Key Difference between CSV and Excel
- CSV is a format for saving tabular information into a delimited text file with extension .csv, whereas Excel is a spreadsheet that keeps files into its own proprietary format viz xls or xlsx.
- CSV is a plain text format with a series of values separated by commas, whereas Excel is a binary file that holds information about all the worksheets in a workbook.
- CSV file can’t perform operations on
data, while Excel can perform operations on the data.
- Comparing CSV vs Xlsx, CSV files are faster and also consume less memory, whereas Excel consumes more memory while importing data.
- Comparing CSV vs Excel, CSV files can be opened with any text editor in windows, while Excel files can’t be opened with text editors.
CSV vs Excel Excel and CSV both help store data in tabular format. Besides this commonality, there is a huge difference between Excel and CSV in their respective features and usages. Let’s discuss what is the difference between CSV and Xlsx in detail in this CSV and Excel difference
article.
What is a CSV file?
A CSV file is a simple type of plain text file which uses a specific structure to arrange tabular data. The standard format of a CSV file is defined by rows and columns data where a newline terminates each row to begin the next row, and each column is separated by a comma within the row.
What is an Excel file?
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet software included in the Microsoft office suite. It is widely used to create tables and grids of
numbers and formulas that specify calculations, inventory tracking, accounting, and more.
Here is the main difference between CSV and Excel:
| Excel | CSV |
|---|
| It is a binary file that holds information about all the worksheets in a workbook
| CSV stands for Comma Separated Values. It is a plain text format with a series of values separated by commas.
|
| An Excel not only stores data but can also do operations on the data
| A CSV file is just a text file, it stores data but does not contain formatting, formulas, macros, etc. It is also known as flat files
|
| Excel is a spreadsheet that saves files into its own proprietary format viz xls or xlsx
| CSV is a format for saving tabular information into a delimited text file with extension .csv
|
| Files saved in excel cannot be opened or edited by text editors
| CSV files can be opened or edited by text editors like notepad
|
| In data-warehouse, Excel is preferable for detailed standardized schema specification
| In data-warehouse, CSV follows a fairly flat, simple schema
|
| Any programming language library to parse Excel data is generally larger, slower and complicated
| Any programming language to parse CSV data is trivial, generating it is extremely easy
|
| With no clear distinction or separation between numeric values and text, Excel can mess up with your postal codes and credit card numbers with its auto formatting features
| CSV is safe and can clearly differentiate between the numeric values and text. CSV does not manipulate data and stores it as-is.
|
| In Excel, you have to have a start tag and end tag for each column in each row
| In CSV, you write column headers only once
|
| Excel consumes more memory while importing data
| Importing CSV files can be much faster, and it also consumes less memory
|
| Reading large files user is much easier in Excel for the end user. Also, you can have additional functions like selecting individual cells for import, convert dates and time automatically, reading formulas and their results, filters, sorting, etc.
| Reading large files in CSV will not be as easier as Excel for the End User
|
| Apart from text, data can also be stored in form of charts and graphs
| Each record is stored as one line of a text file, and every newline signifies a new database row. CSV can not store charts or graphs
|
| Excel file can be opened with Microsoft Excel doc only
| CSV can be opened with any text editor in Windows like notepad, MS Excel, Microsoft Works 9, etc.
|
| Excel can connect to external data sources to fetch data. You can use custom add-in in Excel to increase its functionality. Excel allows for Review of Data with detailed tracking and commenting feature.
| All this functionality is not possible in CSV
|
| As a developer, it’s difficult to programmatically manipulate Excel files since the Excel is proprietary. This is especially true for languages other than .NET
| As a developer it’s easy to programmatically manipulate CSV since, after all, they are simple text files.
|
Similarities between CSV and Excel Files
CSV is the acronym for “comma separated values”. It is used to store tabular data where the column names and row values are separated using commas. The following image illustrates this
CSV
file in Excel
- Both can be opened in spreadsheet programs
- Both store data in tabular formats i.e. columns and rows
- Both can be manipulated using functions and features found in Excel.
The following screenshot shows a CSV file opened in Excel
CSV file in Excel
A CSV is a comma-separated values file, which allows data to be saved in a tabular format. CSVs look like a garden-variety spreadsheet but with a . csv extension. CSV files can be used with most any spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft Excel or Google Spreadsheets.
How do I create a CSV file in Excel?
Go to File > Save As. Click Browse. In the Save As dialog box, under Save as type box, choose the text file format for the worksheet; for example, click Text (Tab delimited) or CSV (Comma delimited).
Is a CSV file the same as an Excel file?
The difference between CSV and XLS file formats is that CSV format is a plain text format in which values are separated by commas (Comma Separated Values), while XLS file format is an Excel Sheets binary file format which holds information about all the worksheets in a file, including both content and formatting.
If you already have Microsoft Excel installed, just double-click a CSV file to open it in Excel. After double-clicking the file, you may see a prompt asking which program you want to open it with. Select Microsoft Excel. If you are already in Microsoft Excel, you can choose File > Open and select the CSV file.
