About CSV Files

Although Salesforce Data Loader allows to configure several details of the files format, all the commands in this module assume a fixed format for consistent handling. This means:

• Files are always UTF-8 encoded.
• There MUST NOT be a Byte-Order-Mark (BOM) at the beginning of the file.
  • See Wikipedia: Byte order mark for some more background.
  • Key statement here is: "The Unicode Standard permits the BOM in UTF-8, but does not require or recommend its use."
• For other key aspects of the .csv file format, see RFC-4180, esp. section "2. Definition of the CSV Format"
• For Salesforce specific considerations, see Prepare a CSV File for an Import or Update in Salesforce. There are also some helpful links to other articles with helpful information, e.g.:
  • Special attention to date/time formats, see Format the 'Date' and 'Date Time' data in a CSV file
  • Tips for Excel users in Convert your spreadsheet into CSV format