Extract a Basic Users Table to CSV

From SQL to Spreadsheet-Ready Data

The most common use case for SQL to CSV conversion is extracting data from a simple table definition with insert statements. Given a CREATE TABLE and matching INSERT INTO statements, the tool maps column names from the table definition and extracts values from each row tuple.

Example SQL

CREATE TABLE users (
  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
  email VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  age INTEGER
);

INSERT INTO users (id, name, email, age) VALUES
  (1, 'Alice', 'alice@example.com', 28),
  (2, 'Bob', 'bob@example.com', 35),
  (3, 'Charlie', 'charlie@example.com', 22);

Generated CSV

id,name,email,age
1,Alice,alice@example.com,28
2,Bob,bob@example.com,35
3,Charlie,charlie@example.com,22

How It Works

1. The parser first reads the CREATE TABLE statement to build an ordered list of column names: id, name, email, age.
2. Each INSERT INTO ... VALUES row tuple is parsed, and values are matched positionally to the column list.
3. String values have their surrounding single quotes removed and escape sequences resolved.
4. The output CSV includes a header row by default, followed by one row per data tuple.

This approach preserves the original column ordering defined in the schema, making the CSV predictable and consistent even if the INSERT column list is in a different order.