I'm currently parsing CSV tables and need to **discover the "data types"** of the columns. I don't know the exact format of the values. Obviously, everything that the CSV parser outputs is a string. The data types I am currently interested in are:

1. integer
2. floating point
3. date
4. boolean
5. string

My current thoughts are to test a sample of rows (maybe several hundred?) in order to determine the types of data present through pattern matching. 

I am particularly concerned about the date data type - **is their a python module for parsing common date idioms (obviously I will not be able to detect them all)**? 

What about integers and floats?