Complete Guide to Exporting Screening Results: CSV vs TXT Format Details and Downstream Usage Recommendations

Number screening is only the first step; efficiently and error‑free use of the screening results is where the data’s true value lies. Many overseas marketing teams encounter issues such as garbled characters, field misalignment, or failed CRM imports during the export phase – problems that often stem from not choosing the appropriate export format based on the downstream scenario. This article systematically explains the differences between CSV and TXT export formats, how to handle common issues, and provides step‑by‑step instructions for using the KK‑DATA console. The goal is to help you establish a standard process from screening to data landing.

Why Export Format Directly Affects the Downstream Value of Screening Results

CSV and TXT differ fundamentally in data structure, readability, and import compatibility. CSV (Comma‑Separated Values) contains complete metadata (number, platform, status, activity, gender, etc.) and is suitable for scenarios requiring secondary analysis, data cleaning, or CRM import. TXT (Plain Text) usually retains only the numbers themselves, making it ideal for quick copy‑paste into mass messaging tools or as an input list for API requests.

Choosing the wrong format can lead to the following common issues:

• Garbled characters: When opening a UTF‑8 encoded CSV file directly in Excel, Chinese fields appear as garbled text.
• Field misalignment: If a number contains a comma and is not properly escaped, column data will be misaligned.
• Extra data: When copying numbers from a TXT file, headers or unnecessary delimiters may be accidentally copied.
• Format incompatibility: Some upstream tools have strict requirements for the line break at the end of the file; missing a line break can cause the last record to be unreadable.

Therefore, choosing the format according to the usage scenario is a fundamental skill in data operations.

Detailed Explanation of CSV Export of Screening Results

CSV files are the standard format for structured data exchange and are widely supported by Excel, Google Sheets, Python Pandas, and various CRM systems. Understanding the field meanings and encoding rules can prevent 90% of data import problems.

Standard CSV Field Description

A typical CSV file of screening results contains the following core fields (field order is fixed, exact output depends on the console):

Field	Description	Example
Phone Number	Original input or generated international number (with country code)	8613800138000
Country/Region Code	Two‑letter ISO code	CN / US / GB
Detection Platform	Telegram / WhatsApp / iMessage / RCS	Telegram
Status	Whether the platform account is active	Active / Inactive
Activity	Recent activity time or activity level (e.g., active within 7 days)	7d active / 15d active / Unknown
Gender	Gender inferred from avatar etc. (optional in Telegram screening)	Male / Female / Unknown
Export Time	Timestamp when the file was generated	2025-01-15 14:30:00 UTC

Field order is fixed. When importing the CSV into another system (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot, custom CRM), you need to verify the field mapping. If automatic recognition fails, you can manually match fields using the “specify columns during import” function.

Common Garbled Character Issues and Solutions

Issue 1: Double‑clicking the CSV file in Excel causes Chinese fields to appear as garbled text or question marks.

Solutions (choose one):

1. Use the “Data → From Text” import method (recommended): Open a blank workbook in Excel, click “Data” → “From Text/CSV” → select the file → in the “File origin” dropdown, choose “UTF‑8” → then import. This method correctly identifies encoding and delimiters.
2. Save as CSV UTF‑8 format: Open the CSV file in Notepad, click “File → Save As”, select “UTF‑8” in the encoding field, and save. Then open with Excel.
3. Preview with a text editor first: Open the file with Notepad++, VS Code, or similar tools to confirm the data is intact before deciding how to import.

Issue 2: Numeric phone numbers appear in scientific notation in Excel (e.g., 1.38E+11).

Solution: During import, in the “Import Wizard” set the data format of the phone number column to “Text”; or after import, select the column in Excel, right‑click “Format Cells” → “Number” → “Text”.

Detailed Explanation of TXT Export of Screening Results

Although TXT is simple, it is flexible and highly adaptable, especially for certain “tool chain” scenarios.

Scenarios for Plain Text Export

• Paste into Telegram mass messaging tools: Many Telegram mass messaging scripts and bots accept input as one number per line. You can copy and paste directly from a TXT file without dealing with CSV fields.
• Import into lightweight CRM or contact management systems: Some lightweight CRMs only accept a phone number list and do not need extra metadata.
• As an input list for API requests: When sending data to upstream or downstream interfaces, TXT files are small, fast to parse, and suitable for batch task scheduling.
• Temporary data sharing: Sending a number list via email or WeChat – TXT files have the highest compatibility, and recipients don’t need to worry about encoding or version issues.

TXT does not contain metadata, meaning you will lose information such as “is this number active on Telegram?” or “what is the gender?”. If you later need to filter based on such information, use CSV.

