Frequently Asked Questions

    The SortWizard ^®Stock Screening Software

Search Diagnostics Results Sample Explanation

Search Started: 3/29/2001 10:57:16 AM

User limits will be evaluated, on a refresh this is OFF and limits are not evaluated

Apply Basic Limits Is: ON

These are the limits that will be handled by the server (NOT on your computer) only symbols that meet these criteria will comeback

TAL Server-side basic limits: 1006>='3.125',1006<='5',1032>='1000',1032<='4000000',6023='ASE','NAS','NYS',9013='1'

If a server side limit is empty it will not limit symbols coming in, your primary server CAN NOT be empty it would return all the symbols in the market, which is not good, nor is it allowable

SortWizard Server-side basic limits: (Empty)

This is a dynamic test that is run when limits MAY have changed, this is NOT the number of stocks that will be returned just a fraction of the total that would be returned. This will determine which is going to be the primary server, you always want a primary server that returns the LEAST number of symbols since after all limits are applied (Primary, Secondary, ..., User Limits) the net effect is the same no matter what order they are done in and by having the least number come in from the first server lessens the load on all other limiting factors. In this case even though the SortWizard server is zero TAL will be the primary server because as seen above the SortWizard server side limits are Empty.

SortWizard Basic Limits test returned: 0

TAL Basic Limits test returned: 34

Based on the Server test and other items this is the order in which the servers will be queried, User Limits are always done after all required information for a User Limit has been brought in to make a decision.

Servers to be used.

    (1) TAL

    (2) SortWizard

    (3) SortWizard Secondary

This is the items being returned from the TAL server, to get the total number coming in add up the values; 44 + 116 + 77 .... = 488.

Current Server: TAL

     TAL Returned 44 Symbols each with 12 Columns of Data

     TAL Returned 116 Symbols each with 12 Columns of Data

     TAL Returned 77 Symbols each with 12 Columns of Data

     TAL Returned 109 Symbols each with 12 Columns of Data

     TAL Returned 105 Symbols each with 12 Columns of Data

     TAL Returned 37 Symbols each with 12 Columns of Data

This is the number of symbols being returned from the SortWizard server. Most of the type if no symbols have been eliminated by User Limits the number of symbols from the above server are directly sent to he server below to be either filtered or to obtain necessary values for. In this case the number is larger probably due to existing symbols in the display.

Current Server: SortWizard

     SortWizard Server Returned 453 Symbols each with 7 Columns of Data

These symbols were NOT eliminated because they were not returned from a non-limiting server request and there was NO User Limits performed on data from this server. If this server, SortWizard server, had limits (either server side or User Limits) no symbols would have been promoted since by having a limit you are saying "if it does not fit don't give it to me"

     Symbols promoted from non-limiting table...

       ADAT, ANTR, APPS, AQA, CVST, DW, ELTE, ENGEF, FEP, FKL...

       Total restored since last table was non-limiting and did not return values: 33

This is the next server being accessed; depending on your search requirements different servers will be used.

Current Server: SortWizard Secondary

     SortWizard Server Returned 453 Symbols each with 5 Columns of Data

This indicates the search in done and now the remaining symbols must be scanned to make sure all LIMITING servers returned them. In this case the last server, SortWizard Secondary, did not return these 45 symbols and because there was User Limits being applied to them they were automatically eliminated - if 'a > b' is your limit and you never got 'b' then it fails.

Symbols to check at end of search: 45

     List of some symbols that were eliminated because they did qualify on all servers...

       ADAT(1), ANTR(1), APPS(1), AQA(1), CVST(1), DW(1), ELTE(1), ENGEF(1), FEP(1)...

This is the total number of symbols that should be displayed.

       Total removed because they did qualify on all servers: 33

This the time when we considered our selves as done, take the start time above and subtract that time from this and you can see this search took 21 seconds.

Search Complete: 3/29/2001 10:57:37 AM

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This is a list of all ACTIVE User Limits, in this case there was only one.

------------------Limit Dump------------------

This is the actual limit saying the field 'Mom' was to be less than or equal to '1.25'

=Mom<=-1.25

From all the symbols that were evaluated this limit calculation took .692 seconds, use this as a gauge as to a processor hungry limit, maybe there is a way to optimize it or maybe it will just take that long.

