Tiedostoina

Tiedostoina is a Finnish phrase that functions as the essive plural form of tiedosto, meaning “as files” or “in the form of files.” It is formed from tiedosto (file) plus the essive suffix -ina in the plural. The expression describes data, content, or items that are presented, stored, or transferred as separate files rather than as a single container or archive. In technical writing, tiedostoina is used to denote the format or mode of delivery.

In usage, tiedostoina appears mainly in computing, data export, and documentation. It communicates granularity and ease of handling on file systems or in workflows, since each item exists as an individual file. The term is context-dependent and often appears in phrases such as “palauttaa/tiedot viedään tiedostoina” (returned/exported as files). It can be contrasted with forms like tiedostona (as a single file) or other packaging formats, where data is bundled rather than split into separate files.

Grammatical notes help non-native speakers: tiedostoina is the correct form for the plural essive case and is not a separate concept but a grammatical expression describing the state or form of the data. The meaning hinges on context, so readers should consider surrounding phrases to determine whether “as files” refers to individual file instances or a collection of files delivered together.

Examples include: “Tulokset voidaan ladata tiedostoina, yksi tiedosto kutakin havaintoa kohti.” “Palvelin palauttaa vastaukset tiedostoina CSV- tai JSON-tiedostoina.” See also tiedosto, tiedostot, esivaikutus.