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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FUTURES)
The Futures FAQ has a number of categories:
Installation
The Database
Updating
Using the Program
Continuous Contracts
Recovering from Catastrophes
Installation
I have installed DataTools and there only seems to be
about a dozen markets in the database.
Check that your username and PIN are entered correctly in the program's
Registration Form. In the absence of legitimate subscriber details, DataTools
will assume that you are a trial user and only install a limited database.
I have clicked on Help and I get a message saying that the
Help file can't be found.
If this happens, Windows will ask you if you know where the Help file is. The
path to follow is c:\DataTools\DATATOOLS.HLP
The Database
How do I get the data into my charting program?
A program like MetaStocktm does not require you to "import" data. To open a file
with MetaStock™, just guide it to the folder that contains the data you wish to
view. Depending on which version of MetaStock™ you have, the File/Open process
will look slightly different, but the principle is always the same: a dialogue
box will appear, allowing you to navigate your way through your computer's
folder structure to the data folder you're after. In the case of Premium Data,
the path to follow for ASX data is c:\Premium\Asx\.
MetaStock™ remembers the path you followed last and will offer it to you the
next time around. This offering of a certain folder is what tricks many users
into thinking that some data files are "in" MetaStock™ while others aren't.
Where is the data to be found?
In sub-folders under the main data folder. The default data path is c:\DataTools\data\.
The sub-folders are "Cash", "Continuous Futures" and "Futures". Under Continuous
Futures there are two further sub-folders - "Back Adjusted" and "Spliced".
What does it mean when markets are named with a "C"?
The "C" stands for "Combined". Contracts that have a "C" after their name
contain data from all trading sessions combined. Contracts named with an "N"
contain data for an overnight trading session.
What does it mean when a market name or symbol ends in
"CCS" or "CCB"?
CCS stands for "continuous contract spliced"
CCB stands for "continuous contract back-adjusted"
So if you come across a file called Wheat C CCS, it is the spliced continuous
version of CBOT Wheat (all-trading sessions combined).
What is the "SPI Merged" contract?
The SFE now offers virtual 24-hour trading for most of its contracts. The close
of trading occurs in the late afternoon, after which settlement prices are
issued. The next day's trading then begins with the "overnight" session.
Therefore overnight trading should be regarded as the first leg of the "next"
day rather than as a continuation of the "current" day.
For the SPI 200 contract, DataTools reports 3 versions:
The contract named "SPI 200" which represents trading from 9.50 am to 4.30 pm.on
the trade date.
The contract named "SPI 200 C" (all-sessions combined) which represents trading
from 5.10 pm (the previous evening) to 4.30 pm. on the trade date.
The contract named "SPI 200 N" (night) which represents trading from 5.10 pm
(the previous evening) to 7.00 am on the trade date. (8.00am during non-US
daylight savings months).
If a SPI contract fails to trade in the night session, the price fields are
filled with the previous days settlement price (in order to avoid reporting
zeroes). This indicates that the price has not advanced overnight.
The SFE's original Share Price Index contract was based on the ASX's All
Ordinaries Index. When Standard & Poor's took over the ASX's index business in
April 2000, and announced changes to the index structure, the SFE selected the
S&P/ASX 200 Index to be the basis for a new Share Price Index futures contract -
the SPI 200 (DataTools code YAP).
The original SPI contract (DataTools code YAO) continued to trade side-by-side
with the SPI 200, with the final contract listed for trading being the September
2001 delivery. But through December 2000, open interest shifted from the old
market to the new, and the December 2000 delivery was the last "old contract"
that saw any active trading. At the expiry of this delivery on 29/12/2000, both
markets were settling at the same price.
This has enabled us to "seamlessly" construct a market folder for DataTools
called "SPI Merged" (and other folders called "SPI Merged C" and "SPI Merged
N").
The SPI Merged folders merge the history of the old SPI with the new. Contracts
up to and including the December 2000 delivery represent the "old" SPI.
Contracts beginning with the March 2001 delivery represent the "new" SPI.
Merging these individual contract histories into single folders allows the
construction of continuous SPI contracts going back to 1983.
The table below summarises the various SPI codes available through DataTools.
Market Name DataTools Symbol Description First All Ords SPI Delivery First SPI
200 Delivery
SPI 200 YAP "day" session n.a June 2000
SPI 200 C YAP2 all trading sessions combined n.a. June 2000
SPI 200 N YAP3 "overnight" session n.a. June 2000
SPI Merged SPIM "day" session March 1983 March 2001
SPI Merged C SPIM2 all trading sessions combined March 1983 March 2001
SPI Merged N SPIM3 "overnight" session March 1992 March 2001
One of my charts looks funny - the data is like a straight
line going across the page.
All it takes is one zero to get into the data and the resulting chart will look
like a straight line, as the Y-axis scale expands right out to incorporate the
zero. For the chart it question, switch to "Table View" in DataTools and check
the data closely to try and discover a zero in one of the price fields (or a row
filled with zeroes). Note the date. Now open the update module and set the
program to re-update that particular date (check the option "Update this date
only").
Updating
I have tried my first update and I get a message saying
"Cannot create file c:\DataTools\udf\"date"dt.zip.
You are missing the udf folder in DataTools. This is usually the result of an
incomplete installation. Try installing again, but first make sure that you have
at least 100 mgs of disk space available on your hard drive.
I have tried updating for the first time and I can't seem
to get through.
