What type of data format is exclusively supported by SOAP services?

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) services primarily use XML as their message format for communication. This is because SOAP is designed to rely on XML for encoding the messages it transmits between services. The XML format allows for a structured way to define the data being sent, ensuring that both the sender and receiver can understand the content being communicated, including the operations and data structures.

Unlike formats such as CSV or JSON, which may be used in different contexts and offer their own benefits for specific types of data handling, SOAP’s strict adherence to XML ensures that it can support complex data types and maintain a high level of interoperability between systems. XML provides a well-defined schema, allowing for validation and ensuring that the data exchanged meets the expected format and structure required by SOAP services.

The other formats mentioned, such as CSV and JSON, are not part of the SOAP protocol's design. CSV is typically used for simple tabular data, while JSON has become more prevalent in RESTful services and is not standardized for SOAP. Thus, XML is the only format exclusively supported by SOAP services.