Exportformat

Exportformat is a term used to describe the format in which data is exported from a software system. It defines how records, fields, metadata, and structure are serialized for transfer or storage. An export format can be a simple plain-text file, a structured data representation, a binary encoding, or a packaged collection of files. The choice of export format affects readability, fidelity, interoperability, and performance.

Common export formats include CSV and TSV for tabular data; JSON, XML, and YAML for structured data; XLSX and ODS for spreadsheets; Parquet, Avro, and Protobuf for compact binary data; SQL dump for database exports; OBJ and STL for 3D models; GeoJSON and Shapefile for geographic data. Some systems also offer specialized formats tailored to particular domains.

Key considerations when choosing an exportformat include openness versus propriety, whether the format is self-describing or requires an external schema, whether text or binary representation is preferred, and encoding choices (UTF-8 is common). Other important factors are delimiter handling and escaping rules in text formats, whether compression is used, and the inclusion of metadata such as schemas, data types, provenance, and timestamps. Versioning and compatibility between export and import systems are also relevant.

Best practices involve documenting the schema or data types, preserving numeric precision and date/time formats, including sample data, and providing clear mapping guidance when transforming data between formats. Export workflows may support templates, subset selections, or data transformations to meet downstream requirements. Open standards are generally favored to maximize interoperability across systems.