CSV Formatting

Unlike XML and JSON, which have standardized formatting rules, CSV files lack inherent structure for dates, decimals, and other data types. BCCL applies ISO8601 formatting by default but offers two methods for customizing the output to match your regional or application requirements.

Default Formatting

By default, BCCL formats CSV data using ISO8601 standards:

Dates: yyyy-MM-dd (e.g., 2025-03-15)
Decimals: dot as decimal separator (e.g., 1234.56)
DateTimes: ISO8601 format (e.g., 2025-03-15T14:30:00)
Times: HH:mm:ss format (e.g., 14:30:00)

This is generally the safest choice for data interchange and automated processing.

Method 1: Language ID Parameter

The -a (or --language) parameter applies regional formatting rules to all fields in the export.

Usage

BCCL -t getdata -s table=18 -f csv -a 1030 -o customers.csv

This example applies Danish formatting (Language ID 1030), which results in:

Dates formatted as dd/mm/yyyy
Commas used as decimal separators
Periods used as thousand separators

Common Language IDs

Language ID	Language	Date Format	Decimal Separator
0	ISO8601 (default)	yyyy-MM-dd	.
1030	Danish	dd/MM/yyyy	,
1031	German	dd.MM.yyyy	,
1033	US English	M/d/yyyy	.
1036	French	dd/MM/yyyy	,
1043	Dutch	d-M-yyyy	,
1044	Norwegian	dd.MM.yyyy	,
1053	Swedish	yyyy-MM-dd	,

Notes

The language ID affects only CSV output formatting
JSON and XML always use standard formatting regardless of language setting
The same language IDs are used in Business Central for localization

Method 2: Format Attribute in Mapping Files

For more granular control, you can apply .NET format strings to individual fields within mapping files. This gives you field-by-field formatting control.

Decimal Formatting

Add a "Format" property to a field in your mapping file:

{
    "FieldNo": 20,
    "FieldName": "Credit Limit (LCY)",
    "MappedName": "Credit_Limit__LCY_",
    "Format": "F4",
    "Validate": true
}

The "F4" format code specifies four fixed decimal places. This produces values like 1234.5600.

Common Decimal Format Strings

Format	Description	Example
`F0`	No decimal places	`1235`
`F2`	Two decimal places	`1234.56`
`F4`	Four decimal places	`1234.5600`
`N2`	Two decimals with thousands separator	`1,234.56`
`C2`	Currency format	`$1,234.56`

Date Formatting

{
    "FieldNo": 20,
    "FieldName": "Posting Date",
    "MappedName": "Posting_Date",
    "Format": "yyyy-dd-MM",
    "Validate": true
}

Common Date Format Strings

Format	Description	Example
`yyyy-MM-dd`	ISO date	`2025-03-15`
`dd/MM/yyyy`	European date	`15/03/2025`
`MM/dd/yyyy`	US date	`03/15/2025`
`dd-MMM-yyyy`	Day-Month name-Year	`15-Mar-2025`
`yyyyMMdd`	Compact date	`20250315`
`yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss`	Date with time	`2025-03-15 14:30:00`

Combining Both Methods

You can use the language ID parameter and format attributes together. The format attribute on a specific field takes precedence over the language-based formatting for that field:

BCCL -t getdata -s table=18 -f csv -a 1030 -m mapping.json -o output.csv

In this case, all fields use Danish formatting except those with an explicit Format property in the mapping file.

Delimiter Configuration

The default CSV delimiter is a comma (,). Use the -l parameter to change it.

Common Delimiters

# Tab-separated (TSV)
BCCL -t getdata -s table=18 -f csv -l "\t" -o output.tsv

# Pipe-separated
BCCL -t getdata -s table=18 -f csv -l "|" -o output.csv

# Semicolon-separated (common in European locales)
BCCL -t getdata -s table=18 -f csv -l ";" -o output.csv

Special Delimiter Characters

Escape Sequence	Character
`\t`	Horizontal tab
`\n`	New line
`\r`	Carriage return
`\0`	Null character
`\a`	Alert
`\b`	Backspace
`\f`	Form feed
`\v`	Vertical tab
`&#\;`	Backslash

Notes on Tab Delimiters

When using tab as a delimiter (-l "\t"), BCCL automatically omits quote characters around field values. This produces clean TSV files:

No.	Name	City
10000	Adatum Corporation	Miami
20000	Trey Research	Chicago

Quote Character Configuration

Changing the Quote Character

Use -c to specify a different quote character:

BCCL -t getdata -s table=18 -f csv -c "'" -o output.csv

This wraps values in single quotes instead of double quotes.

Ignoring Quotes

Use -q to treat quote characters as literal text rather than field delimiters:

BCCL -t getdata -s table=18 -f csv -q -o output.csv

Header Row Control

Including Headers (Default)

By default, BCCL includes a header row with column names:

BCCL -t getdata -s table=18 -f csv -o output.csv

Output:

"No.","Name","City"
"10000","Adatum Corporation","Miami"

Excluding Headers

Use -h false to omit the header row:

BCCL -t getdata -s table=18 -f csv -h false -o output.csv