Introduction
The Bloomberg Excel Add-in is a powerful tool that delivers Bloomberg data into a Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet for custom analysis and calculations. All data must remain on a licensed Bloomberg workstation.
On a computer where the Bloomberg software is active, you can access the Bloomberg Excel Add-in from the Excel taskbar.
The following is a quick overview of the Bloomberg Excel Add-in. For further details on and resources related to the Bloomberg Excel Add-in:
Installation of the Add-in
If you do not see the Bloomberg tab in Excel, you can try to install the Add-in by completing the following steps.
STEP 1
From the computer’s task bar select Start > All Programs > Bloomberg > Install Excel Add-in. An Installing Bloomberg Excel Add-in dialog box appears.
STEP 2
Click Install. A confirmation dialog box appears.
STEP 3
Close the dialog boxes.
STEP 4
Close Excel.
STEP 5
Open Excel. A Bloomberg tab appears on Excel’s taskbar.
Note — If you are unable to install the Add-in, consult your Information Technology team regarding administration rights to the computer.
Bloomberg Data Wizard
The easiest way to download data to Excel via the Bloomberg Excel Add-in is to use one of the Bloomberg Data Wizard tools. The wizards provide a guided process to draw data from Bloomberg into a spreadsheet.
STEP 1
On the Bloomberg tab of the Excel spreadsheet, in the Import group, choose from the following options:
The Bloomberg Data Wizard window appears with four data type options.
The Bloomberg Fundamental Analysis Wizard window appears with two data type options.
STEP 2
Move your mouse over each of the data type icons to display a blurb describing the type of data that is available with each Wizard option.
STEP 3
Click on the icon representing the type of data you want to download. Step 1 of the Wizard appears.
STEP 4
Follow the instructions that appear in the Wizard window to build your data set.
Once you have completed all of the steps in the Wizard, the spreadsheet updates with the data you requested.
Bloomberg formulas in Excel
The Bloomberg Wizards are the easiest way to download data to Excel. The wizards write the Bloomberg API formulas for you. You can, however, write the formulas yourself if you need more flexibility than the wizards provide.
When using any of the formulas, you must specify the security for which you want to retrieve data (Security) and you must specify the data item you want to retrieve (Field). The Security must be represented as (Ticker) (Market Sector), for example, IBM US Equity.
The Field must be represented by its field mnemonic. For example, to retrieve the last price for a security, the field mnemonic is PX_LAST. The Field Search tool in Excel enables you to search for field mnemonics by category or keyword. Access the Field Search tool by clicking the Find Fields icon on the Bloomberg tab.
Additional resources for the Bloomberg Excel Add-in
On the Bloomberg Terminal:
Within Excel:
On the Bloomberg tab, within the Utilities group, click on the Help Contents icon to get information and instructions on using the Excel Add-in to retrieve data.
Some functions display a drag and drop icon in the top right corner of the screen. You can click on and drag this icon to move securities from the current screen into another application such as a Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet or a Bloomberg Wizard as part of the Bloomberg Excel Add-in. Once in a wizard or in a spreadsheet, the tickers appear with Bloomberg market identifiers.
Note — When you use drag and drop, only the securities and/or data from the function’s current page move. If you have more than one page of securities, you must repeat the drag and drop for each page.
There are various ways you can save or export screen shots from Bloomberg.
To display a list of export options, click on the Export icon at the top right of a panel’s toolbar.
