Convert XLS to Arrow

XLS files are Excel files that use the Binary Interchange File Format (BIFF), which was the default format for Excel versions 97-2003.

XLS files can contain multiple sheets, and each sheet can contain multiple rows and columns of data. They support various data types, including text, numbers, dates, and formulas.

Key features of XLS files include:

• Compatibility with older versions of Excel and other spreadsheet software
• Ability to store formatting information, charts, and macros
• Smaller file size compared to newer formats like XLSX
• Limited to 65,536 rows and 256 columns per sheet

While XLS files are still widely used, they are gradually being replaced by the more modern XLSX format.

Apache Arrow is a cross-language development platform for in-memory data that specifies a standardized language-independent columnar memory format for flat and hierarchical data, organized for efficient analytic operations on modern hardware like CPUs and GPUs.

Arrow is designed to support complex nested data structures and enables efficient querying and manipulation of specific columns without reading the entire dataset.

Key Features

• Columnar memory format for flat and hierarchical data
• Language-agnostic specification
• Optimized for analytical processing and modern hardware
• Support for complex nested data structures
• Efficient zero-copy reads

Use Cases

Apache Arrow is particularly useful in scenarios involving:

• Big data processing and analytics
• Machine learning and AI pipelines
• Data interchange between different systems and languages
• High-performance computing applications

Its efficient memory layout and standardized format make it an excellent choice for applications requiring fast data processing and interoperability between different tools and languages.