Database Export Formats: SQL, CSV, JSON, Parquet
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. --- SQL Dump: Full Fidelity, Tight Coupling A SQL dump is a text file containing the DDL (CREATE TABLE, CREATE INDEX) and DML (INSERT INTO) statements needed to recreate the database from scratch. PostgreSQL MySQL When to use SQL dumps Database migration to same or compatible DB engine version Full backup/restore workflows Development environment seeding…
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