What is the main difference between Excel and CSV file?

CSV : means C omma S eparated V alues. it is a plain text (ansi) format. XLS : is the main binary file format for all e X ce L S heets

Dear IRAM,

CSV Files are such files that are especially formatted for Import and Export Purpose for all databases.

These are not excel specific, these files can be generated from any RDBMS i,e oracle, sql server, mysql, sybase, informatics, access, excel, dbase, and any supported database.

Excel is a spreadsheet designer and software containing work sheets for Financial calculations, preparing Profit and Loss Account, Balance Sheet , Income statement  and even all custom reporting where some calculations are required. It can export its sheet into CSV (Comma seperated values).

I'm agree with Mr. Abdul Wahab

There are may good answers over here but here is my take and perspective on this.

Excel is a much more powerful tool than a CSV. Excel can be used to perform advanced mathematical calculations, used as a database and to generate insightful reports. I have used excel as a calculation tool, used as a database and generated variety of reports using pivot tables.

CSVs are more of a legacy database mechanism. The best and widely used example would be of popular format used across many mobile phones to store contacts. Using CSVs for phone contacts is one of the best means to port it across mobiles of different makes and operating systems.

1. Apart from simple Abbreviations, when an .XLS file is saved in .CSV format, it loses all its formatting. You can't open an excel file directly in a text editor (notepad, wordpad) as it will show you funny characters. So you have to Save it to as .CSV file format while using Save As option.

2. Now when you open a converted .XLS to .CSV file in a text editor, it shall show you values separated by commas and then you can't manipulate the data in it as you use to do it in Excel.

Then what is the use of this conversion ???

Answer:-

Databases or certain software programs support data import. The format these support is often .CSV. So, to save you from a hassle of all that data remaking, you are given the option to convert into .CSV format and import.

Good Enough ?

you already get complete answer....................thanks 

Excel is an Application but CSV is just a format of a file type. Also CSV file can be create and open using the Excel application

Excel is way more superior compared to CSV as it is able to do a lot more to the tabular data. Formatting is one of the biggest feature that comes with newer spreadsheet applications. You can change fonts, colors, and the sizes of each cell so that the table is much easier to read and more pleasant to the eyes of the readers. You also have the ability to embed tables within the Excel files that give a visual representation of the data. CSV has no provisions for saving table information in itself.

The advantage of CSV files comes from its age and its widespread compatibility. You can open a CSV file in almost any application, even on a text editor as the format itself is just a text file that uses special characters to determine where one cell ends and the other begins. Due to the advanced features that were added to excel and the greater amount of data stored that is not directly related to what is stored in each cell, saving in a delimited text file like CSV becomes tedious and impractical. Excel files follow its own algorithm in saving the data and are no longer readable in other application that do not recognize it.

Dear  Iram Hanif, 

CSV files hold plain text as a series of values (cells) separated by commas (,) in a series of lines (rows). You can actually open a CSV file in a text editor and read it yourself. Many applications are capable of reading CSV files, and many languages provide built-in functions that simplify reading/writing CSV format.

XLS is an MS Excel workbook binary file, which holds information about all the worksheets in a workbook, comprising both content and formatting (number masking, colouring, conditional formatting, etc), and can also hold additionals like charts, images, etc. XLS files can only be read by applications that have been especially written to read their format, and can only be written in the same way.

CSV - common seperated values, i.e , is the delimiter between the values of the field to filed and is a text file.

with regard to XLS and CSV , Mr. Abdul Wahab is nicely explained.

1. Excel is a spreadsheet application that saves files into its own format while CSV is a standard of saving tabular information into a delimited text file
2. CSV is a very old method of saving tables compared to Excel
3. CSV files cannot store other information like formatting while this comes standard in Excel
4. Files saved in excel cannot be opened or edited by text editors while CSV files can.