BCSV Specification

1. The BCSV file is a plain text file.
2. The BCSV file extension is <b>bcsv</b>.
3. When compressed the file extension describes the compression algorythm
4. <ul><li>GZIP -- <b>bcsv.gz</b>.</li><li>ZIP -- <b>bcsv.zip</b>.</li></ul>
5. The file rows are separated by a single new lines character -- <b>\n</b>.
6. Each row contains values, separated by a comma -- <b>,</b>.
7. Each value is a UTF-8 string encoded with Base64 encoding.
8. The first row also called header row, describes each column.

File Format

1. Plain text: BCSV files are text-based files.
2. File extension: The standard extension for BCSV files is ".bcsv".
3. Compression: Compressed BCSV files use separate archive formats with their own extensions. Common options include:
   • GZIP - ".bcsv.gz"
   • ZIP - ".bcsv.zip"

Data Structure

1. Rows: Data is organized into rows separated by newlines (\n).
2. Columns: Each row contains values separated by commas (,).
3. Values: All values are UTF-8 strings encoded with Base64. This applies to numbers, strings, and any other data type.
4. Header row: The first row acts as a header, providing descriptive labels for each column.

Note: The commas (,) in a BCSV file serve as delimiters between Base64-encoded values. Each value, regardless of its underlying data type, is represented as a Base64 string.