FAQ/Troubleshooting

Issue: Realtime Data not Updating

There are a few possibilities here:

•	Prior to ScanExpert Version 1.0.15.2 there was an issue with realtime updates in certain timezones. This has been fixed as of Version 1.0.15.2 so if you are running an older version of ScanExpert then please upgrade to the current version.

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Along the same lines, if you are using a version of eSignal earlier than Version 10.1 then it is likely that international futures will not update in realtime. This has been fixed in the Data Manager that installs with eSignal Version 10.1. So the solution here is to upgrade to the current release of eSignal.

•	Check your session start/end settings in your ScanExpert portfolio. Remember that data will be delivered into ScanExpert only for the session times specified. If you want 24-hour data then make sure your Session Start is set to 0:00 and your Session End is set to 0:00.

Issue: Grid not updating

•	Make sure that the eSignal Data Manager is running (check your Windows task bar). If in doubt, restart the ScanExpert application which, in turn, will start the eSignal Data Manager if it is not already running.

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Make sure that the eSignalDataLayer (ESD) application is running (check the ScanExpert status bar). ESD is the interface between the grid and the eSignal Data Manager. ESD is essentially invisible and it runs whenever ScanExpert is running. In the unlikely event that it does shut down, just restart the ScanExpert application.

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There may be no data to update. For example, if you are running a portfolio of US stocks then they will stop updating at around 4:00pm EST. Now of course in this situation you can continue to use the ScanExpert application (i.e., sort, create filters, build new scripts, etc.) but the grid itself will not update with realtime data simply because there is no realtime data to update.

Issue: No data in Trial Mode

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On some systems if you attempt to run ScanExpert immediately after performing the installation, no data will be returned to the ScanExpert grid even though you are (correctly) using the portfolio of Trial symbols. If this happens, just close ScanExpert and start it back up again. From there on, you should be fine.

Issue: Daily data in ScanExpert does not match the eSignal chart

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Most likely you are still running eSignal 8.0 and you are looking at a symbol that trades a 24-hour session (i.e., such as Forex). The new eSignal API (which is used by ScanExpert and eSignal 10.x) will create a new daily bar as of the start of a new session whereas eSignal 8.0 will not. So to take the Euro as an example, at 5:00pm EST eSignal 10.x and ScanExpert will close the current daily bar and create a new daily bar dated with tomorrows date. eSignal 8.0 will NOT do this. It will instead continue updating the current daily bar until midnight, at which time it will make the change and adjust each bar accordingly. So for an apples to apples comparison, you need to be running eSignal 10.x.

Issue: It seems to be taking a long time for the ScanExpert grid to populate after starting a session

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The first time ScanExpert encounters a symbol/interval combination it must download historical price information for that symbol/interval. This can take up to a few seconds for each symbol but is heavily dependent upon outside factors such as the speed of your computer, your available internet bandwidth, and the current status of the eSignal data servers. If you are monitoring just a handful of securities this initial download is probably not even noticeable. However when you are monitoring a large basket of securities and/or a number of different bar intervals, it can become very noticeable (and take several minutes to perform the initial history download for all of your symbols). The good news is that the full historical download only takes place the first time ScanExpert encounters a symbol/interval combination (or if that particular symbol/interval combination has not been used for a period of time). You should notice a dramatic difference in terms of speed between the first time you run a session on a basket of securities and subsequent sessions on those same securities.

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Use common sense and design and test your ScanExpert scripts (and create/update your ScanExpert portfolios) during non-peak hours. For example, launching your first ScanExpert session on a basket of several hundred securities at 9:30am EST on a weekday is probably not a wise decision. The market is just opening and the eSignal data servers are most likely facing their peak loads. In this situation your initial download could take several minutes to complete. You will be much better served if you start your ScanExpert session a half-hour or so before market open. That way any required historical data downloads will take place when the eSignal servers are relatively quiet and ScanExpert will be ready and waiting at the bell.

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Keep everything in perspective. Loading a single chart with a moving average in the eSignal Advanced Charts desktop application is not quite the same thing as loading a basket of several hundred securities (with several formulas associated with each security). The price data has to travel from the eSignal data servers to your computer, and each individual formula has to be calculated and updated by ScanExpert for each security, and that takes time. How much time, again, depends upon factors such as the speed of your computer, your available internet bandwidth (i.e., how much data can fit in that pipe at any given time), and the current load being placed on the eSignal data servers.

Issue: You have a valid ScanExpert subscription but appear to be back in Trial Mode

•	Fastest fix is to re-enter your license key and confirm that the Username/Password being used by ScanExpert exactly matches your eSignal Username and Password. It is very important to keep a copy of your license key in safe location for this very reason.

•	Note that it is also possible that your ScanExpert subscription has expired.

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ScanExpert does not check the license status until the eSignal Data Manager is up and running. So if you start ScanExpert while eSignal Data Manager is not yet running, the ScanExpert license status will show up as Trial. However, once you start a scan ScanExpert will automatically launch the eSignal Data Manager and your license status will be validated (and the About screen updated) at that point.

