Is Parquet Human Readable Or Not? A Complete Explanation Guide

Parquet Database is one of the widely used databases for managing and handling big data. But there is a common doubt that concerns the users, that is Parquet human readable? The answer is No. But why is that so? We will learn more about the .parquet file readability and how it can be fixed for both technical and non-technical users. Also, we will learn the best ways that can help users access the files effectively. 

Understanding Parquet File Format And It’s Readability

There are many file formats that are used for maintaining and handling large datasets. Parquet file format is one of them. This file format is created in Apache Spark and is widely used with analytics platforms such as Apache Spark, Hadoop, AWS Athena, and Azure Synapse. The .parquet file format is generally is columnar-file format that can efficiently store large datasets and further allows deliverability of high query performance. Let’s now take a look at a few situations where these files are used and then proceed with the reasons that lead to the ‘Is Parquet Human Readable’ question. 

• To process Big Data effectively.
• For data lakes and data warehouses.
• For analytics, BI, and reporting tools.
• Commonly used for analytics for cloud-based platforms such as Azure and AWS.
• As training models for machine learning and handling large datasets.
• Helps the users to move the datasets among Parquet supporting platforms. 

Factors Restricting Parquet File Readability

When it comes to the question, is Parquet human readable, the answer is No. Below are some reasons why the raw Parquet files are unreadable by humans:

• To store the data, Parquet uses a binary data format that is easily readable by machines but not directly by humans. 
• Users often might confuse the unreadability with file corruption, but that’s not the case. 
• Binary coding within the file, embedded metadata, and compression methods in the file format make the data unreadable to users. 
• Despite being unreadable, the data within the .parquet file is still accessible to the users. 
• The .parquet files are mainly used for analytics, and it primarily focuses on scalability, performance, and storage. 

From this, we can learn that the Parquet files are unreadable majorly due to their binary format and not due to errors. Now, after learning the factors, we will learn the best approaches to make the files readable for the users. 

How to Make Parquet Files Human Readable? All Ways Explained

As we learned about the common concern of “is parquet human readable” for the users, it is now time for us to find the best ways to make these files readable. We will take a look at the suitable methods one by one to make them easier for the users to understand. 

Method 1: Change to CSV Format For User Readability

The first method we are going to discuss is changing the .parquet file to a format that is easily readable by the users. In this method, we will convert Parquet to CSV. Below is the command that will help with the same task:

import pandas as pd
df = pd.read_parquet("input.parquet")
df.to_csv("output.csv", index=False)

With the help of this command, users can efficiently convert the file and read it on platforms that support the CSV file format. Now, moving on to the next method, let’s see how it will help the users to make the files readable. 

Method 2: Transforming to XLS/XLSX File Format

Now, another method to read the specified files is to convert Parquet to Excel file format. This will allow the users to read the files effectively. Let’s now take a look at the command that will help the users with the .parquet file readability. 

import pandas as pd
import pyarrow.parquet as pq
table = pq.read_table("input.parquet")
df = table.to_pandas()
df.to_excel("output.xlsx", index=False)

This command will make it easier for users to read the files in XLS/XLSX file formats. 

However, both the file formats that we discussed are tabular. Also, these methods use commands that can be quite confusing for users who aren’t very technically aware. So, we will now use a professional solution to make the task simpler. 

Method 3: Use an Automated Tool For Parquet File Readability

From the above-mentioned method, we learned how the parquet files can be changed for tabular formats for efficient accessibility and analytics. Now, we will use a professional solution, like SysTools Parquet File Converter Tool, to convert Parquet to PDF and further resolve the “is Parquet human readable” query.

Here are the steps that will help users with the required tasks.

1. Install and run the suggested software. Click on Add Files to open .parquet files to the software.
2. After adding the files, click on the Next Button.
3. Next, choose a human-readable file format, like PDF, from the given export options.
4. Add the destination path to save the resultant file to a specified location.
5. Click on the Export button to convert Parquet File to PDF format.

These steps will help the users to carry out the entire process to change the .parquet files to a human-readable format and further share them easily across platforms. 

Conclusion

With the help of this write-up, we have discussed a very common query regarding is Parquet human readable. Additionally, we looked into the reasons that make the Parquet files unreadable for humans and efficient for machines or processing. Lastly, we have mentioned some of the approaches that will allow users to change the file formats into a format that is easily readable by users.