Editor's pick
CSVGuide
How to Import a CSV File Into MySQL the Reliable Way
LOAD DATA LOCAL turns bad values into warnings and still reports success. Import a CSV into MySQL safely, with a script that checks before it swaps.
23 min read
Tag
hub
102 posts
ExcelGuide
Translating Excel Formulas Into SQL With Worked Examples
Translate Excel formulas into SQL: lookups, conditional sums, IF, text and date functions, running totals and pivots, with a worked dataset and the traps.
18 min read
ExcelGuide
Reading and Writing Excel Files With openpyxl in Python
A working guide to openpyxl: the workbook model, reading values and formulas, writing and editing files, large-file modes, styles, charts and errors.
19 min read
XMLGuide
Converting XML to JSON CSV YAML and Excel Without Data Loss
One XML file converted to JSON, CSV, YAML and Excel with one parse and four writers, what each target loses, and how to prove nothing went missing.
20 min read
JSONGuide
Working With JSONB in PostgreSQL From First Query to Index
A working guide to JSONB in PostgreSQL 18: reading, filtering, updating, unnesting and aggregating documents, then GIN and expression indexes, with timings.
21 min read
XMLGuide
Parsing and Writing XML in Python With ElementTree and lxml
A tested guide to XML in Python: ElementTree versus lxml, reading, streaming, writing, namespaces, validation, XSLT, tables, safety and an end-to-end script.
18 min read
Editor's pick
CSVGuide
How to Load a CSV File Into PostgreSQL Without Losing Rows
Load a CSV into PostgreSQL with COPY, see what makes it fast, and learn what each failure means, with a script that loads in one transaction.
20 min read
XMLGuide
XPath Queries That Cover Most Real Needs in XML Work
A tested XPath guide: the twenty expressions that cover most needs, the traps (namespaces, positions, units, injection), tools, timings on 200,000 records.
18 min read
PostgreSQLGuide
Getting Fast With psql and Habits That Save Hours a Week
Get fast with psql: meta commands, a psqlrc, expanded output and pagers, scripts, variables, timing, editor integration, output to files and pgpass.
18 min read
ExcelGuide
Sending Database Results to Excel Properly Every Time
Export SQL results to Excel that open cleanly: keep types and dates, carry formatting, use several sheets, resist formula injection and run on a schedule.
18 min read
CSVGuide
Fixing Garbled Text in CSV Files and Keeping It Fixed
Why accents, euro signs and emoji break in CSV files, how to diagnose each symptom from the bytes, and one routine that converts, loads and checks a file.
21 min read
YAMLGuide
Fixing YAML Errors That Make No Sense Step by Step
A YAML debugging guide: the error catalog across three parsers, a worked session through five stacked mistakes, silent failures and tools to prevent them.
20 min read