Tip #2000-5: Handling blank and zero values with live Reuters data
I import Reuters data into Excel and sometimes
when fields are blank, they get imported as the number 0. What
can I do?
This problem can occur if you use Reuters Personal Data Dictionary
(PDD) to retrieve real-time data.
The Reuters Trader Workstation (RTW) provides two methods of retrieving
live-market data into desktop applications. The first, IDN DDE,
enables you to access data directly from the Reuter IDN network
through Dynamic Data Exchange into applications like Excel.
The second method, PDD also enables DDE messages to be passed
from the Reuter IDN network. PDD provides the significant advantage
of being able to support up to 4,000 real-time data links as
compared to the IDN DDE maximum of 300. PDD also allows you
to access vendors other than Reuters and it has preference settings
which affect how real-time data is displayed.
To access these preference settings, double click on the PDD icon
and the application will appear.
- Select Preferences... from
the PDD Options menu
- Click on the DDE... button
in the Global Preferences dialog box.
- In the DDE Preferences dialog box, click
on Application.
- Make sure the first choice, DDE sends
0 as blank and -0 as 0, is not checked.
- Click on OK for the settings to
take effect. Show me
When this option is set, zero values present in fields are converted
to blanks unless they have a leading minus sign. Certain markets
use zeros to represent unavailable values and negative zero
to represent real zero values.
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