---
title: "CSV"
description: "CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a simple, text-based file format used to store tabular data."
canonical: "https://motherduck.com/glossary/csv/"
related:
  - title: "CSV | MotherDuck Docs"
    url: "https://motherduck.com/docs/integrations/file-formats/csv/"
  - title: "Why CSV Files Won’t Die and How DuckDB Conquers Them"
    url: "https://motherduck.com/blog/csv-files-persist-duckdb-solution/"
  - title: "File Formats | MotherDuck Docs"
    url: "https://motherduck.com/docs/integrations/file-formats/"
gated_asset:
  title: "DuckLake on MotherDuck"
  url: "https://motherduck.com/product/ducklake/"
---

# CSV

> CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a simple, text-based file format used to store tabular data.

[CSV](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc4180) (Comma-Separated Values) is a simple, text-based file format used to store tabular data. Each line in a CSV file represents a row, with individual values separated by commas. This format is widely supported by spreadsheet applications, databases, and data processing tools, making it a popular choice for data exchange and storage. CSV files are human-readable and can be easily edited with a text editor. 

In DuckDB, you can work with CSV files using the `read_csv` function. For example:

<glossary-callout guide="duckdb-book-brief" />

```sql
SELECT * FROM read_csv('data.csv', auto_detect=true);
```

This command reads a CSV file named 'data.csv' and automatically detects the column types. CSV files are particularly useful for small to medium-sized datasets and are often used as an intermediate format in data pipelines or for data export and import operations.



**Watch:** [Why CSVs Still Matter: The Indispensable File Format](https://motherduck.com/videos/why-csvs-still-matter-the-indispensable-file-format/)