Creating Quality Data for your Expert Adviser MT4 Strategy Tester
When using the MT4 strategy tester (see this video) to test and optimize EA’s it is important to use the best quality data. Historic Broker data is automatically loaded into the Strategy tester but can be limited in quantity and quality.
When using the MT4 strategy tester (see this video) to test and optimize EA’s it is important to use the best quality data.
Data that is reasonably complete and of good quality for the MT4 Strategy Tester can be bought or obtained free of charge on the internet.
One option for backtesting data in MT4 is to use Tickstory. ( http://www.tickstory.com/ )
Tickstory is a free of charge program which automates the install procedure of tick data files from Dukascopy into MT4, giving a 99 percent modeling quality.
It is best to use a separate setup of MT4 for testing and to follow the process below:-
ONE: Download and install the latest copy of MT4 direct from Metaquotes. Do NOT set up an account; you won’t be needing one. http://www.metatrader4.com/traders
TWO: Download and install Tickstory. You will need the latest version. http://www.tickstory.com/
THREE: Start Tickstory in Administrator Mode (right click > Run as administrator). When you first run Tickstory, you will need to set the location of your newly-installed MT4. Do this under File > Settings > MT4 Settings. If you have multiple versions of MT4 on your computer, be careful to select the copy of MT4 that you just installed in ONE.
FOUR: Now right-click on any of the currency pairs listed and choose “Export to MT4”. In the pop-up box, select the dates you want to download or press one of the buttons such as ‘Last 1 year’. Click OK, and the download will start.
FIVE: Wait for the download to complete. It will take some time, depending on how much data you have asked for.
SIX: When it has finished, press F8 to launch MT4 from Tickstory. Click OK to the alert message. When MT4 opens, make sure you don’t create any accounts. You should see some writing across the top of MT4 saying “Metatrader 4 with Tickstory Launcher (FXT Overwrite Prevention, Fixed Spread)”
SEVEN: Add your EAs to the data folder of your new MT4 installation then back test as normal using the MT4 Strategy Tester. You should get 99.90 percent modeling quality on all time frames. Please note that the runs do take quite a long while
Please use all the information provided by TickStory and its Forum if you run into a problems. Unfortunately we can not over support of this process
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