Introducing Views CSV Source: Simplifying CSV Data Integration in Drupal

Daniel Cothran and Nia Kathoni have introduced a new Drupal module, Views CSV Source, designed to streamline the process of displaying CSV data within Drupal sites. Released on March 5, 2024, and updated on June 25, 2024, this module addresses a common need among Drupal users: the ability to easily display spreadsheet data on a web page without the labor-intensive process of populating a database table.

Views CSV Source allows users to link to internal or external CSV files as the "base table" for a View. This functionality enables the use of CSV columns as fields, filters, sorts, or contextual filters within Drupal Views. Users can format the data as a table or utilize other Views formats, such as charts, with the Chart formatter being particularly popular.

"In my dozen years working with Drupal, I have fielded many requests to essentially just display a spreadsheet on a page or to create a chart with data that really doesn't need its own database table (especially because populating this, even with Feeds or using Migrate is a time-intensive process). "

noted Daniel Cothran in his LinkedIn post.

"This is where Views CSV Source shines: it allows you to link to an internal or external CSV file as the "base table" for your View. " 

This functionality enables the use of any CSV columns as fields, filters, sorts, or contextual filters. Users can format their data as a table or utilize any of the available Views formats, with the Chart formatter being a popular choice. Additionally, the module supports data aggregation, field rewrites, and mathematical operations using Views Simple Math Field.

"And one of the best parts? It's extremely fast compared to typical Views; I can include thousands of results at a time without aggregation. "

adds Daniel.

Daniel Cothran, with over a decade of experience in Drupal development, and his colleague Nia Kathoni developed Views CSV Source to meet frequent client requests for displaying spreadsheet data on web pages. Their work has been supported by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI), and they encourage further development funding through Open Collective.

For more information and to download the module, visit the Views CSV Source project page on Drupal.org.