The formats from one site to the other varies greatly. Automatic format should work with most of the sites, but you always have the opportunity to customize. There are situations where the ambiguity can’t be resolved; for instance, with one line of update like 03/01/2011, it’s impossible to know if we’re speaking about March 1st or January 3rd.
If neither the automatic format, nor the custom format, work, you might want to check if the file does not contain hidden exotic characters. A way to eliminate that possibility is to open and save the original file with the TextEdit application.
Tip: if you start with an Excel format file, with Numbers export to CSV, with Excel save as Unicode.
Update is primarily based on ISIN codes analysis. ISIN codes are guaranteed uniques and can be tested for validity. However, unfortunately, ISIN has not yet gained acceptance outside of European markets. You have the possibility to enter a mnemonic as ISIN. If the program does not find a valid ISIN field, it will try to consider the field before date (if date is in the second position as the example below) or the field just after if the date is in the first position. It is important to understand those codes can’t be validated automatically, i.e. it’s the responsibility of the user to make sure they’re right and unique.
For the extract, below, from the Australian market, the code AAC should be entered as “ISIN” to update the first stock.
The file below was downloaded from “cooltraders.com” covering the Australian stock market. You usually can find a similar service in all countries. In Europe, for instance ABC Bourse or Boursorama offer great up-to-date data, shortly after European stock markets closing.
