CSV Support Now Available: Import Your Data Faster Than Ever

We've expanded our file format support to include CSV files, making it even easier to get your data into xlanalysis and start building powerful analytics dashboards.

The Challenge: Multiple Data Formats

In today's data-driven world, your data comes in many formats:

• Excel files (.xlsx) from spreadsheets
• CSV files from databases, APIs, and exports
• Data from various tools and platforms

Previously, you had to convert CSV files to Excel before uploading them to xlanalysis. Not anymore.

Introducing CSV Support

xlanalysis now supports both Excel (.xlsx) and CSV (.csv) files directly. Simply upload your CSV file, and it will automatically be imported into your project's database, ready for analysis.

How It Works

1. Upload Your CSV File - Go to the Data workspace and upload your .csv file just like you would an Excel file
2. Automatic Processing - Our intelligent CSV processor automatically:

• Parses the CSV structure
• Detects data types (numbers, dates, text, booleans)
• Creates a table in your database
• Suggests primary keys

1. Start Analyzing - Your CSV data is immediately available in the Model and Report workspaces

It's that simple. No conversion needed.

What Makes Our CSV Support Special?

1. **Intelligent Type Detection**

Our CSV processor automatically detects the data types in your CSV file:

• Numbers - Automatically identifies integers and decimals
• Dates - Recognizes common date formats (YYYY-MM-DD, MM/DD/YYYY, etc.)
• Booleans - Detects true/false, yes/no, 1/0 values
• Text - Handles all other data as text

No manual schema definition required.

2. **Smart Primary Key Detection**

The system automatically suggests primary keys based on:

• Column names (id, key, uuid, code, etc.)
• Uniqueness of values
• Common patterns in your data

3. **Robust CSV Parsing**

Our parser handles:

• Quoted fields - Properly handles commas and quotes within fields
• Multiple line endings - Works with Windows (CRLF), Unix (LF), and Mac (CR) formats
• Escaped quotes - Correctly processes double-quote escaping
• Empty fields - Handles missing or empty values gracefully

4. **Same Database, Same Power**

CSV files are imported into the same DuckDB database as Excel files. This means:

• Unified Analysis - Combine data from Excel and CSV files in the same project
• Full SQL Support - Use all SQL features with CSV data
• Relationships - Create relationships between CSV and Excel tables
• Calculated Columns - Add calculated columns to CSV tables
• Measures - Create measures using CSV data
• Time Intelligence - Use time intelligence functions with CSV date columns

Use Cases

1. **Database Exports**

Export data from your database as CSV and import it directly:

-- Export from your database
SELECT * FROM sales_data INTO OUTFILE 'sales.csv';

Then upload sales.csv to xlanalysis—no Excel conversion needed.

2. **API Data**

Many APIs return CSV data. Now you can:

1. Download CSV from the API
2. Upload directly to xlanalysis
3. Start building dashboards immediately

3. **Mixed Data Sources**

Combine data from different sources:

• Excel files from your team
• CSV exports from systems
• All in one unified analytics project

4. **Quick Data Updates**

CSV files are often smaller and faster to generate than Excel files. Use CSV for:

• Regular data updates
• Automated exports
• Quick data imports

Getting Started

Step 1: Create or Select a Project

CSV files must be uploaded to a project (just like Excel files). If you don't have a project yet:

1. Go to the Projects page
2. Click "+ New Project"
3. Give it a name and description
4. Click "Create Project"

Step 2: Upload Your CSV File

1. Go to the Data workspace
2. Make sure your project is selected
3. Click "Browse Excel/CSV Files" or drag and drop your CSV file
4. Wait for processing to complete

Step 3: Verify Your Data

1. Check the upload confirmation message
2. View your table in the Data workspace
3. Verify column types and row counts

Step 4: Start Building

Your CSV data is now available in:

• Model Workspace - Create relationships, calculated columns, and measures
• Report Workspace - Build dashboards and visualizations

Create Dashboards with AI

Once your CSV or Excel data is uploaded, you can instantly create professional dashboards using AI. Simply describe what you want to analyze, and AI will generate a complete dashboard for you.

The AI will:

• Analyze your data model, tables, columns, and relationships
• Review your saved queries and measures
• Identify key metrics and KPIs
• Create appropriate visualizations (charts, tables, KPI cards)
• Design a professional layout with proper spacing
• Add filters and slicers where appropriate

CSV File Requirements

Format

• File Extension: Must be .csv
• Encoding: UTF-8 (recommended)
• Header Row: First row should contain column names
• Delimiter: Comma (,)
• Quotes: Use double quotes (") for fields containing commas or quotes

Best Practices

1. Include Headers - Always include a header row with descriptive column names
2. Clean Data - Remove empty rows and columns before uploading
3. Consistent Formats - Use consistent date and number formats within columns
4. Unique Identifiers - Include a unique identifier column (id, key, etc.) if possible

Example CSV Format

id,name,email,created_date,is_active,revenue
1,John Doe,john@example.com,2024-01-15,true,1250.50
2,Jane Smith,jane@example.com,2024-01-16,false,2300.75
3,Bob Johnson,bob@example.com,2024-01-17,true,1890.25

Limitations

CSV files follow the same limits as Excel files based on your subscription plan:

• File Size - Based on your plan (Trial: 50MB, Basic: 50MB, Pro: 100MB, Enterprise: 500MB)
• Row Count - Based on your plan (Trial: 200K, Basic: 200K, Pro: 500K, Enterprise: Unlimited)
• File Count - Based on your plan (Trial: 5, Basic: 10, Pro: 50, Enterprise: Unlimited)

What's Next?

CSV support is just the beginning. We're continuously improving our data import capabilities to make it easier to get your data into xlanalysis.

Ready to try it? Upload your first CSV file today and see how easy it is to get started with analytics.

Have questions or feedback about CSV support? We'd love to hear from you. Contact us or leave a review to share your experience.