CSV Files: Dethroning Parquet as the Ultimate Storage File Format — or Not?

Data storage formats like CSV and Parquet serve different purposes in data analytics. CSV files are human-readable and easy to use but are inefficient and hard to parallelize. Parquet files, on the other hand, are highly efficient due to their columnar storage, compression techniques, and well-defined schema, making them better suited for data analysis. DuckDB has recently improved its CSV reader, making it more efficient and easier to use, but Parquet still holds a performance edge, especially in terms of query execution. The article concludes that while CSV files have their place for flexibility, Parquet files remain superior for most analytical tasks.