Use the Import-Csv cmdlet in Windows PowerShell scripts
Many applications can export data to a CSV file. This ability makes the Import-Csv cmdlet useful because it can import data that was exported from those applications. When the CSV file is imported, each line in the file becomes an item in an array, except the first row. The first row in the CSV file is a header row that's used to name the properties of each item in the array.
The Import-Csv cmdlet uses the following syntax:
$users = Import-Csv C:\Scripts\Users.csv
Example data for Users.csv:
First,Last,UserID,Department
Amelie,Garner,AGarner,Sales
Evan,Norman,ENorman,Sales
Siu,Robben,SRobben,Sales
When you run the previous example, the data from Users.csv is placed in the $users array. There are three items in the array. Each item in the array has four properties named in the header row. You can reference each of the properties by name. For example:
$users[2].UserID
Some programs export data by using a delimiter other than a comma. If your data uses an alternate delimiter, you can specify which character by using the -Delimiter parameter.
If your data file doesn't include a header row, you can provide names for the columns by using the -Header parameter. You can provide a list of property names in the command or provide an array that contains the property names. When you use the -Header parameter, all rows in the file become items in the imported array.