How do I open my .parquet in xmetric?
Choose your .parquet file to inspect its rows and columns here. The file is processed in this browser; nothing is uploaded. Open it in the app to build a chart.
Choose or drop your file here.
Why does a .parquet file need a compatible viewer?
Apache Parquet stores binary columnar data rather than a plain text table. Use a Parquet reader such as xmetric, DuckDB or a compatible data library to inspect its rows.
Apache Parquet is a compressed, binary columnar storage format used across modern data stacks (AWS S3, Snowflake exports, BigQuery, dbt, Pandas, and Hugging Face datasets). Because Parquet stores data column-by-column in binary blocks with embedded type metadata, text editors show garbled bytes and neither Microsoft Excel's File > Open dialog nor Google Sheets' file importer supports .parquet files natively.
When a data engineer sends a .parquet file to an analyst or product manager, the recipient usually has to run Python, Pandas, PyArrow, or DuckDB just to see what columns and rows are inside.
Format source: Apache Parquet documentation.
How do I inspect and chart my .parquet data?
Choose the .parquet file to view its rows and columns in this page, then choose Chart in xmetric to continue with the same local file.
The viewer previews rows and column names from supported flat Apache Parquet tables. Use the preview controls to inspect another page of rows, then choose Chart in xmetric to open the same file in the app and select chart fields.
A table preview is not a complete schema or compatibility audit. Check important numeric values, dates and nulls against the source data before sharing a chart or exporting CSV.
Which tools can open Apache Parquet files?
xmetric offers browser viewing and charting, while DuckDB and Python provide programmable queries and transformations. Choose a tool for your file size and workflow.
| Tool | Opens .parquet Natively | Setup Required | Visual Charting (Shelves & Marks) | Data Privacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| xmetric | Yes (in the xmetric app) | None (runs in browser) | Yes: Rows, Columns, Marks card, Filters | Local in browser (not uploaded unless you save online) |
| Microsoft Excel | No (.parquet is not a supported File > Open format) | Desktop app | Basic Excel charts | Local on desktop |
| Google Sheets | No (imports .xlsx, .xls, .csv, .tsv, .txt, .ods only) | Google account | Basic cloud charts | Uploaded to Google Drive |
Python (pandas / pyarrow) | Yes | Python environment + CLI | Requires writing Matplotlib/Plotly code | Local |
When should I use Python or a cloud warehouse for Parquet?
Use a data pipeline or warehouse when you need repeatable batch transformations, distributed storage or data beyond browser memory.
- Data lakes and pipelines. Choose Python (
pyarroworpolars), DuckDB CLI, or a cloud warehouse like BigQuery if you are scanning partitioned multi-terabyte Parquet lakes across S3 buckets or running automated nightly ETL pipelines. - Files bigger than memory. Browser memory is bounded by your laptop's RAM, so single-file browser analysis works best for local files that fit in memory.
What can I do with a Parquet file in xmetric?
Preview supported flat tables and chart the data in the browser. Review inferred display types, nulls and important values before exporting or sharing a result.
- Look inside a Parquet file without code. Open it in the xmetric app and chart it on shelves, free.
- Private by default. Parquet, Excel and CSV files are read in your browser; nothing leaves it unless you save a workbook online.
- Tableau's grammar. Calculated fields, LOD expressions and table calculations, plus
.twbxand.twbworkbooks.
How do I convert a Parquet file to CSV if another tool needs it?
You can run a one-line Python command with pandas (pd.read_parquet('file.parquet').to_csv('file.csv', index=False)) or DuckDB (COPY (SELECT * FROM 'file.parquet') TO 'file.csv' (HEADER, DELIMITER ',')). For xmetric you don't need to convert: open the .parquet file in the xmetric app directly.
Does Parquet support Snappy and Zstandard (zstd) compression?
Yes. Apache Parquet supports standard compression codecs including Snappy, Gzip, and Zstandard (zstd).
Are my files uploaded to a server when I open them on getxmetric.com?
No. Files opened on getxmetric.com are read locally inside your browser tab and are not uploaded unless you choose to save a workbook online.
Open your .parquet file in the xmetric app to chart it on shelves.