Editor's pick
CSVGuide
Handling CSV Files Too Big to Open in Excel or Python
A decision guide for CSV files too big to open: look, count, sample, query in place, chunk, split, compress or convert, with numbers from a 1.3 GB file.
17 min read
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102 posts
XMLGuide
What XML Is Good At and Why It Still Shows Up in Your Data
A tested beginner guide to XML: where you will meet it in data work, what it does better than JSON, how it is structured, and the first checks to run.
17 min read
ExcelGuide
What Is Inside an Excel File and What It Means for Data
See what an XLSX workbook really contains, from cell types and shared strings to dates, formulas, styles and limits, and what each part means for your data.
17 min read
MySQLGuide
Getting a MySQL Server Running and Usable From Scratch
A beginner guide to getting a MySQL server running: choose a version, install, secure, connect, create users and fix the first errors.
16 min read
JSONGuide
What JSON Allows and What Parsers Quietly Accept in Practice
The JSON grammar fits on a page, and parsers still disagree on trailing commas, NaN, duplicate keys, big numbers and more. A 26-case test across five parsers.
17 min read
ExcelGuide
Controlling What Goes Into a Spreadsheet Before It Spreads
Control what goes into a shared spreadsheet: templates, data validation, tables, protection, error flags and import checks that stop bad data at the source.
17 min read
CSVGuide
CSV Import and Export Features in Applications Done Right
Build CSV import and export into an application: staged imports with dry runs, streamed and background exports, column names, round trips and safety.
19 min read
ExcelGuide
Charts From Data Pulled Out of Databases Start to Finish
Build clear Excel charts from database data: shape the query, pick the chart, keep ranges live, avoid misleading axes, add sparklines, export images.
17 min read
CSVGuide
Worked CSV Problems and the Patterns Behind Them Explained
Eight messy CSV files solved end to end with a check each: mixed dates, unquoted commas, multi-line notes, display formats, headers, bad quotes, footnotes.
18 min read
CSVGuide
More Analysis Moves for CSV Data You Can Use Today
Nine analysis moves for a CSV in SQL: cross tabs, period comparisons, concentration, seasonality, distribution shape, sampling, charts and reconciliation.
16 min read
CSVGuide
Loading CSV Into Cloud Warehouses Without Painful Reloads
How to load CSV into BigQuery, Snowflake and ClickHouse: stage the file, declare the schema, pick an error policy, load once and check the counts afterward.
17 min read
ExcelGuide
A Practical Guide to Connecting Excel Directly to a Database
Connect Excel to PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQL Server with connectors and ODBC, using read only accounts, parameters, safe credentials, refresh and speed checks.
16 min read