Comma-Separated Values (CSV)

What is Comma-Separated Values (CSV)?

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a simple, plain-text file format used to store and exchange tabular data, with each value separated by a comma.

A CSV file consists of rows and columns of data, where each row represents a record and each column represents a field. The values in each field are separated by commas, which is how the format gets its name.

Why is CSV so widely used?

CSV is a popular format for exchanging data between different applications such as databases, spreadsheets, and programming languages, for two main reasons:

• Simplicity: The format is easy to create and read, even for non-technical users, and can be opened in a basic text editor.
• Compatibility: As a plain-text format, CSV files can be read by almost any software application, regardless of platform or operating system.

What are the limitations of CSV?

CSV does have limitations. It does not support advanced data types such as images or binary data, nor does it provide a standard way to represent metadata or nested structure. The format can also be prone to errors if the data itself contains commas or other special characters. Variations such as TSV (Tab-Separated Values) address some of these issues by using tabs instead of commas.

CSV and MIDAS

Prior to 2010, MIDAS used CSV files for both database and settings storage, before migrating to XML. Today, you can import CSV data into MIDAS, and also export bookings, clients, and invoices from MIDAS in CSV format for use in other systems.