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Parse CSV in Make

What this module does

PDF4me Excel — Parse CSV converts any CSV file into a structured JSON array in your Make scenario — supporting any delimiter, custom or auto-detected headers, and culture-specific number and date formatting. Feed the output directly into a database insert, REST API call, Excel row addition, or Iterator to loop through records. No manual column mapping, no intermediate conversion steps — CSV in, structured JSON out, ready to use in the next module.

Authenticating Your API Request​

Every PDF4me module in Make requires a valid Connection. Create or select one that holds your PDF4me API key so the scenario can authenticate CSV parsing requests securely.

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Important Facts You Should Not Miss​

Column Headers overrides Skip First Line
When you provide names in Column Headers, the module uses them as property names in the JSON output and ignores Skip First Line entirely. If Column Headers is empty and Skip First Line is No, headers are auto-generated as Column1, Column2, and so on. Use Column Headers when the source CSV has no header row of its own.
CSV Delimiter accepts any character or string
The CSV Delimiter field is not limited to single characters. Use a comma for standard CSV, a semicolon for European-format exports, a tab character (\t) for TSV files, a pipe (|) for database exports, or any multi-character string your source system uses as a separator. The default is a comma.
Culture Name controls date and number format
The Culture Name field tells the module how to interpret dates and numbers in the file. The default is en-US — dates as MM/DD/YYYY and period as decimal separator. If your CSV comes from a European or other regional system, set Culture Name to match — for example de-DE for German (DD.MM.YYYY, comma decimal) to avoid incorrect value parsing.
Make PDF4me Excel Parse CSV module showing Connection, File set to Map with File Name and Document fields, CSV Delimiter set to comma, Column Headers empty, Skip First Line set to No, and Culture Name set to en-US

CSV Delimiter defaults to comma. Column Headers and Culture Name allow flexible handling of international and headerless CSV formats.

Parameters​

Required: Connection, File Name, and Document must be provided. CSV Delimiter, Column Headers, Skip First Line, and Culture Name are optional — defaults are comma delimiter, auto-generated headers, and en-US culture.

ParameterRequiredWhat it doesExample
ConnectionYesPDF4me API connection. Click Add and paste your API key if connecting for the first time.Your PDF4me connection
File NameYesCSV filename including extension (.csv or .txt). Map from the prior module's file name output.sales_data.csv
DocumentYesCSV file content as a binary buffer from a cloud storage download, email attachment, or HTTP response.1. Data
CSV DelimiterNoCharacter separating columns in the CSV. Defaults to comma. Use semicolon for European CSVs, \t for TSV, or any custom string your source uses., or ; or \t
Column HeadersNoCustom column names as a comma-separated list. Used as JSON property names in the output. When provided, Skip First Line is ignored.Name,Age,Email
Skip First LineNoYes skips the first data line (useful for title rows above headers). No treats all lines as data. Ignored when Column Headers is set.No
Culture NameNoLocale code for date and number interpretation. Defaults to en-US. Change to match your source data region — e.g. de-DE for German format.en-US

Quick Setup​

  1. Add PDF4me Excel → CSV - Parse a CSV file to your Make scenario.
  2. Select Connection (or click Add to create one with your API key).
  3. Map File Name and Document from a prior module — a Google Drive download, Dropbox file, email attachment, or HTTP response.
  4. Set CSV Delimiter to match your file format — comma (,) for standard CSV, semicolon (;) for European, or \t for tab-separated.
  5. If the file has a header row, leave Column Headers empty and Skip First Line at its default. If there is no header row, enter your own names in Column Headers.
  6. Set Culture Name if your file uses non-US date or number formatting, then click Save and run. The document output contains the parsed JSON array as Base64 — decode it and pass to an Iterator or downstream module.

Workflow Examples​

Workflow ExamplesCommon Make scenario patterns using Parse CSV.
Import CSV records into a database automatically
  1. A Google Drive Watch Folder triggers when a new CSV export lands in the import folder.
  2. Parse CSV runs with comma delimiter and Skip First Line at default — the first row headers become JSON property names.
  3. A Make Iterator loops through each record in the decoded JSON array.
  4. An HTTP module posts each record to the database API. Errors are logged to a Google Sheet for review.
Parse European semicolon CSV and send to a REST API
  1. A scheduled hourly trigger retrieves the latest export from Dropbox — a semicolon-delimited European CSV.
  2. Parse CSV runs with CSV Delimiter set to ";" and Culture Name set to "de-DE" to correctly interpret German date and number formats.
  3. An Iterator loops through the parsed records and an HTTP module POSTs each one to the target REST API endpoint.
  4. A Slack message reports the sync count and any failures to the integration team channel.
Convert a headerless TSV export into a branded Excel report
  1. A daily scheduled trigger downloads a tab-separated export from SharePoint — the file has no header row.
  2. Parse CSV runs with CSV Delimiter "\t" and Column Headers "ID,Name,Amount,Date" to assign meaningful names to the columns.
  3. An Add Rows module populates a branded Excel template with the parsed records.
  4. The finished report is uploaded to Google Drive and emailed to the business team.

Frequently Asked Questions​

What delimiters does this module support?+
Any character or string. Enter a comma for standard CSV, a semicolon for European-format files, \t for tab-separated (TSV) files, a pipe (|) for database exports, or any multi-character string your source system uses. The default when you leave the field blank is a comma.
What happens if my CSV file has no header row?+
Enter your own column names as a comma-separated list in Column Headers — for example "Name,Age,Email". The module uses those names as JSON property names in the output. If you leave Column Headers empty and Skip First Line is set to No, the module auto-generates headers as Column1, Column2, Column3, and so on.
What does Skip First Line do exactly?+
When set to Yes, the module skips the very first line of data during parsing. This is useful when your CSV has a title or metadata row above the actual column header row. Set it to No to treat all lines — including the first — as data rows. Skip First Line is ignored entirely when Column Headers is provided.
What is Culture Name and when should I change it?+
Culture Name tells the module how to interpret date and number values in the file. The default en-US uses MM/DD/YYYY date format and a period as the decimal separator. If your CSV comes from a system using a different regional format — for example de-DE for German (DD.MM.YYYY, comma decimal) or fr-FR for French — set Culture Name to match to avoid incorrect date or number parsing.
How do I use the parsed JSON output in downstream modules?+
The document output field contains a Base64-encoded JSON array. Use Make's built-in base64 decode function to get the raw JSON string, then parse it as a JSON array. Add an Iterator module to loop through each record individually and map its fields — Name, Amount, Date — into a database insert, HTTP POST, Google Sheets row, or any downstream action.

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