File formats and naming conventions

Supported file formats and naming conventions for file ingestion into Peak, including CSV formatting rules and compression recommendations.

This page lists the supported file formats and naming conventions for file ingestion.

Supported file formats

Peak can ingest data from the following file formats:

There is no file size limit for uploads.

When possible, compress files with GZIP to reduce transfer size.

Format	Notes
CSV	Recommended format for ingestion.
TXT	Must use supported delimiters.
JSON	Supported for file ingestion and feeds.
XML	Requires a root tag for parsing.
GZIP	Use .gz or .gzip extensions when compressing files.
XLSX	Supported if agreed in advance.
PDF	Supported if agreed in advance.

CSV formatting rules

When preparing CSV files for ingestion, follow these formatting guidelines:

• Use comma, tab, or pipe as the delimiter.
• Enclose all fields in double quotes.
• Replace delimiter characters in data values where possible.
• Use a header row for column names.
• Use a single worksheet if exporting from Excel.
• Use plain text character sets such as ASCII or UTF-8.
• Use CRLF for new lines and remove stray CR or LF characters.

File naming rules

Use these conventions when naming files for ingestion:

• Use alphanumeric characters and the following special characters: ! - _ . * ' ( ).
• Avoid # and + in file names.
• Use lowercase file extensions.
• Use a timestamp when files are part of a recurring feed.

Data extract guidelines

Follow these best practices when extracting data for ingestion:

• Use a unique identifier for each row when data is updated.
• Keep date, datetime, and timestamp formats consistent.
• Trim leading and trailing spaces from text fields.
• Use incremental files after the initial load.
• Peak does not handle record deletion by default.