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Glossary C

Glossary · Cross-cutting

CSV

Area
Both strands

CSV stands for comma-separated values, a text format for tables with one record per line; on our pharma pages it also stands for computer system validation, which has its own entry.

As a file format, CSV stores a table as text: one record per line, fields separated by commas, and an optional first line for the field names. RFC 4180, published in October 2005, documents the format and registers text/csv as its media type, the label by which software recognises a CSV file. The RFC is for information only and does not set an internet standard. It also notes that CSV had no formal specification, which left room for a wide variety of interpretations.

In practice, two systems that exchange CSV files therefore need to agree on the details, such as which columns come in which order. As CSV had no formal specification, such details are open to interpretation.

A system without an API can still be connected to our software, as long as it exports its data in a machine-readable format such as CSV. In a proof-of-delivery portal we built for a logistics business serving the pharmaceutical industry, for example, a mapping table can be filled and updated by CSV import.

On our pharma pages, CSV also stands for computer system validation. We deliberately do not offer that service; the term is explained under Validation.

Where the term appears

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