full Form

CSV full form is Comma Separated Values and it's a file format used to store data in tabular form which stores numbers and text in the form of plain text which can be easily read and written. The CSV is a format which is most commonly used in order to import and export format for databases and spreadsheets.

What is the Full Form of CSV?

As mentioned above the full form of CSV is comma Separated Values. The data is stored in tabular form, each line of the file has data that uses commas to separate the value, they are stored in a way where each line consists of the same number of fields. The CSV files are not considered standardized. The fields that are separated by commas are considered base and the commas between the data are handled. It also allows the transfer of large files between multiple programs.

An Overview of the Basic Rules for CSV

Below are basic rules that should be kept in mind while using Comma Separated Values (CSV full form)

1. It doesn’t support special characters

2. Every data entered should have the same no. of fields & in the same order

3. All adjacent fields should be separated with the help of a comma

4. Fields consisting of line break must be quoted

5. Fields having values more than a single word are mandated to be quoted

History of CSV

CSV is perhaps a popular format adopted across engineering, computing, and scientific works. It is even widely used in the healthcare, finance, and manufacturing sectors. If we try tracing the inception of this format, we may notice its existence even before the emergence of personal computers. It was discovered in 1972 when it was used for storing and exchanging data in mainframe computing. IBM Fortran supported this comma-separated values format whereby the comma or space was treated as a delimiter. Though its use became prevalent in 1983 however initiative to standardize the format started in 2005. During this period, the RFC 4180 standard came to be defined in the format. From the 2000s to 2010, major evolutions were registered in the CSV format. As the demand for big data increases, CSV begins to be used widely for compatibility with different types of data processing tools. In the current time, CSV is adopted across various industries for easy accessibility, usage, and interoperability.

What are the Characteristics of CSV?

To get a better understanding of CSV you can find the following characteristics of CSV

• The data fields are separated by commas always
• The file doesn’t allow space characters to exist next to commas
• If the record is large and requires multiple lines automatically the new data will be entered in a new line

What are the Advantages of CSV?

Below are the advantages of CSV

• CSV files are easy to read and create
• Some computer applications like Notepad are considered easy to use and edit CSV file formats
• CSV files, the full form of which is Comma Separated Values, are safe to use as they are easy to understand and do not have many technicalities  
• The data entered or converted remains safe as after converting into CSV file it does not manipulate the data
• They are  easy to import file almost every application supports CSV file format
• Uses less storage as compared to other formats such as Microsoft excel 
• Header for columns is required to be written once only
• It is user-friendly and can be opened in any text editor application such as Notepad, google sheets, excel, etc.

 What are the Disadvantages of CSV?

Below mentioned are the disadvantages of CSV

• Complex data are difficult to replace or change
• It doesn’t have any tool or function to represent binary data
• Using special characters is difficult as CSV doesn’t support it
• There is no technique to distinguish between NULL and quotes
• Users might face Difficulty while importing CSV into SQL
• There’s no method for distinguishing between numerical and textual data

How to Save Files in CSV Format?

By following the below methods file can be saved in CSV format

1.       Open the file you want to save

2.       Go to save as option

3.       Select save as type to CSV (*.csv)     

 4.       Enter the file name and click the save option

5.       Your file is successfully saved in CSV format

Challenges in Handling CSV Data

When working with CSV formats, the developers might face difficulties in handling storing, and managing data. Some of the top challenges have been listed below for your guidance:

• Data integrity: Security is considered important when managing or storing data. At times non-standard character decoding may lead to errors in writing CSV data. When handling this format data, issues like duplicate records or inappropriate formatting are common challenges. 
• File inconsistency: Though the CSV files are easy to use, the export method varies according to the system which often becomes a real challenge. Developers face issues in managing varied character encodings and delimiters.
• Large file processing: Working with multiple numbers of rows in a CSV file turns challenging to process and can be time-consuming. To run file imports can often result in down servers and a higher cost of managing the process.

Why E-commerce Sector Give Importance to CSV?

Mostly CSV file formats are used by the e-commerce sector in order to store and exchange data. CSV, the full form of which is Comma Separated Values, consists of data in rows and each row shows a record and each column represents a field within the record values in each row are separated with the help of commas which makes it easy to read.

The below-mentioned are ways CSV is used by the e-commerce sector

1. Import and export of product data: CSV file format helps in adding large records of products or making or editing bulk items to existing products after entering all the data the file is easy to export.

2.  Analyzing sales data: CSV files are used for storing and analyzing data related to profit, revenue, etc. The data later can be used in identifying trends and can result in improving business.

3. Managing shipping and orders: The Comma Separated Values file (CSV) can be used to exchange and store info related to orders, shipping, etc. including order no, shipping address, information regarding tracking, and much more.

4. Storing of Customer data: It can store data such as name, address, and purchase history regarding the customer, as it requires less space to be stored.