LOCATION: HOME PAGE: DATABASES IN DISGUISE

Tab and Comma Delimited Files

Data Interchange Format

Tab and comma delimited files are used as a way of exchanging data between many database applications. In tab delimited files (.txt/.tab), the file contains a row of text listing the field names of a database, each separated by a tab. Each of the following lines contain data for one record ordered to match the row of fields at the top. Below is an example of the U.S. Presidents.

Comma delimited files (.txt/.csv) are like tab delimited files, except that data fields are separated by commas instead of tabs. Other characters, such as |, may be occasionally used depending on the program where data originated from.

Usage in Import and Export

Delimited files may be created from scratch in a text editor or can be exported from a database such as Excel, Filemaker, Access, Excel or SPSS, usually via the File » Export menu. These programs can in turn import delimited files, usually via the File » Import menu.

Because so many programs can import delimited files, many online data archives may offer their data as a tab delimited or comma delimited file. Other programs, including ANGEL grade and survey reports and the eLion class list export data as delimited files, because the format is easy to generate and is non-proprietary.

Top of Page

Teaching Ideas

• Courses working with specific programs and large data sets may wish to employ delimited files in their assignments.
• Students collecting data in other programs such as Excel may need to share data as a delimited file.

Penn State Services with Delimited Files

• eLion Class List
• ANGEL Report Export

Next: EndNote
Prev: Excel

Top of Page

OTHER SECTIONS: Home Page | Site Map | Glossary | Teaching Ideas

© 2004-2005 The Pennsylvania State University.

This Website is maintained by Elizabeth Pyatt (ejp10@psu.edu) for Teaching and Learning with Technology, a unit of Information Technology Services.

Last Update: August 1, 2005