CSV Data Basics
What is CSV?
CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a simple, widely-used file format for storing tabular data. Each line in a CSV file represents a row of data, with individual values separated by commas. This format is popular due to its simplicity and compatibility with various data processing tools.
CSV File Structure
A typical CSV file looks like this:
name,age,city
John Doe,30,New York
Alice Smith,25,San Francisco
Bob Johnson,35,Chicago
Key Characteristics
- Plain text format
- Comma as default separator
- First row often contains column headers
- Easy to read and write
Working with CSV in Python
Python provides built-in csv
module for handling CSV files efficiently:
import csv
## Reading CSV file
with open('data.csv', 'r') as file:
csv_reader = csv.reader(file)
headers = next(csv_reader) ## Read header row
for row in csv_reader:
print(row)
CSV Data Types
graph TD
A[CSV Data Types] --> B[String]
A --> C[Numeric]
A --> D[Date/Time]
A --> E[Boolean]
Common CSV Challenges
Challenge |
Description |
Solution |
Inconsistent Data |
Rows with missing or incorrect values |
Data validation |
Multiple Separators |
Using different delimiters |
Specify delimiter |
Encoding Issues |
Non-standard character encoding |
Set proper encoding |
LabEx Tip
When working with CSV files in data analysis, LabEx recommends always implementing basic data validation to ensure data quality and reliability.