The TDMS file format targets the management and exchange of large and complex data sets. Unlike the text-based lvm format, the TDMS file is stream-based and thus, more difficult to generate and difficult to view in a simple text editor. National Instruments (NI) provides different tools such as a function library in MATLAB® and C/C++ that work with the TDMS file. NI also provides Excel add-ins for the TDMS file. The following figure shows a TDMS file open in Excel using the TDM Excel add-in.
Figure 1. TDMS File Format
For additional details, see The NI TDMS File Format.