When it comes to algorithmic trading, precision is key.
Backtesting with high-quality data in MetaTrader 5 provides the accuracy needed to evaluate your strategies effectively.
Most brokers don’t store old tick data, which means the historical data you get from them is often limited, especially for data older than a few months.
This leads to poor backtesting quality, as the data can be missing critical details about price movements and spreads.
This might cause disappointing results or really great results which then are not real in live markets. Without high-quality, detailed data, your backtest results can mislead you about a strategy's performance.
By using 100% tick data, you gain access to every price movement, enabling a more realistic simulation that mirrors live trading conditions.
This type of data allows you to better assess metrics like slippage, spread, and drawdown, which are essential for accurate strategy evaluation.
📌 How to Import Tick Data from External Sources into MetaTrader 5
To improve the quality of your backtesting, you can import tick data from sources like
- QuantDataManager
- or Dukascopy into MetaTrader 5 by creating a custom symbol.
Here’s how to do it with QuantDataManager.
📍 Download Tick Data
-
First, download QuantDataManager (QDM) and install it on your computer.
-
Open QDM, and in the main menu, navigate to the Data Sources tab and add the symbol you want to download data from
-
Afterwards select the symbol
-
And click on Download data for the existing symbol.
-
Here you can select the data range.
-
Now, you can change the timezone to make sure it matches your broker's timezone by clicking on Tools/Clone to timezone
- Finally go to Export
- Click on Export to MT5.
- Chose the dates to download from and where to store the data.
After the data is downloaded, we will now import it in MetaTrader 5.
📍 Create a Custom Symbol
-
In MetaTrader 5 trading Station
-
go to Menu/View/Symbols
- Select the symbol for which you have imported real data
- Select Create Custom Symbol
-
Change the symbol's name to a preferred one
📍 Import the Data
The Custom Symbol is now created. Let's see how to import the data.
-
Select your Custom Symbol in the Symbols window
-
Click on it, and make sure the icon is orange
-
Select the tab named Ticks in the window's menu
-
Click on Import Ticks,
-
Browse the file where you downloaded the data
-
Click on OK.
It might take few minutes to load but once is done you will be ready to test with 100% quality data.
📍 Backtest with Your Custom Symbol
Now that you have tick data loaded into your Custom Symbol,
- open the Strategy Tester.
-
Select your Custom Symbol from the dropdown,
-
and choose Every Tick based on real ticks for the most accurate simulation.
By following these steps, you’ll ensure that your back testing reflects market conditions as closely as possible.
It will allow you to have reliable insights into how your strategy performs in real-world scenarios.
With this data, you can be confident in understanding how your strategy would perform.
We're here to make sure you have what you need for reliable and realistic backtesting!
Discover our MetaSHIELD our new EA
