Error code 809: CSV formatting error

What the code means

A CSV file in your package is badly formatted, so the EBA can't read it reliably. The EBA detects CSV formatting problems as a separate check (EBA (opens in a new tab)). The EBA's overview gives no examples.

The EBA's filing rules say: if a text value contains a comma, a line break or a double quote, the whole value goes between double quotes (EBA Filing Rules (opens in a new tab)).

Typical cause

• Text with a comma and no quotes, such as a company name "Example, Ltd". The line then gets one column too many.
• Line breaks in a cell, for example a description over several lines, without quotes.
• Quotes inside a value, while the value itself is not between quotes.
• CSV files edited by hand, or saved with a different separator.

How to fix it

Your data in the Excel workbook may contain commas, quotes and line breaks; the error is in how the CSV was written. Build the package again with a converter that quotes values as the filing rules require, and don't edit the CSV files by hand afterwards.

Do check the workbook for invisible control characters: non-printing characters that can come along when you copy from other systems. They don't belong in the register.

Does DORA Convert catch it before you file?

Yes. DORA Convert writes every CSV file in UTF-8 and puts values with commas, quotes or line breaks between quotes. Before you can download, we read every CSV file back strictly and check that each line has the right number of columns. In the workbook, control characters in a cell are already an error, and leading or trailing spaces a warning.

Related codes

• Code 306 (files not in UTF-8): reception checks.
• Codes 801 and 802 (invalid or duplicate column headers): package checks.
• 805 and 807: a shifted column can also produce empty or unknown key values.