CSV Data Source

Learn how to structure your CSV files for merging with PowerPoint templates.

Basic Structure

Your CSV file should have a header row with column names, followed by data rows. Each data row will create one slide in the final presentation.

Example

name,title,email,department
John Doe,Software Engineer,john@example.com,Engineering
Jane Smith,Product Manager,jane@example.com,Product

Column Headers

The first row of your CSV file should contain column headers. These headers become the placeholder names in your PowerPoint template.

  • Header: name → Use {{name}} in template
  • Header: email_address → Use {{email_address}} in template
  • Header: First Name → Use {{First Name}} in template (spaces are preserved)

CSV Formatting

Delimiters

CSV files typically use commas (,) as delimiters, but other delimiters are supported:

  • Comma: ,
  • Semicolon: ;
  • Tab: \t

Quoting

Fields containing commas, quotes, or newlines should be quoted:

name,description,price
"Widget A","High-quality widget, made in USA","$29.99"

Escaping

To include a quote character within a quoted field, escape it with another quote:

name,quote
John Doe,"He said ""Hello"" to me"

Data Types

CSV files contain text data. All values are treated as strings:

  • Numbers: 123, 45.67
  • Dates: 2025-01-01, 01/15/2025
  • Booleans: true, false, yes, no

Best Practices

1. Clear Headers

Use clear, descriptive column names:

  • ✅ Good: employee_name, start_date, department
  • ❌ Avoid: col1, data, field1

2. Consistent Formatting

  • Use consistent date formats
  • Use consistent number formats
  • Keep text encoding consistent (UTF-8 recommended)

3. No Empty Rows

Avoid empty rows in your data. Empty rows will still create slides (with empty placeholders).

4. Special Characters

  • Column headers with spaces are supported: {{First Name}}
  • Ensure special characters are properly quoted if they appear in data

Common Use Cases

Employee Directory

name,title,email,phone,photo_url
John Doe,Engineer,john@example.com,555-1234,https://example.com/john.jpg
Jane Smith,Manager,jane@example.com,555-5678,https://example.com/jane.jpg

Product List

product_name,price,description,image_url,category
Widget A,$29.99,"High-quality widget",https://example.com/widget-a.jpg,Electronics
Widget B,$39.99,"Premium widget",https://example.com/widget-b.jpg,Electronics

Report Data

month,revenue,expenses,profit
January,$10000,$7000,$3000
February,$12000,$8000,$4000
March,$15000,$9000,$6000

File Requirements

  • Format: .csv (Comma-Separated Values)
  • Encoding: UTF-8 (recommended)
  • Maximum file size: Check service limits
  • Line endings: Unix (\n) or Windows (\r\n) both supported

Tips

  1. Validate Your CSV: Use a CSV validator or spreadsheet application to verify your file is properly formatted.

  2. Test with Sample Data: Create a small test file with 2-3 rows to verify your template works correctly.

  3. Handle Commas in Data: Always quote fields that contain commas to avoid parsing errors.

  4. Large Files: For very large CSV files, consider splitting into smaller files for faster processing.

  5. Excel Export: If creating CSV from Excel, ensure proper encoding (UTF-8) and check that special characters are preserved.

Troubleshooting

  • Headers Not Recognized: Ensure the first row contains your column headers
  • Parsing Errors: Check for unquoted fields containing commas or special characters
  • Encoding Issues: Ensure your file is saved as UTF-8
  • Empty Slides: Check for empty rows in your data
  • Missing Data: Empty cells will result in empty placeholders

For more help, see the Troubleshooting Guide.

Next Steps