The Service

"Premium Data" is a software package that updates end of day prices from stock exchanges in Australia and the U.S. (see under "Market Coverage" on the menu to the left). In the case of the Australian Securities Exchange progressive hourly snapshots are also available.

The software is easy to install and run. Once you're set up, it's simply a matter of connecting to the Internet and clicking the "update" button. There are no restrictions on the number of updates that can be performed. When the program connects to our data servers, it supplies any data that hasn't as yet been downloaded. If you have been away on holidays, the intervening period is filled in automatically.

The service employs 4 data servers in different locations around the world. If one server happens to be down, or no route to it can be found, the program automatically tries the next one in turn.

Data Format

As part of the installation process, a database of historical prices is loaded to your computer. This database is held in the "MetaStock" data format. Each update appends the latest price and volume information to the database (Date, Open, High, Low, Close and Volume).

Please Note!

The data can be accessed by any charting or analysis package that reads the "MetaStock" format. The installation package also includes a basic charting package ("Premium Charts") for the benefit of subscribers who don't have any charting software of their own.

Note: ASCII updates are not available.

Database Maintenance vs Free data

In addition to supplying daily data updates, the service provides essential database "housekeping". Maintenance actions keep the historical database in good order by automatically -

adding newly-listed securities
eliminating delisted securities
accounting for name and/or code changes
adjusting historical prices for the effect of stock splits, capital returns, de-mergers etc (capital-base adjustments).

As a rule, free sources of data do not perform any maintenance - they simply provide flat ASCII or CSV text files each day with no corporate action information.

Support

Separate installers for the program and historical data are always available to current subscribers from our Downloads area. If you strike file corruption issues, or need to recover from a hard drive failure or virus attack, or if you need to set up a new machine, re-installation can be completed in a handful of minutes.

Please visit the Help & Support section on this site to see the detailed support available for the program and the service.