Traditionally, CAQDAS have been used for transcribed interview data, where the analyst could choose the file format. Media studies, in particularly studies of the new media, however, frequently analyze already existing text files, whose format therefore cannot be influenced by the researcher. It would thus be desirable, if CAQDAS could handle a wide variety of data formats.

The most important format is, of course, still plain text. But plain text is not always plain text. Most programs will handle the standard English ascii character set, but some have problems with different iso definitions for other languages, which contain accents (e.g. ê), Umlaute (e.g., ö), or funny currencies (e.g., €), not to speak of Cyrillic or Γρεεκ characters (let's no go to pictorial languages). Most programs can handle these different encodings only with great difficulties, hence in practice, it is frequently advisable to convert all textual data into formatted text, particularly, if you use documents in different languages at the same time. Except for N6 and HyperRESEARCH (which allows for some limited manipulation of the code page for characters), all CAQDAS now allow for text in rich text format.

Even though html and xml are far more flexible and human readable formats, CAQDAS developers have adopted rtf as the primary format for formatted text, that is, if the software accepts formatted text. That means that for most documents you will need to convert your files into rich text format, which usually means that there will be conversion imperfections, particularly when it comes to tables, headers and other special sections of text documents. If objects like pictures or spreadsheets are embedded with a text file, only ATLAS.ti and QDA Miner will be able to display these.

The latter two programs are the most versatile with respect to text files, with Qualrus being the only other program, which handles html. Most others can only process the textual components of rich text. But even the most versatile programs are still a long way from the freeware program Inforapid, which cannot code, but which searches (and in combination with its suite sister Cardfile can sort these files.