https://workyoucanexplain.com/tags/data-formats/ Recent content in Data Formats on Work You Can Explain Hugo en-US Copyright © Work You Can Explain Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0500 https://workyoucanexplain.com/posts/structured-languages-as-thinking-tools-in-the-ai-era/ Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0500 https://workyoucanexplain.com/posts/structured-languages-as-thinking-tools-in-the-ai-era/ <p>Structured languages help you think by forcing some decisions into visible forms. A heading names a section. A table requires columns. A schema defines allowed shapes. A program turns a procedure into operations that can be run.</p> <p>None of these forms guarantees a correct result. They make selected assumptions, boundaries, and failure cases easier to inspect. Use natural language for intent, context, uncertainty, and negotiation. Add structure where explicit rules and mechanical checks improve the work.</p> https://workyoucanexplain.com/posts/choose-text-and-data-formats-for-people-software-and-llms/ Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0500 https://workyoucanexplain.com/posts/choose-text-and-data-formats-for-people-software-and-llms/ <p>Choose a format from the interface contract, not from claims that one syntax is universally best for people, software, or LLMs. Identify the authoritative consumer, information that must survive, available validators, likely errors, and recovery path. Then test the actual workflow.</p> <p>A useful default is:</p> <ul> <li>Markdown for human-readable structured documents;</li> <li>JSON for typed data exchange;</li> <li>XML when named nested boundaries and an existing XML ecosystem matter;</li> <li>YAML for human-maintained configuration when its rules are understood;</li> <li>CSV for one simple table; and</li> <li>ordinary prose when no program must parse the structure.</li> </ul> <p>These are starting points, not rankings.</p> https://workyoucanexplain.com/posts/csv-excel-or-code-how-should-you-store-tabular-data/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0500 https://workyoucanexplain.com/posts/csv-excel-or-code-how-should-you-store-tabular-data/ <p>CSV, Excel, and code solve different parts of tabular-data work. Use CSV for a simple exchange table, a spreadsheet for interactive formulas and presentation, and code for repeatable transformations. A reliable project may use all three while giving each artifact one clear job.</p> <p>Do not ask only, “Which file should hold my data?” Ask what must be preserved: values, types, formulas, formatting, multiple sheets, transformation steps, or a portable exchange copy.</p> https://workyoucanexplain.com/posts/markdown-word-or-pdf-choose-the-right-format/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0500 https://workyoucanexplain.com/posts/markdown-word-or-pdf-choose-the-right-format/ <p>Choose a document format from the requirements of the work, not from habit. Use Markdown when readable text source and simple structure matter. Use Word when required layout and document-review features matter. Use PDF to deliver a stable final view. Preserve the editable source and verify the final output.</p> <p>One project may use more than one format. The useful decision is often a workflow—source, review, and delivery—not a single permanent file type.</p> https://workyoucanexplain.com/posts/what-is-plain-text-and-why-should-a-student-care/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0500 https://workyoucanexplain.com/posts/what-is-plain-text-and-why-should-a-student-care/ <p>A plain-text file stores characters that a text editor can show directly. It does not require the application that created it to reconstruct a page, workbook, or drawing before you can inspect the underlying content.</p> <p>Plain text matters because it gives students a simple source that many tools can open, search, compare, and transform. Use it when text can represent the work well. Use a richer format when layout, formulas, media, or a required review workflow is part of the job.</p>