Text-CSV-Hashify Turn a CSV file into a Perl hash Description The Comma-Separated-Value ('CSV') format is the most common way to store spreadsheets or the output of relational database queries in plain-text format. However, since commas (or other designated field-separator characters) may be embedded within data entries, the parsing of delimited records is non-trivial. Fortunately, in Perl this parsing is well handled by CPAN distribution Text::CSV . This permits us to address more specific data manipulation problems by building modules on top of Text::CSV. Text::CSV::Hashify is designed for the case where you simply want to turn a CSV file into a Perl hash. In particular, it is designed for the case where: * the CSV file's first record is a list of fields in the ancestral database table; and * one field (column) functions as a primary key, *i.e.,* each record's entry in that field is non-null and is distinct from every other record's entry therein. Text::CSV::Hashify turns that kind of CSV file into one big hash of hashes. Text::CSV::Hashify can handle less typical cases; please consult the documentation for its other functionalities. Text::CSV::Hashify can now take gzip-compressed (.gz) files as input as well as uncompressed files. Installation To install: perl Makefile.PL make make test make install If you are on a windows box you should use 'nmake' rather than 'make'.