Know How
CSV-Format
The CSV-Format is a very easy but nevertheless smart way to exchange data between a tester and a company computer. The base of the exchange file is a kind of text file. This file includes the necessary data according to a stipulated scheme. This scheme is the CSV-format.
The abbreviation CSV stands for Comma Separated Values. This means that between the data that are to be exchanged between computer systems a comma is written as separation (data separator). The data are written one after another in a text line and between them there is a separator to separate them. The separator is required in order to identify where the data end and new data begin. As separator you do not necessarily have to use a comma. In case the data to be exchanged already include a comma (for example 123,45) a comma separator would lead to errors. In this case it would be better to use a semicolon for example instead of a comma.
Example: 3 words are to be transferred: company name: Schleich and postal code: 58675 and city: Hemer.
The CSV-text line would look like this way: Schleich,58675,Hemer
The program, read by the CSV-text line, is able to separate in this line the three single information. This example is simple but it also shows that the receiving program still needs additional information. It has to know the meaning of the three single data files. This can either be determined before the test so that both systems (the sender and the receiver of the CSV-text line) process according to a stipulated rule or the data structure can be transferred in a headline. The headline then includes the information regarding the subsequent data.
The great advantage of the CSV-format is that there are many programs available on the market that are able to read or send data in the CSV-format. Among other programs Microsoft EXCEL is one of the mostly used programs to import data in the CSV-format and afterwards process them with EXCEL.