Convert XLS to NDJSON

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

XLS files can have 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:

• Works with older versions of Excel and other spreadsheet software
• Can 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're gradually being replaced by the more modern XLSX format.

NDJSON (Newline Delimited JSON) is a format where each line is a valid JSON object, making it easier to process large datasets sequentially.

Technical Details

Each line in an NDJSON file is a complete, self-contained JSON object ended by a newline character. This allows for streaming processing without loading the entire file into memory.

Advantages

• Streaming-friendly for large datasets
• Easy to append new records
• Each record can be processed independently
• Simpler to parse than JSON arrays for large datasets

Limitations

• No support for cross-record references
• Less widely supported than standard JSON
• Each line must be a complete JSON object
• Not suitable for deeply nested relationships