Introducing DSS Format: A New Standard for Data Sharing and Interoperability
What is DSS?
DSS (Data Sheet Standard) is a new, open, human-readable file format for representing multi-sheet spreadsheet data. Unlike CSV, DSS supports multiple tabs and sparse data placement. Unlike XLSX, it is non-binary, non-XML, and fully compatible with version control systems (Git-friendly).
- Extension:
.DSS - MIME Type:
text/DSS - Encoding: UTF-8
Why DSS?
- Multi-Sheet: Store multiple sheets/tabs in a single file.
- Sparse Data: Only store populated cells—no empty padding.
- Git-Friendly: Each cell change is a single-line diff.
- Human Readable: Open and edit in any text editor.
- Simple: Parsers can be written in under 100 lines of code.
- Efficient: For unformatted, unstyled multi-sheet files, DSS is up to 60% smaller than XLSX.
We created DSS for better sharing and "zipping" of pure number sheets. It's ideal for data workflows, versioning, and developer-friendly data exchange.
File Structure
A DSS file consists of:
- Global Metadata (optional, between
---blocks) - Sheet Declarations (e.g.
[Sheet Name]) - Data Anchors (e.g.
@ A1), followed by CSV-style data
Example:
---
project: Financial Forecast
version: 2.1
---
[Quarterly Report]
@ A1
"Department", "Budget", "Actual"
"Marketing", 50000, 48500
"R&D", 120000, 131000
@ A10
"Notes:"
"The R&D department exceeded budget."
[Settings]
@ B2
"Tax Rate", 0.22
"Currency", "EUR"
Key Features
| Feature | CSV | XLSX | DSS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-Sheet | No | Yes | Yes |
| Sparse Data | No | Yes | Yes |
| Git-Friendly | Yes | No | Yes |
| Human Readable | Yes | No | Yes |
| Parsing Overhead | Low | High | Low |
How to Use DSS
- Convert: Use our DSS Converter Tool (source code).
- Open/Edit: Any text editor.
- Integrate: Easily parse or generate DSS in your own apps.
Learn More
Using DSS instead of XLSX reduces file size by up to 60% for unformatted, unstyled multi-sheet files.
DSS is released under CC BY 4.0 License. Free for use, modification, and distribution.