# Delimiters Delimiters are characters used to separate each field within your imported data file. Choosing the right delimiter is important to ensure fields are correctly interpreted from your dataset. In this article, we go over common delimiters, delimiter options, and why delimiters are important. *** ### Common delimiters The following are common delimiters used to separate data: * **Comma** (`,`): Commonly used for CSV files. * **Semicolon** (`;`): Often used in European data to avoid misinterpreting values (e.g. comma can be used as a decimal separator for price). * **Tab:** Used in files with separated tabs. In text, this is represented with a large space. * **Vertical bar** (`|`): Common alternative when commas or semicolons appear within your data. * **Tilde** (`~`) * **Circumflex** (`^`) ### How Channable handles delimiters When importing product data from a data file, you'll be prompted to select your delimiter type. * **Automatically detect:** Channable will attempt to automatically identify your delimiter by analyzing the structure of your data file. * **Manually select:** Choose the delimiter that exactly matches the separation character used in your data file. ### Why selecting the right delimiter is important If you choose the wrong delimiter, Channable may not be able to correctly separate your product's attributes (e.g. price, description, name). This often results in whole rows appearing as single, unseparated fields, or being included in the wrong columns. You can notice this immediately in the **Edit mapping** stage of your import, or in **Items**. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://helpcenter.channable.com/import-data/import-how-to/import-your-product-data/import-via-a-data-file/requirements-for-import-files/delimiters.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.