3 ms·
Csv is much more useful than Excel. Pdf is much less useful.
by LikesPwsh 2y ago
Csv is much more useful than Excel.
Pdf is much less useful.
- afiori 2y agocan you make graphs in a CSV?
- fuzzfactor 2y agoNot exactly, I like to graph "xSV" data as it is streaming in to the PC, with processing before displaying and filling the cells with the filtered data. You can choose which functions you want to apply before data hits the cells and let the cells do their magic after that. Pretty much a real-time live graph, other than a little latency. After data collection (or during), then output can be made in any format you would like. In addition to what anybody would want to print right off the spreadsheet. The XLS(X) file forms a database and UI, contains a copy of the input macros and output macros, and you save the whole thing every time which backs it all up (over and over and over again) in a form that anybody can open anywhere with a PC that only has Windows & Office. And whoever opens it will be right up to speed as good as they can be with whatever abilities they have using Excel alone.
- foobiekr 2y agoOnly if the thing consuming it can consume formulas.
- Tagbert 2y agoCSV is undefined and the edge cases are very ugly. It is compatible until the import fails silently and makes a mess of the data. I also cannot contain formulas. Only data. If your process can read and write to Excel it is a much better defined format.
- nradov 2y agoCSV is fully defined in RFC 4180. Of course that standard is only informative and some vendors don't implement it correctly. https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4180.txt https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4180.txt
- Spooky23 2y agoCSV is a simple data interchange format. Better than excel in that context. PDF is the canonical way to preserve formatting where that is important. A court document electronically filed in PDF in 1999 is identically rendered today. The source .doc or WordPerfect file is not.