Database Export Formats: SQL Dump, CSV, JSON, Parquet, and Arrow
Choose the right database export format: SQL dumps for full backups, CSV for spreadsheets, JSON for APIs, Parquet for analytics, Arrow for streaming.
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Tags: database, export, data-formats
Database Export Formats: SQL Dump, CSV, JSON, Parquet, and Arrow When you export data from a database, the format you choose determines what you can do with it downstream. The wrong format turns a simple migration into a multi-day cleanup. This guide covers the five formats you'll encounter in practice — SQL dump, CSV, JSON, Parquet, and Arrow — with the right tooling for each database and clear guidance on when each format fits. CSV: Universal, Lossy, Everywhere CSV is the lingua franca of data exchange. Every database can export and import it. Every tool can read it. The cost is type information — everything becomes strings, and you lose constraints, indexes, and nullability metadata. PostgreSQL COPY MySQL SQLite CLI Handling CSV Pain Points Dates lose timezone info. Floats may gain…
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