How to Extract a Column From a CSV File and Store It in a Variable in PowerShell

This article illustrates how we can extract a specific column from a CSV file and save it in a variable on PowerShell. We use the Import-Csv cmdlet to make a table of custom objects from a comma-separated value file.

Extract a Column From a CSV File and Store It in a Variable Using the PowerShell Import-Csv Cmdlet

We can use the PowerShell Import-Csv cmdlet to create a table from a comma-separated value file. The columns of a CSV file become the property, while the rows become the property values.

The Import-Csv cmdlet is compatible with all CSV files, including files made with the Export-Csv cmdlet. Let’s look at an example.

The command below will attempt to create a table from the custom objects of our Trial.csv file using the Import-Csv cmdlet.

Import-Csv -Path ./Trial.csv

This will import our Trail.csv file in the format shown below.

We can format the output into a table with the Format-Table switch as illustrated below:

Import-Csv -Path ./Trial.csv | Format-Table

Here is the formatted table:

Now that we have familiarized ourselves with the Import-Csv cmdlet let’s discuss how we can extract a specific column from the table above and store it in a variable. Assuming we want to get the values in the Username column and store the values in a variable, how do we go about it?

In the command below, we will attempt to save the Username column in the $user variable.

$user = Import-Csv .\Trial.csv | select -ExpandProperty Username

This will store the values of the Username column in the $user variable. We can take a quick peek at the content of our $user variable.

We can use the Import-Csv cmdlet to create a table of custom objects from a comma-separated value file. Adding the select -ExpandProperty parameter will allow you to extract a specific column from the cmdlet results.