RTD – Real-Time Data in Excel

You can display live, updating quote data or historical data in Microsoft Excel using the software TeleTrader WorkStation RTD. RTD (Real-Time Data) is a technology that was specifically designed for live data scenarios. It uses the built-in RTD formulas of Microsoft Excel, which means that you can use cell references etc. as placeholders in your spreadsheets like with any other Excel formula.

With TeleTrader WorkStation RTD, you can include the current quotes of several symbols in your spreadsheets, or retrieve historical data and display it in a table. The necessary RTD formulas can be created by copying live, updating quote data from TeleTrader WorkStation to Microsoft Excel. The syntax for RTD links gives you great flexibility in formulating your own requests.

TeleTrader WorkStation RTD is started automatically in the background as needed. You can stop the connection manually when you don't need it anymore. If you have not installed TeleTrader WorkStation RTD yet, you have to download and install it on your computer first.

Learn more:

 System Requirements for the RTD Component

 Downloading and Installing the RTD Component

 Starting and Stopping the RTD Connection

 Choosing the Time Zone for the RTD Component

You can use the Copy command from a price page, watch list, market depth, options matrix or time and sales document to copy live, updating quote data to Microsoft Excel. The RTD links can then be inserted into a Microsoft Excel Table with the function Insert or with the key combination Ctrl + V.

In order to use RTD when copying data from TeleTrader WorkStation documents to your spreadsheet software, you have to set the DDE/RTD format under Tools > Options > Price Page to Microsoft Office RTD (see Price Page Settings).

Learn more:

 Setting up an RTD Link with Live Data

With live RTD links, you can retrieve a wide variety of data fields for a security, ranging from live, updating quote data to live market depth data and fundamental data (including company information and balance sheet data).

Learn more:

 Setting up an RTD Link with Live Data

 Tips and Examples for Retrieving Live Data

You can also display historical data for a security. Choose the time region that should be covered and the data compression / period, which can range from raw / tick-by-tick data over intraday bars to daily, weekly and monthly data.

Learn more:

 Setting up an RTD Link with Historical Data

 Tips and Examples for Retrieving Historical Data

You can search for symbol IDs that are needed in other RTD formulas by using the symbol's ISIN, WKN, ticker or name. Additional search options like exchange name, currency, strike price and expiration date are also available. The search result will be shown with its symbol ID, allowing the user to reference the ID in other RTD requests (cell references).

Learn more:

 Searching for Symbols with RTD

 Tips and Examples for Looking Up Symbols

The alternative to using RTD is the older DDE protocol (Dynamic Data Exchange). As RTD is a newer technology than DDE, RTD performs better in most cases. RTD also uses standard Excel syntax, which means that you can use cell references in RTD formulas to make them re-usable across your spreadsheet.

For information about using Microsoft Office DDE, see DDE – Dynamic Data Exchange with Excel / Open Office.