The default internet option for DataTools borrows your settings from Internet
Explorer. If you are using a proxy server on a LAN, please configure DataTools
accordingly. Otherwise, try the Direct Connection option. These settings can be
changed through "Configuration / Internet Options".
I can browse the web and get email but can't connect to
your server.
We employ two servers in case one of them goes down. In the update module, check
the option "Connect to Alternate Server".
The update dialogue was interrupted by the message "file
not found / exception encountered."
Something has gone astray in your database. When the DataTools update comes
across a corrupt file or a symbol it can't recognise, it will display an error
message as above. First, try the "Repair Database" function. This fixes
MetaStocktm compliant files that have been subject to improper closure through a
computer lock-up or power failure.
If you have accidentally moved a non-MetaStock file into your database, please
remove it. If you have deliberately moved a non-DataTools security file into
your database, please ensure that it follows the DataTools conventions as to
format, name and symbol construction.
To identify the location of corrupt files, check the option "Show Distribution
Details" in the update module and note the stage at which the update error
occurs. If a continuous contract is at fault, simply re-create it from scratch.
If parts of the underlying database are corrupt, try restoring from your back-up
(you should, of course, be backing up your database regularly!).
Using the Program
Can I move my DataTools data folders to a different
location on my computer?
Yes - but you must inform the program of the new location. This is done under
"General Options" in the Configuration section. The DataTools "root folder" is
the path name of the folder that contains the data sub-folders.
How do I change the DataTools date display?
In many instances where DataTools displays a date, it relies on the underlying
Windows settings. These may be changed through the Regional Settings icon in the
Windows Control Panel. Open the Control Panel and click on Regional Settings and
then on the Date tab. Edit the "Short date" settings. Any style (such as dd/MM/yyyy)
that uses 4-digits for the year setting will display the new millenium in full.
How do I access prices for a new market that is added to
the service?
First you have to install that market in your database. Go to the "Program
Utilities" item on your DataTools menu and click on "Database Upgrade". A
download list will appear. Highlight the markets you are interested in and click
on "Download". To highlight several markets, hold down the "Ctrl" key while you
select with your mouse.
Continuous Contracts
What is a "Back Adjusted" continuous contract?
Let's say we are rolling from May Cocoa to July. On the day we roll, July is
trading 30 points above May - say, at 1030 as opposed to 1000. A simple spliced
contract will retain and display this 30 point price gap. A back adjusted
contract, however, will remove it, on the basis that the gap wasn't caused by
trading and can't be profited from. The back-adjusted contract will adjust all
historical prices upwards by 30 points to bring them into line.
Which type should I be following - Back Adjusted or
Spliced?
It depends on what you are looking for. A Spliced contract will show you the
level at which a market was trading at any time in the past to indicate whether
the current price is high or low in historical terms. A Back Adjusted contract
will show you what would have happened to you as a trader if you had stayed in a
market continuously, rolling from one contract to the next. It is the
appropriate form to use for system tests.
Some of my continuous contracts don't seem to show prices
for the spot month. What is wrong?
Many users assume that continuous contracts HAVE to show prices from the spot
month (exclusively). They don't. The DataTools default roll settings were
designed to suggest a different perspective. In some instances, the spot month
is deliberately avoided. In other instances, the spot month is abandoned well
before expiration. Please see the DataTools Help section for more information
(Help/Continuous Contracts/Default Roll Settings).
When I go to create continuous contracts for the "merged"
SPI, I get the following error: "SPIM_199Z data ends before roll date".
The December 1999 All Ords SPI contract expired early. The default settings call
for a roll on the 26/12/99 by which time the December contract had already
ceased trading. To get around this type of problem it is necessary to fine-tune
the roll file.
1. Open the Continuous Contracts module and highlight the market (in this case,
the SPI Merged).
2. Click on "Change Roll Settings" and select the Roll File Editor.
3. Scroll down the table until you reach the specific roll you need to edit (in
this case, the roll from 199912 into 200003.
4. Type in an appropriate roll date (22/12/99 or earlier).
5. Save this roll file as the user default to keep it in "memory" and then click
on Save & Exit.
6. With the SPI Merged still highlighted in the Continuous Contracts main page,
click on "Create the Contracts".
Recovering from Catastrophes
I have just recovered from losing my hard drive and my
installation CD is quite out of date. What do I do?
Re-install everything from the CD and re-enter your username/PIN into the
program's Registration Form. Then upgrade the program, either automatically
(through Program Utilities/Program Upgrade) or "manually" (from the
Downloads
section on this site). Then restore the last back-up you made of your database,
overwriting the out-of-date database just installed from the CD. Finally, do an
update to bring your freshly restored database up to date.
But I haven't been backing up my data!
We retain about 9 months worth of historical updates on our servers. You can set
the program to download and distribute as many of these as you need to get back
up to date
or
you can download a very large installation file (> 50MB) from the
Downloads
section (this option is recommended for broadband connections only)
I backed up my entire DataTools folder to a CD. Having now
restored from the CD, the program doesn't seem to work.
Writing files to a CD can cause their attributes to be set to "Read Only". When
the files are copied back, they remain in this unusable state. Fortunately, it
is relatively easy to re-set the attributes back to "Archive".
1. Click the Windows "Start" button.
2. Click "Run" (the Run dialogue box will open).
3. Type the following into the "Open" edit box:
attrib /s -R c:\datatools\*.*
If your DataTools is on a different drive or path, enter that path instead.
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