    Proc. Time 0.6920 sec.

This is the number of symbols evaluated by this limit

    Hits 453

Typically a limit will not return an error but if it did this is the number of symbols that had an error in its calculation.

    Errors 0

This is very important when looking at WHY a symbol that you think should have been added and it was not. In this case this limit eliminated 441 or all but 453 - 441(hits above) = 12 symbols. If a limit eliminated all that it calculated you might have a logic error that would cause the limit to NEVER return results, use this to find that type of problem.

    Rejected symbols 441

This is a list of some of the symbols that were eliminated from this limit. The edit box on the Search Diagnostics tab can change the number of symbols listed. I can evaluate these symbols underling data (using RealTick or some other application) and help me to understand why it failed the limit and was eliminated.

      ABAX,ABCR,ABIZ,ACK,ACLA,ACNAF,ACO,ACTP,ADLT,AEGN,...

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This is the complete list of User Formulas that were ACTIVE for the search. The fields here are very similar to the above explanation except a User Formula will NOT eliminate a symbol.

-----------------Formula Dump-----------------

=TRDPRC_1/ClosePr_04

    Proc. Time 0.0000 sec.

    Hits 12

    Errors 0

=ClosePr/ClosePr_04

    Proc. Time 0.0000 sec.

    Hits 12

    Errors 0

=(TRDPRC_1-LOW_1)/RNG_DAY

    Proc. Time 0.0400 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=ClosePr-ClosePr_04

    Proc. Time 0.0000 sec.

    Hits 12

    Errors 0

=HIGH_52-LOW_52

    Proc. Time 0.0100 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=TRDPRC_1-OPEN_PRC

    Proc. Time 0.0500 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=CHG_OPEN/OPEN_PRC

    Proc. Time 0.0300 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=TRDPRC_1-ClosePr_04

    Proc. Time 0.0300 sec.

    Hits 453

    Errors 0

=OPEN_PRC-HST_CLOSE

    Proc. Time 0.0500 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=(TRDPRC_1-LOW_52)/RNG_52WK

    Proc. Time 0.0210 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=Mom/TRDPRC_1

  Proc. Time 0.0000 sec.

    Hits 12

    Errors 0

=INT((NETCHNG_1+.005)*100)/100

    Proc. Time 0.0300 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=NETCHNG_1/HST_CLOSE

    Proc. Time 0.0700 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=AvgVol_5/AvgVol_10

    Proc. Time 0.0400 sec.

    Hits 453

    Errors 0

=HIGH_1-LOW_1

    Proc. Time 0.0500 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

----------------------------------------------

This is the search summary statistics

End of Search Stats

Over All Totals

This is the TOTAL number of unique symbols brought in from the start of loading this search. In this case, as seen below this is the 3rd time this search was run.

    Total unique symbols: 490

Totals For Last Search

This is the number of times this search has been run.

    Search #: 3

This shows me there were NO NEW symbols in this search that have not already come in.

    New unique symbols: 0

This is the number of symbols that were rejected from this search, his information is also provided above.

    Rejected symbols: 474

This is the number of symbols that were not in the last time the search but WERE in this time, since the same symbols came in the last time as this time the result is zero.

    New from last: 0

If you have 'Auto-Refresh' checked some symbols might have been refreshed. Also if this was either a plain 'Search' or 'Refresh' this number may not be zero but the number of symbols that needed to be refreshed.

    Refreshed symbols: 0

    Symbols from previous search: 11

This is the number of symbols that were ignored because they were in your ignore list, there is a global which effects ALL open searches and Local which only effect THIS search.

    Global ignores: 3

    Local ignores: 0

----------------------------------------------

What seems to be a second back-to-back search is actually the 'Auto-Refresh' that always happens AFTER the initial search is done provided the 'Auto-Refresh' check is checked. This data set is largely just repeated and is not very important.

Symbols to check at end of search: 12

Search Complete: 3/29/2001 10:57:38 AM

----------------------------------------------

------------------Limit Dump------------------

=Mom<=-1.25

    Proc. Time 0.6920 sec.

    Hits 453

    Errors 0

    Rejected symbols 441

      ABAX,ABCR,ABIZ,ACK,ACLA,ACNAF,ACO,ACTP,ADLT,AEGN,...

