Use binary files to save numeric data and to access specific numbers from a file or randomly access numbers from a file. Binary files are machine readable only, unlike text files. Binary files are the most compact and fastest format for storing data. You can use multiple data types in binary files, but it is uncommon.
Use the File I/O VIs and functions to read from and write to binary files. If you are reading from or writing to 1D or 2D arrays of 16-bit integers or single-precision floating point numbers, consider using the binary file VIs.