what is an ods file

An ODS file is a spreadsheet file format that stands for OpenDocument Spreadsheet Document format. It is an open-source spreadsheet file that offers a free alternative to the popular Excel format (XLSX) . ODS files are formatted using the OASIS OpenDocument XML-based standard, which is maintained by The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) . Data is stored inside ODF file into rows and columns, and it is XML-based. ODS files can be opened and edited by several spreadsheet applications, including Microsoft Excel, NeoOffice, LibreOffice, OpenOffice Calc, and Google Sheets. When working with two file formats, like .xlsx and .ods, there might be formatting differences, and not all features are available. When opening or saving worksheets in the OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods) format, some formatting might be lost due to the different features and options that OpenDocument Spreadsheet applications and Excel support.