Importing CSV Files

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a plain-text format where each row of data is on its own line and each column is separated by a delimiter character. Zoho Analytics imports CSV files along with TSV (Tab-Separated Values) and other delimited text files through a single file-type option in the import wizard.

This page covers the CSV-specific settings. For the general import procedure, plan availability, role permissions, and common settings that apply to all file formats, see Importing Data from Files.

Supported file extensions

ExtensionDescription
.csvComma-separated values
.tsvTab-separated values
Other delimited textOther plain-text files with delimited columns

CSV import is available from all three file sources: Local Drive, Pasted Data, and FTP. See Starting an Import on the landing page for source-specific entry steps.

Importing a CSV file

CSV import follows the standard procedure described in Starting an Import on the landing page. The CSV-specific step is the file-type selection:

  1. After selecting your source (Local Drive, Pasted Data, or FTP) and providing the source details, the import wizard opens.
  2. From the File Type dropdown, select CSV, TSV & Other Text Format.
  3. Complete the general settings: Table Name, First Row Contains Column Names, and Format of Date columns. These are documented in Configuring Import Settings.
  4. Configure the CSV-specific options described in CSV-specific settings below.
  5. Verify the Preview, configure On Import Error options, then click Create.

CSV-specific settings

The following options appear in the More CSV Settings section of the wizard when the file type is set to CSV, TSV & Other Text Format. Click More CSV Settings to expand the section. They control how Zoho Analytics parses the structure of your file.

Delimiter

Specify the character that separates one column from the next in your data.

Available options:

  • Comma ( , ) (default) - for standard CSV files
  • Tab - for TSV files
  • Semicolon ( ; ) - for CSV files exported from regional spreadsheet apps where the comma is used as the decimal separator
  • Space - for space-delimited text files
  • Pipe ( | ) - for pipe-delimited text files

Text Qualifier

If string values in your data are enclosed within quote characters, specify the quote type so Zoho Analytics treats the enclosed text as a single value, even when it contains the delimiter.

For example, with a comma delimiter and double-quote text qualifier, the row "Smith, John",30,Chennai imports as three columns: Smith, John, 30, and Chennai.

Available options:

  • NONE (default) - no text qualifier
  • Single Quote (')
  • Double Quote (")

Comment Character

If some rows in your file are comments that should be skipped during import, enter the character that marks those lines in the Comment Character text box. Zoho Analytics excludes any row that starts with this character from the import.

The comment character must be the first character in the row. Comments that begin partway through a row are not recognized.

The field is empty by default, which means no rows are treated as comments.

Notes and limitations

  • File size limit: 100 MB per file and 1 million rows per import. For larger CSV files, see Import Large Data Files using Zoho Databridge.
  • TSV files: TSV files use a tab character as the delimiter and are imported using the same wizard. Select Tab as the Delimiter in More CSV Settings.

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