Save a table as Parquet
Parquet is what you want when the data heads for analytics: pandas, DuckDB, Spark, cloud storage. CSV is a poor fit — types are lost, dates arrive as strings and the file is big. Converting usually means a Python script. Here, exporting to Parquet is one choice in the export dialog.
How to export
- Open a file — DBF, Excel, CSV, XML, JSON or SQLite — and pick the rows and columns you need.
- Click “Export” and choose the “Parquet” format.
- Click “Export”: the file is saved to disk.
The current view is exported: filters, row order and chosen columns. “Batch convert” turns many files at once, and without a window the command is Tabulens.exe convert --to parquet.
How types are kept
- Whole numbers become 64-bit integers, decimals become floating-point numbers.
- Dates get a real date type; date and time become a timestamp with milliseconds and no time zone, so the time stays exactly what the table shows.
- Booleans and binary data keep their own types.
- Empty values stay empty (NULL) instead of turning into zeros or empty strings.
- If one column holds values of different types, it is written as text — and the app warns you instead of silently losing data.
The file is written without compression, so any reader can open it, and you can zip it if size matters. Rows go in groups of 100,000.
Checking the result
You can open the file right here — like any Parquet file — or read it in pandas: pandas.read_parquet("file.parquet"). We check the export with an independent reader (pyarrow): the schema, values and empty cells match.
FAQ
Does the file go to a server?
No. The file is built in your browser tab and nothing is sent anywhere.
Do pandas and DuckDB read it?
Yes. The format is standard: pandas, DuckDB and Spark read the schema, values and empty cells.
Why is the file bigger than one written by Spark?
We do not compress the data, on purpose, so that anything can read the file. Zip it if size matters.
Is it free?
Exporting to Parquet is part of Pro; the free edition exports Excel, CSV and JSON.
Free to use. Your file is not uploaded to a server. Windows version — 4.0 MB, no installation: details. Pro — $29 once: price.