Why CSV is still king

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the history and enduring popularity of the Comma-Separated Values (CSV) file format, which has become a ubiquitous standard for data exchange despite its simplicity.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Rise of CSV

1. How did CSV develop as a file format?

• CSV developed naturally as a simple way for early programmers to store data in tables, by separating values with commas and using a new line for each row.
• This approach caught on quickly and spread across various computing environments.
• In the 1980s, spreadsheet programs further popularized the use of CSV.

2. How did CSV become crucial for business data?

• CSV was used to share financial data, import customer information, and exchange data between different systems.
• Its simplicity and widespread support made it a universal format for data exchange and a favorite among developers for data tasks.

3. How did the rise of the internet and big data impact CSV?

• Many web services started exporting data in CSV format and accepting CSV imports.
• Big data systems like Hadoop and Spark embraced CSV for data processing.
• These developments further cemented CSV's position as a versatile and widely-used data format.

[02] Challenges with CSV

1. What are some of the challenges associated with working with CSV files?

• Handling missing values or special characters in the data
• Dealing with inconsistent formatting or column ordering
• Difficulties in processing large or complex CSV files

2. How have these challenges been overcome?

• Despite the issues, CSV's simplicity and widespread use have helped it overcome these hurdles.

[03] The Future of CSV

1. What are the potential replacements for CSV?

• Newer formats like Parquet, which is more efficient for data analysis, but requires special software to read.
• JSON variants like NDJSON, which are plain text-based and human-readable, but not as widely used as CSV yet.

2. Why is CSV likely to stick around?

• The core simplicity of CSV, which allows it to be used with a wide range of tools and software, will likely keep it relevant for years to come.
• CSV may evolve with some tweaks, such as standardizing the handling of special characters or adding support for data types, but its fundamental simplicity will likely remain.