title: Using FileFormat v Serde to read custom text files
body: <p>Hadoop/Hive newbie here. I am trying to use data stored in a custom text-based format with Hive. My understanding is you can either write a custom <code>FileFormat</code> or a custom <code>SerDe</code> class to do that. Is that the case or am I misunderstanding it? And what are some general guidelines on which option to choose when? Thanks!</p>