CSVformaadiks

CSVformaadiks is a proposed, metadata-rich variant of the comma-separated values (CSV) format intended to improve data exchange and validation across multilingual datasets. It is not an official standard and appears mainly in limited documentation and community discussions. The aim is to retain the familiarity of CSV while adding explicit schema and encoding information to support automated validation and interpretation by tooling.

Structure and rules: A CSVformaadiks file begins with a directive line that identifies the format, version, delimiter, and encoding. For example, a line such as "#CSVFORMAADIKS version=1.0 delimiter=, encoding=UTF-8" may appear at the top. Immediately following is a schema line that lists field names and optional types, separated by the same delimiter, e.g., "name,type,age". Data rows follow, each containing the same number of fields. Fields can be quoted; quotes inside fields are escaped by doubling them. Missing values may be represented by empty fields. Multi-valued fields can be encoded as a single quoted field using a sub-delimiter (for instance a pipe |) to separate values. The file may also include an optional metadata block describing data provenance or lineage.

Usage and compatibility: The format is designed to be backward compatible with basic CSV readers if the directive line and schema are ignored by tools not aware of the extension. Validation and strict schema enforcement require parsers that recognize the directive and schema lines. Adoption is limited; some organizations use CSVformaadiks for data governance, quality assurance, and structured data exchange where explicit typing and metadata are advantageous.

Example:

#CSVFORMAADIKS version=1.0 delimiter=, encoding=UTF-8

name,type,age

Alice,person,30

Bob,person,25

Cara,person,

tags

Alice,person,"employee|team lead"