HDF5¶
Hierarchical Data Format
In short
Proprietary legacy format for tabular data.
| item | info |
|---|---|
| types | Database |
| preferred | ❌ no |
| extensions | .hdf5 |
| related formats | Access, CSV, dbase, SIARD, SQL, XML |
| wikipedia | Hierarchical_Data_Format |
Description¶
HDF (version 5, not compatible with earlier versions) is a common dataset format with the ability to store data in multidimensional arrays, grouped into collections and/or hierarchies. Relationships between data in the arrays can be saved, but the format does not allow for storing structured (descriptive) metadata.
Recommendation¶
The format is open and can be read in a variety of applications, but it is very difficult to process without the use of HDF5 software.
Use one of the tools on HDF Group Support (legacy) to convert data to SQL or CSV.