How Can I Properly Escape Special Characters When Exporting MySQL Data to CSV using INTO OUTFILE?

MySQL Export into Outfile: Handling CSV Escaping Characters

To efficiently export a large database table into a CSV file, the INTO OUTFILE command is often utilized. However, an issue arises when it comes to escaping special characters, such as new lines and carriage returns, in fields like descriptions.

The original MySQL query used the FIELDS ESCAPED BY '"' option to replace new line characters (n) with spaces. However, this replacement proved insufficient as new lines still persisted in the output file, causing problems for Excel imports.

To resolve this issue, a modified MySQL statement is suggested:

SELECT id, 
   client,
   project,
   task,
   description, 
   time,
   date  
  INTO OUTFILE '/path/to/file.csv'
  FIELDS TERMINATED BY ',' OPTIONALLY ENCLOSED BY '"'
  LINES TERMINATED BY '\n'
  FROM ts

The FIELDS TERMINATED BY ',' OPTIONALLY ENCLOSED BY '"' option allows for optional enclosing of fields with double quotes, while still correctly escaping special characters. This approach ensures that descriptions and other fields containing special characters are properly handled without breaking Excel macros or pivot tables.

Additionally, calling SET NAMES utf8; before the outfile select may help ensure consistent character encoding throughout the export process.

By implementing these modifications, you can efficiently export your data to CSV with proper handling of special characters, enabling seamless import into Excel and preserving the integrity of the data for analysis and reporting.

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