Why CSV Still Works for Simple Tables
CSV keeps a simple table as plain text you can open later, if you respect what it leaves behind.
A simple table wants a simple container. Names and phone numbers, a list of boxes on a shelf, a roster of who brought what to a meeting: these are rows and columns, not a designed page. CSV, which is just a text file that separates those columns with commas, has stayed useful because almost anything that can open text can open it. It is not a full spreadsheet. That modesty is the reason to trust it for the tables that really are tables.
What you get, and what you quietly lose
A CSV keeps values. It does not keep colors, merged cells, charts, or several sheets in one file. It does not keep formulas. If a cell showed a total, the CSV stores the total as a number or as text, not as the recipe that produced it. For an archive of results, that is often what you want, as long as the folder note says the figures were exported on a given date and will not recalculate. For a workbook you are still using to compute, keep the workbook and use the CSV as the durable twin. A picture of the same sheet is the option to avoid, for the reasons in why a spreadsheet saved as a picture is stuck.
Commas, quotes, and the rows that break
The format splits fields on commas. A name or a note that itself contains a comma must be wrapped so the next column does not start too early. Most spreadsheet programs do this for you on export, and they fail in confusing ways if you build the file by hand. After you export, open the CSV in a plain editor and look at a row that includes a comma in a note. You should see the note held together, not spilled across extra columns. Also watch line breaks inside a cell. A comment that was two lines tall can become two rows, and every column after that is shifted. If your notes are long, consider whether those notes belong in a sidecar text file instead of inside the grid.
Dates and leading zeros are the classic traps
Open a CSV in a spreadsheet and it may try to be helpful. A membership number that starts with zero can turn into a smaller number, and the zero is gone. A date can be rewritten into the program's favorite date style, which becomes a problem if you save the file and the original text is replaced. If those columns matter, set them as text before you poke around, or read the file in an editor that will not reinterpret it. Write in the folder note which columns are codes, not quantities. Future you, importing the file in a hurry, is the person who will destroy the zeros and then wonder why the roster no longer matches the paper cards.
One sheet of meaning, named out loud
CSV is a single table. If the workbook had a roster, a budget, and a scratch area, export them as separate files with names that say which is which, or export only the table you mean to keep. Do not export the scratch area into the archive and leave a future reader to guess why two totals disagree. A short README beside the files should list each CSV, what a row represents, and what the column headings mean if the headings are abbreviations. Abbreviations that were obvious in a meeting are not obvious in a file. This is the same courtesy as any other note you hope to reread, applied to a grid.
Check a round trip before you delete the original
Export the CSV, close the spreadsheet, and open the CSV in a second program or a fresh sheet. Count the rows. Spot-check the first data row, a middle row, and the last row against the original. Look at a cell that had a comma and a cell that had a leading zero. If they match, the export is a real copy. If they do not, fix the export and do not discard the workbook. CSV is sturdy when the table is truly simple and you have looked at it with your eyes. It is not a ritual to click through. Once it passes, store it with the rest of the archive and make a second copy apart from the computer that made it.
Frequently asked questions
Is CSV the same as a spreadsheet file? No. A spreadsheet file can hold formulas, formatting, and many sheets. A CSV is the values of one table written as text. Keep the spreadsheet if you still need the formulas.
Which separator should I use? Commas are the usual choice in the United States. If your notes are full of commas, an export that quotes fields correctly is the fix, not a homemade separator nobody else expects. Stay with what your tools already call CSV.
Can I edit the CSV by hand? Yes, in a plain text editor, if you are careful not to break quotes and commas. For everyday edits, a spreadsheet is kinder. After those edits, export again and recheck the rows that contain punctuation.