----------------------------------------------

-----------------Formula Dump-----------------

=TRDPRC_1/ClosePr_04

    Proc. Time 0.0000 sec.

    Hits 12

    Errors 0

=ClosePr/ClosePr_04

    Proc. Time 0.0000 sec.

    Hits 12

    Errors 0

=(TRDPRC_1-LOW_1)/RNG_DAY

    Proc. Time 0.0400 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=ClosePr-ClosePr_04

    Proc. Time 0.0000 sec.

    Hits 12

    Errors 0

=HIGH_52-LOW_52

    Proc. Time 0.0100 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=TRDPRC_1-OPEN_PRC

    Proc. Time 0.0500 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=CHG_OPEN/OPEN_PRC

    Proc. Time 0.0300 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=TRDPRC_1-ClosePr_04

    Proc. Time 0.0300 sec.

    Hits 453

    Errors 0

=OPEN_PRC-HST_CLOSE

    Proc. Time 0.0500 sec.

    Hits 485

   Errors 0

=(TRDPRC_1-LOW_52)/RNG_52WK

    Proc. Time 0.0210 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=Mom/TRDPRC_1

    Proc. Time 0.0000 sec.

    Hits 12

    Errors 0

=INT((NETCHNG_1+.005)*100)/100

    Proc. Time 0.0300 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=NETCHNG_1/HST_CLOSE

    Proc. Time 0.0700 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=AvgVol_5/AvgVol_10

    Proc. Time 0.0400 sec.

    Hits 453

    Errors 0

=HIGH_1-LOW_1

    Proc. Time 0.0500 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

----------------------------------------------

End of Search Stats

Over All Totals

    Total unique symbols: 490

Totals For Last Search

    Search #: 3

    New unique symbols: 0

    Rejected symbols: 474

    New from last: 0

    Refreshed symbols: 0

    Symbols from previous search: 11

    Global ignores: 3

    Local ignores: 0

----------------------------------------------

Symbols to check at end of search: 12

Search Complete: 3/29/2001 10:57:39 AM

----------------------------------------------

------------------Limit Dump------------------

=Mom<=-1.25

    Proc. Time 0.6920 sec.

    Hits 453

    Errors 0

    Rejected symbols 441

      ABAX,ABCR,ABIZ,ACK,ACLA,ACNAF,ACO,ACTP,ADLT,AEGN,...

----------------------------------------------

-----------------Formula Dump-----------------

=TRDPRC_1/ClosePr_04

    Proc. Time 0.0000 sec.

    Hits 12

    Errors 0

=ClosePr/ClosePr_04

    Proc. Time 0.0000 sec.

    Hits 12

    Errors 0

=(TRDPRC_1-LOW_1)/RNG_DAY

    Proc. Time 0.0400 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=ClosePr-ClosePr_04

    Proc. Time 0.0000 sec.

    Hits 12

    Errors 0

=HIGH_52-LOW_52

    Proc. Time 0.0100 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=TRDPRC_1-OPEN_PRC

    Proc. Time 0.0500 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=CHG_OPEN/OPEN_PRC

    Proc. Time 0.0300 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=TRDPRC_1-ClosePr_04

    Proc. Time 0.0300 sec.

    Hits 453

    Errors 0

=OPEN_PRC-HST_CLOSE

    Proc. Time 0.0500 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=(TRDPRC_1-LOW_52)/RNG_52WK

    Proc. Time 0.0210 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=Mom/TRDPRC_1

    Proc. Time 0.0000 sec.

    Hits 12

    Errors 0

=INT((NETCHNG_1+.005)*100)/100

    Proc. Time 0.0300 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=NETCHNG_1/HST_CLOSE

    Proc. Time 0.0700 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

=AvgVol_5/AvgVol_10

    Proc. Time 0.0400 sec.

    Hits 453

    Errors 0

=HIGH_1-LOW_1

    Proc. Time 0.0500 sec.

    Hits 485

    Errors 0

----------------------------------------------

End of Search Stats

Over All Totals

    Total unique symbols: 490

Totals For Last Search

    Search #: 3

    New unique symbols: 0

    Rejected symbols: 474

    New from last: 0

    Refreshed symbols: 0

    Symbols from previous search: 11

    Global ignores: 3

    Local ignores: 0

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