Free online CSV to GDB converter

Garmin MapSource, compatible versions of BaseCamp, and some GPS utilities require location data in Garmin’s binary .gdb format instead of CSV. A different .gdb target is Esri’s file geodatabase, so the required conversion method depends on which application will open the result.

What the CSV format is

CSV is a plain-text tabular format used by spreadsheets, databases, GIS programs, GPS exports, survey equipment, and scripts. Each record normally occupies one line and fields are separated by commas, although semicolons or tabs are also used in some regional exports.

CSV has no universal schema. A location file may contain latitude, longitude, name, description, elevation, or time columns; the first row commonly contains field names. The target program determines the required column names, order, coordinate notation, and encoding.

What the GDB format is

Garmin GDB is a proprietary binary database format for Garmin MapSource data. It can store waypoints, routes, and tracks, and is useful when Garmin software specifically requires a MapSource database. It is not an ideal archival format because support varies between applications and the specification is proprietary; GPX is generally more portable.

Esri file geodatabase is a separate format that also uses the .gdb extension. It is normally a directory containing tables, feature classes, spatial indexes, domains, and other GIS data. It supports structured attribute storage and spatial analysis, but it is not the Garmin format and cannot be opened by Garmin GPS software.

Convert CSV to Garmin GDB

Use this route when the destination is Garmin MapSource or another program that explicitly identifies its input as a Garmin MapSource database.

You can convert the file on 101convert.com without installing software: select the CSV, choose the Garmin GDB output when that option is available, start the conversion, and download the result. Upload only data that is acceptable for processing by an online service.

For local processing, GPSBabel is a desktop utility designed for exchanging waypoint, route, and track data between GPS formats. A typical command-line conversion is:

gpsbabel -i csv -f input.csv -o gdb -F output.gdb

Replace the two filenames as required. In GPSBabel’s graphical interface, choose the CSV input format, select the source file, choose the Garmin MapSource database output format, and specify the destination file. Open the resulting file in compatible Garmin software and inspect representative waypoints, routes, and tracks before transferring anything to a device.

Convert CSV to an Esri file geodatabase

Use ArcGIS Pro when the destination is an Esri file geodatabase. Create or open a project, add the folder containing the source data in the Catalog pane, and create a geodatabase through New → File Geodatabase. Right-click the geodatabase and choose Import → Table, select the CSV, set the output table name, and run the import.

A CSV imported this way becomes a nonspatial table. If it contains coordinate fields, create a feature class with Geoprocessing → XY Table To Point, select the longitude and latitude fields, and specify the coordinate system. For ordinary geographic coordinates, use WGS 84 unless the source documentation specifies another datum.

QGIS can read many Esri geodatabases through GDAL, but write support depends on the installed GDAL version and driver capabilities. ArcGIS Pro is the safer choice when the output must contain Esri-specific geodatabase features or be used in an ArcGIS production workflow.

Quality and compatibility checks

• Use decimal-degree coordinates such as 51.5074 and -0.1278 unless the selected converter explicitly accepts degrees, minutes, and seconds.
• Confirm that longitude and latitude are not reversed. A reversed pair can place a point in a distant region or produce invalid coordinates.
• Projected values such as UTM eastings and northings must be reprojected to the required coordinate system; changing a file extension does not transform coordinates.
• Save the CSV with consistent delimiters, quoted fields, and UTF-8 encoding. Commas, quotation marks, accented characters, and line breaks inside fields must be escaped according to CSV rules.
• CSV does not fully describe Garmin route membership, track segmentation, custom icons, device settings, or every metadata field. A conversion may preserve coordinates and names while dropping unsupported information.
• For Esri output, inspect imported field types, date values, nulls, field lengths, and coordinate-system metadata. CSV does not reliably preserve those types.
• If Garmin GDB compatibility fails, convert the source to GPX, verify it in a GPS application, and import the verified GPX into the target Garmin software.