Exchange Rates
Before you start: please work through the guide Logging on and
getting started with Datastream. It would also be helpful if you have
used our guide for Company/Equity Data as this outlines some of the
generic steps in more detail than this guide.
1. We will find the exchange rate from the Chinese Yuan to the Canadian
Dollar . First open Excel.
2. Click on Datastream tab> Time Series Request. The following box will
appear:
3. To find the exchange rate
you are interested in, click on
Find Series
button.
This will open the Datastream
Navigator (see below).
The Navigator is used to find
Datastream symbols (codes).
4. Click on the X button in the
Search Box to clear any
previous search.
Then Click on choose a single
category where you can
choose Exchange rates.
(Note that the default Data
Category is Equities.)
5. Type ‘China’ into the search b
5. Type ‘China’ into the search box and click Search.
You will see the first ten results matching your search. If the exchange rate
you are looking for is not displayed, use the To Currency section to locate
your second country. Here we have clicked on More to display more options.
Click on Canadian Dollar.
When you click on an exchange rate, more detailed information is displayed
below, including the timespan and source of the data. Further information
can be displayed in the editable chart on the left.
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6. Tick the box next to the Symbol, ‘CHCADSP’ and tick on ‘use’. This will
return you to the Time Series Request box and place the code in the
Series/Lists box.
7. In the Frequency box, use the drop down list to choose the frequency of
the data, i.e. daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly.
8. Choose the time period you are interested in by entering a Start Date and
End Date in the format dd/mm/yy.
Alternatively you can enter a Start Date number of days (D), weeks (W),
months (M), quarters (Q), or years (Y) ago from today, e.g.
-3D means start three days ago from today
-10Y means start ten years ago from today (note: you must use upper case letters)
9. In the Options section, put a
tick against:
Display Row Titles
Display Column Titles
Display Headings
Display Currency
Embed
Visible button
Important: Do NOT tick
Auto Refresh. This will link
your Excel spreadsheet to
Datastream and wipe out
your data when you use a
different computer.
10. Click Submit to run
your request. Data will be
downloaded into Excel.
Your data should look
something like this:
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Note: data will be downloaded into the Excel cell that you are clicked in when
you open the Time Series Request box.
Remember to save the spreadsheet to your memory stick or H:drive.
Looking for other exchange rates
If you want to download more data on exchange rates into the same
spreadsheet, you can return to your search and add this to your time series
request. If you want to find new data and load it into a separate worksheet,
open a new worksheet in Excel and search again.
If you want to add to or
amend your existing search,
you can use the visible button
that is embedded in your
spreadsheet. By default it is
entitled ‘refresh’, but if you
right click on this you get the
option to choose ‘editor’ as
shown here. Choosing ‘editor’
will return you to the time
series search box. Use the
button to find
additional exchanges rates.
When you have finished in Datastream, please log off by choosing ‘file’ and
‘exit’.
[HJR/JMH Feb 2015. N.B. Some content courtesy of Adam Hill/Harry Gibbs, Southampton University
Library 2012.]
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