Encoding Recommendations and Line Format Rules

• Encoding recommendation: Use UTF‑8 without BOM. BOM (Byte Order Mark) can cause the first line to be parsed incorrectly in some Linux scripts or Python programs. You can switch to this encoding using Notepad++ or VS Code.
• Line ending: Windows defaults to CRLF (\r\n); macOS/Linux/Unix generally accept CR or LF. If you are unsure about the downstream tool’s requirements, it is recommended to use CRLF consistently.
• Trailing newline rule: Many scripting tools (e.g., Bash loops, Python’s readlines()) rely on a final empty line to recognize the last record. Therefore, after exporting, check the end of the TXT file to ensure there is an empty line after the last line.

Steps to Export Screening Results in the KK‑DATA Console

The following process is based on the current functionality of the KK‑DATA console (https://app.kkdata.cc/). From task completion to result download, it takes just three steps.

Step 1: Enter the Task Detail Page

1. Log in to https://app.kkdata.cc/.
2. In the left navigation, click “My Tasks”.
3. In the task list, find the completed task (status shows “Completed”).
4. Click the “View Details” button on the right side of the task to enter the detailed report page.

Tip: If the task is not yet completed, you can enable “Telegram Notification” when creating the task. The system will send a notification to your account via Telegram after completion (requires binding your account in advance).

Step 2: Select Export Format and Fields

1. On the task detail page, click the “Export” button at the top.
2. From the dropdown menu, choose CSV or TXT.
3. The export content uses preset field combinations (number, detection platform, status, activity, gender, etc.) and cannot be customized per column during export. If you need custom export fields, refer to the documentation (https://docs.kkdata.cc/) for possible API or extension support.
4. The system will display an estimated number of records and file size. After confirmation, click “Confirm Export”.

Step 3: Download the File and Verify Data Integrity

1. After the file is generated, a “Download” button will appear on the detail page. Click it to download the compressed package.
2. Verify file integrity: Open the downloaded file with a text editor (e.g., Notepad++) and check that the header row is correct and that the end is not truncated.
3. Check record count: Compare the total number of lines (in CSV, subtract the header line) with the “successfully detected” count in the task details. If they do not match, data overflow or encoding issues may have occurred during export.

Data Sorting and Deduplication Tips After Export

When combining data exported from multiple screening tasks, duplicate numbers are very common. Duplicate detection not only wastes balance but also skews downstream marketing performance metrics. Below are two common deduplication methods.

Method 1: Use the KK‑DATA Data Deduplication Repository

KK‑DATA has a built‑in data deduplication repository (see console). Upload the exported results from multiple tasks to the repository, and the system automatically identifies and removes duplicate numbers, outputting a clean number list. This avoids repeatedly handling duplicate data locally and saves charges for future detection.

Method 2: Local Deduplication via Excel/Python

1. Excel Deduplication: Open the CSV file, select the “Phone Number” column → Data → Remove Duplicates → sort by current selection. Note: This action removes all data from duplicate rows (including associated activity, gender, etc.), so proceed with caution.
2. Python Deduplication (suitable for large batches): Use the Pandas library to efficiently load, deduplicate, and merge CSV files. Example (pseudocode): Read the file with pd.read_csv(), call drop_duplicates(subset=['phone_number']), and finally output clean data with to_csv().

Regardless of the method chosen, it is recommended to randomly verify the results after deduplication. Select 5–10 numbers and search or call using any platform to confirm they are real and valid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: After exporting screening results, should I choose CSV or TXT?

A: It depends on the downstream use case. If you need additional information (e.g., whether the number is active, activity level, gender) or plan to import into a CRM/database, choose CSV. If you only need a plain list of numbers for copy‑pasting into a mass messaging tool or API input, TXT is more straightforward.

Q: What should I do when opening a CSV file in Excel shows garbled characters?

A: Do not double‑click to open it directly. First, open a blank Excel workbook, go to Data → From Text/CSV → select the file, choose “UTF‑8” in the “File origin” dropdown, then click “Load”. If the issue persists, the file encoding might be GBK. Try “UTF‑16 LE” or “Simplified Chinese (GB2312)” in the “File origin” dropdown.

Q: Are the phone numbers in the exported TXT file formatted consistently?

A: KK‑DATA exports numbers in TXT using the E.164 international format (e.g., 8613800138000) – no spaces, hyphens, or plus sign before the country code. If you need a different format (e.g., with a plus sign, without the 86), you can use your text editor’s find‑and‑replace function (e.g., replace “86” with “+86”) after export. However, be careful not to accidentally modify actual digits in the numbers.

Q: My downloaded CSV file fails to import into my CRM. What should I do?

A: The common cause is that the CRM does not support commas as delimiters (or requires semicolons). Solution: Use a text editor to replace commas with semicolons (, → ;). Also, verify that the CRM field mapping is correct (e.g., map the “Phone Number” column to the CRM’s “phone” field).

Q: Can I perform screening again after deduplication?

A: Yes. The deduplicated number list can still be submitted as a new screening task in KK‑DATA. However, each new task is charged per record. So it is advisable to first process the data through the deduplication repository before submitting, to avoid re‑detecting already‑confirmed numbers and saving budget.