Issue: Upon starting ScanExpert you see a login screen

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When ScanExpert first starts, it attempts to establish a connection with the eSignal Data Manager and typically all of the information it needs to do this is available in the Data Manager configuration files. In the (unlikely) event that ScanExpert cannot locate this information, it will pop up a screen and prompt your for your eSignal login information which consists of your eSignal Username and Password. It is critical that, when prompted, you enter your eSignal username and password correctly.

Issue: A "No Data" message appears on one or more rows in your ScanExpert Viewer grid

•	A "No Data" message means that no price data is available for that particular symbol. The first thing you should do is check to see if you entered the symbol name correctly. It is also possible that the symbol is no longer trading (or the symbol name or exchange was changed).

•	It is also possible that your eSignal symbol limit has been exceeded. ScanExpert can accommodate up to 500 symbols but your concurrent symbol limit in eSignal may be lower than 500.

Issue: A "Not Entitled" message appears on one or more rows in your ScanExpert Viewer grid

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A "Not Entitled" message means that your eSignal subscription is not entitled to receive data for that particular symbol. If you believe this to be in error then you should first try to pull up that symbol in the eSignal Advanced Charts application and, if that does not work, then contact your eSignal account representative.

Issue: A "Trial Version" message appears on one or more rows in your ScanExpert Viewer grid

•	The "Trial Version" message indicates that ScanExpert is running in trial mode and, as such, is limited to accessing data for a specific block of symbols. Consult the Trial Version page in this user guide for more information.

Issue: The Done button is greyed out in the Configuration Manager and can't be selected.

•	ScanExpert needs two things loaded in order to operate, a script and a portfolio of securities. The Done button in the Configuration Manager will remain greyed out until you have selected a script and created a portfolio.

Issue: The Exit button on the ScanExpert toolbar is greyed out and you cannot exit the application

•	This means that a ScanExpert session is still running (i.e., a data connection is open). You must first click on the red Halt button on the ScanExpert toolbar to stop the current session. Once that is done, the Exit button will become available.

Issue: The Configuration button on the ScanExpert toolbar is greyed out and you cannot access the Configuration Manager

•	This means that a ScanExpert session is still running (i.e., a data connection is open). You must first click on the red Halt button on the ScanExpert toolbar to stop the current session. Once that is done, the Configuration button will become available.

Issue: The horizontal and/or vertical gridlines have disappeared from the ScanExpert Viewer grid

•	You may have inadvertently turned them off. Check the Grid Options menu.

Issue: The text in the ScanExpert grid is too small (or too large)

•	You can adjust the font, font size, and colors used in the grid. See Grid Fonts/Colors for more information.

Issue: The ScanExpert grid seems unresponsive when you select options and/or move the grid with your mouse

•	ScanExpert may be hard at work processing a large number of symbols, a large number of studies, or both. Try adjusting the Update Priority option to a lower setting. The change should be almost immediate.

Issue: One or more of your columns are missing in the ScanExpert grid

•	Those columns may be hidden. Check the Hiding Columns topic for more information.

Issue: One or more columns are not updating in the ScanExpert grid

This may occur if ScanExpert is still waiting on data from the eSignal servers. If you are using the symInterval study formula to access data from an external symbol (i.e., a symbol that is not part of your Active Portfolio) then see the MultiTimeframe topic for more information.

Issue: How do you uninstall the ScanExpert program

•	Use the Add/Remove Programs tool in Windows Control Panel to uninstall ScanExpert.

Issue: Using ScanExpert with TrendMicro Internet Security 2008

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If you are using TrendMicro as your anti-virus program it may generate an exception when you try to run ScanExpert. To allow ScanExpert to run, choose "Settings" from the "Virus & Spyware Controls" option in TrendMicro. In the "Settings to Prevent Unauthorized Changes" dialog, change the "Program Library Injection" option to "Always Allow".

Issue: Data Disconnects

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If you see a large number of "Data Manager Connecting..." messages in the ESD log file (in ScanExpert, click on the Help menu option and then select the ESD Log File option to view this log) it may indicate that you have a poor connection to the eSignal data servers. Your data connection may be adequate for for loading a handful of charts in the eSignal application but it may not be adequate for streaming the large amounts of data that would be required to monitor a basket of securities in ScanExpert. Use the Windows PING and TRACERT utilities to check the status of your connection to eSignal.com.

Issue: Error Message "Unassigned time zone information for portfolio '<Portfolio Name>' [Unknown DBC error]".

•	The solution is to go into Control Panel in Windows, select the Date and Time option, and in the Date and Time Properties dialog click on the "Time Zone" tab and check the box to automatically adjust clock for daylight savings changes.

Issue: You want to Cancel or Suspend a ScanExpert Subscription

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All subscriptions will be automatically renewed each month. You can cancel a subscription at any time from the by going to the web site of our online merchant, Plimus at www.plimus.com and logging in with your customer account ID which your received when you placed your first subscription order. All cancelled subscriptions will be pro-rated on a daily basis.