Pandas API on Spark for CSV Input : read_csv

The combination of Pandas API and Apache Spark has become a powerful toolset, offering the flexibility of Pandas with the scalability of Spark. One common task in data manipulation is handling CSV files, a ubiquitous format for tabular data. In this article, we explore how to utilize the Pandas API on Spark for efficient CSV input/output operations, specifically focusing on the read_csv function.

Understanding read_csv

The read_csv function in the Pandas API on Spark allows users to effortlessly read CSV files into Spark DataFrames or Series, bridging the gap between the simplicity of Pandas and the distributed computing capabilities of Spark. Let’s delve into its usage with examples.

import the necessary modules in your Python script or Jupyter Notebook

import pandas as pd
from pyspark.sql import SparkSession

Initialize a SparkSession:

spark = SparkSession.builder \
    .appName("Pandas API on Spark") \
    .getOrCreate()

Example Usage

Let’s illustrate the usage of read_csv with a practical example. Suppose we have a CSV file named data.csv containing some sample data:

Name, Age, Gender
Alice, 30, Female
Bob, 35, Male
Charlie, 40, Male
David, 45, Male

We want to read this CSV file into a Spark DataFrame using read_csv.

# Read CSV file into Spark DataFrame using read_csv
df_spark = spark.read_csv("data.csv")
# Show the contents of the DataFrame
df_spark.show()

Output

+-------+---+------+
|   Name|Age|Gender|
+-------+---+------+
|  Alice| 30|Female|
|    Bob| 35|  Male|
|Charlie| 40|  Male|
|  David| 45|  Male|
+-------+---+------+

Spark important urls to refer

1. Spark Examples
2. PySpark Blogs
3. Bigdata Blogs
4. Spark Interview Questions
5. Official Page