Which files DataAttendant can open, and what happens to each kind
DataAttendant opens CSV and text tables and Excel workbooks. This guide explains what each format is, how the tool reads it, what to do when characters or columns look wrong, and what an older or protected Excel file needs first.
Before you can protect a file, the tool has to read it correctly. A file that opens with broken accents or with all its columns run together cannot be protected well, because the values the tool sees are not the values you meant. This guide covers the file types DataAttendant opens, how it reads each, and what to do when something looks wrong.
It applies to anyone with a data file: a bank statement you exported, a household budget, a list of members or donors, a report from a work system.
Key terms
- CSV file
- a plain text file that holds a table. Each line is one record, and a separator character divides the values on the line. The name stands for "comma-separated values", although other separators are common.
- Separator (delimiter)
- the character between values on a line. DataAttendant recognizes the comma, the semicolon, the tab, and the pipe character (
|). - Character encoding
- the rule that turns the bytes stored in a file into letters, digits, and accents. If the tool applies the wrong rule, accented letters appear as strange symbols.
- Header row
- a first line that names the columns, such as "Date, Description, Amount".
- Workbook
- an Excel file. It holds one or more worksheets (tabs) and can also hold comments, links, and other parts that are not visible in the grid.
Which file types can DataAttendant open?
Two kinds of file:
- Text tables: files ending in
.csv,.tsv, or.txtthat hold values divided by a separator. - Excel workbooks saved as
.xlsx.
Other kinds of file are not opened. That includes PDF files, Word documents, images, and scanned pages. If your data is in one of those, export it to a table first. For example, save a bank statement as CSV from your bank's website, or copy a table into a spreadsheet and save that.
The page where you choose a file states the current size limits. They can change, so this guide does not list them.
What is the difference between a CSV file and an Excel file?
A CSV file is only text. It has no formatting, no formulas, no hidden sheets, and no comments. What you see when you open it in a text editor is everything it contains. That makes it simple to check.
An Excel workbook is a container. It can hold several worksheets, formatting, formulas, comments, links to other files, and document properties such as the author's name. Some of this is invisible in the grid. The guide on hidden data in Excel files lists where to look.
What if my text file uses semicolons or tabs?
Many programs, especially in countries that write decimals with a comma, save "CSV" files with semicolons between values. Others use tabs or the pipe character.
DataAttendant looks at the start of the file and guesses the separator. After it opens the file, the file line tells you what it chose: the encoding, the separator, and whether it treated the first line as a header row. If the columns look wrong, for example if every row appears as one long value, or if one column has been split in two, use Change how the file is read. You can choose the separator and say whether the first record names the columns. Then read the file again.
Your decisions on that file start again when you read it again, so check the reading before you spend time on decisions.
Why do accented letters look wrong?
A text file does not say on its face how its characters are stored. The tool has to guess, and different programs and countries use different rules.
DataAttendant reads these encodings:
| Encoding | Typical use |
|---|---|
| UTF-8 | The common modern choice, covering all languages |
| UTF-16, both byte orders | Some Windows programs and exports |
| Western European (Windows-1252, ISO-8859-1, ISO-8859-15) | Older files from Western Europe and the Americas; ISO-8859-15 includes the euro sign |
| Central European (Windows-1250) | Older files from countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary |
| Cyrillic (Windows-1251) | Older files in Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, and related languages |
If a name such as "Müller" or "Dvořák" shows strange symbols in the preview, the guess was wrong. Use Change how the file is read and try another character encoding. When the names look right in the preview, the reading is right.
What happens with an Excel workbook?
DataAttendant treats each worksheet as a part of the file and shows them in workbook order. Hidden worksheets are included and labelled as hidden, so that hidden content is inspected and protected too.
Formulas need care. A formula cell holds a calculation and also the last result it produced. The protected copy cannot keep both safely if the calculation refers to values that were changed. The summary says when a formula was replaced by its value, so that it no longer calculates, and when stored results were removed so that no original value remains in them.
Parts of a workbook that cannot be checked value by value, such as links to other workbooks, images, and embedded objects, are listed for you to remove or keep. The tool does not claim that it found everything. The checks in how to remove personal details from a spreadsheet still apply.
What if my Excel file is older, has macros, or is password protected?
DataAttendant opens .xlsx workbooks only. It tells you why a file was refused and what to do:
- An older Excel 97–2003 file (
.xls) or a binary workbook (.xlsb): open it in Excel and save a copy as.xlsx. - A workbook with macros (
.xlsm): save a copy as.xlsxwithout the macros. The macros are not carried over, which is also a way to remove code you do not want to share. - A damaged or encrypted workbook: open it in Excel, remove the password if you are allowed to, and save it again as
.xlsx.
What do you get back?
A CSV file comes back as a CSV file, and a workbook comes back as a workbook. A CSV file named customers.csv comes back as customers-protected.csv.
CSV files have one extra risk when they are opened in a spreadsheet program. A value that starts with =, +, -, or @ can be run as a formula. DataAttendant has a setting for this on CSV copies, Protect formulas in the CSV copy. When it is on, such values get a leading apostrophe, so they open as text. The summary counts them, because this also changes values in columns you chose to keep.