XLSX Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet

The Excel .xlsx file format, also known as Office Open XML (OOXML), is an open standard for office software file formats. It was introduced by Microsoft in 2007 with the release of Office 2007.

Here’s a brief overview:

Key characteristics:

  1. Zip-based container: An XLSX file is essentially a ZIP archive that contains several XML files, which are used to store the spreadsheet data.
  2. XML-based format: The contents of an XLSX file are stored in XML (Extensible Markup Language) files, which provide a structured and human-readable representation of the data.
  3. Open standard: The OOXML format is an open standard, which means that it’s publicly available and can be implemented by any software vendor.

Internal structure:

An XLSX file typically consists of several XML files, including:

  1. [Content_Types].xml: This file contains metadata about the package.
  2. _rels/.rels: This file contains relationships between the different parts of the package.
  3. workbook.xml: This file contains the workbook-level data, such as worksheets and worksheet settings.
  4. worksheet*.xml (e.g., sheet1.xml, sheet2.xml): These files contain the actual spreadsheet data for each worksheet.

Benefits:

The XLSX format offers several benefits over older Excel formats like .xls:

  1. Improved compatibility: The open standard nature of OOXML makes it easier for different software vendors to implement compatible file formats.
  2. Better security: The ZIP-based container and XML files provide a more secure way of storing data, as they are less susceptible to corruption and tampering.
  3. Increased flexibility: The XLSX format allows for easier extension and customization, making it more suitable for use in different applications.

Software support:

The XLSX file format is widely supported by various software applications, including:

  1. Microsoft Excel (2007 and later versions)
  2. LibreOffice Calc
  3. OpenOffice.org Calc
  4. Google Sheets

Overall, the XLSX file format provides a robust, flexible, and compatible way of storing spreadsheet data, making it an essential part of many office software suites.