Q1: How to Install Dataworks Enterprise

A:

  1. Run Setup.exe from your install CD or network drive.
  2. Click Next, Next... Until you get a list of program with tick boxes.
  3. Only tick the "Remote Client" program, and the Monitor program. All other tick boxes should be clear (apart from the "API Components" which is ticked by default, and is the base of Dataworks Enterprise).
    You might want to install the "Remote Server" program if other clients will be connecting to you via Dataworks Enterprise to get data.
    If you're a developer, also choose the SDK and the samples.
  4. Click Next, Next... Finish. The files are being installed.
  5. To the question "Do we want to run The Press as a service":
    Say YES if you want Dataworks Enterprise to start automatically when your computer starts. This is the preferred option on server boxes.
    Say NO if you want to start Dataworks Enterprise manually each time you're going to use it.
  6. To the question "Do you want to convert your old SCP file to the new registry format":
    Say NO unless you�re upgrading from version 2.1 and below.
  7. The Dataworks Enterprise install is now finished. There is one more thing to install: some Microsoft components. On your install CD or network drive, go in the VBSupport directory.
  8. run setup.exe
  9. Follow instructions. Leave default directory, and click on the large computer button to start the install.
  10. The install is now completed.
  11. You now need to configure Dataworks Enterprise. Refer to the FAQ "How to configure Dataworks Enterprise".

Note: This install is the most basic install for the majority of configurations. Other programs or handlers can be added later without running the install program again.

Installing more than necessary (such as selecting all the boxes) will lead to errors when starting Dataworks Enterprise as some dependencies will be missing.

Q2: How to configure Dataworks Enterprise?

A:

If you were given a configuration file, simply copy it to C:\Primark\Platform\Config (if Dataworks Enterprise was installed on the C drive).

More advanced users can read on for more details.

When you select a program during the installation (by ticking the corresponding box), a registry key is added to the registry, and a value ("Enabled") is set to 1 to indicate that this program should start.

However, using the registry is not always convenient and the preferred way to configure Dataworks Enterprise is the use of configuration files.

C:\Program files\Primark\Platform\Config contains the default configuration settings, and you should never overwrite these files. Should you do that by mistake, you can copy the original file back from the install CD or directory. Most of the files in this directory also contain syntax and explanations of the most common configuration settings. The configuration files in this directory have a .dat extension. Each file includes its equivalent .usr file at the end.

C:\Primark\Platform\Config (if Dataworks Enterprise has been installed on the C drive) contains all the user defined configuration settings. Only modify these files. The configuration files in this directory have a .usr extension, and they use the same syntax as the .dat files in the "program files" equivalent directory.

The first step is to disable the registry configuration for all the programs you�ve selected during the installation:

  1. Open regedit, and go into HKEYE_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\RTLaunch\Launch. You will find about 30 keys. Each of these keys corresponds to a Dataworks Enterprise program or handler.
  2. Select each of these keys, and on the value/data side, make sure the value "Enabled" is set to 0. A value of 1 indicates that the program will start. Change all 1s to 0s.
  3. To verify a fresh install, just stop and restart Dataworks Enterprise (see FAQ "How to Start and Stop Dataworks Enterprise"). There should be no program at all running in the processes list of the Launcher window.

We are now ready to use files to configure Dataworks Enterprise. There are at least three ways to use configuration files:

  1. The simplest way is to use only one main RTLaunch.vbl file, and use command line options for each program you launch. That way, you don�t need individual .usr configuration files for each program. This is appropriate for simple configurations.
  2. You can right click on the Launcher window, and add or edit processes from there. If the option "save on exit" is selected, the Launcher will automatically generate a script in a UserScript.vbl file, which will be read next time you start Dataworks Enterprise.
  3. Use a main RTLaunch.vbl file to launch the programs and handlers, and use individual .usr files to specify options for each program.
  4. There�s a fourth day, which is a combination of command line, UserScripts.vbl file and individual .usr configuration files.

Also, note that RTLaunch.vbl is written in VB, and therefore is quite versatile. The file can be used to add items to menus for example.

As an example, here is a simple RTLaunch.vbl which runs a Remote Client only to a server (IP 194.200.200.200) using a command line parameter. Note that all command line parameters are case sensitive.

Set p = LaunchAdmin.Programs.Add("Remote Client 1")

p.CommandLine = "RemoteClnt.exe -Server 194.200.200.200"

p.CmdShow = RTHide

There are many different ways to do the same thing, and there is an infinite number of possible configurations depending on a specific architecture, needs, etc� It is therefore impossible to go through them all in this FAQ. Refer to the documentation in the .dat files for each program or handler in \Program Files\Primark\Platform\Config and on the PDN.

Q3: How to Start and Stop Dataworks Enterprise

A:

If Dataworks Enterprise is running as a service, use your preferred method for starting/stopping services such as:

a)go in Control Panel (or Administrative Tools), in Services, scroll down to "Press Launcher Service" and click START. Similarly, click STOP to stop it.

b)in the Start menu, Run, and type in "net start pdp" to start Dataworks Enterprise, or "net stop pdp" to stop it.

Or if you run Dataworks Enterprise as an application:

c)in the Start menu, Programs, The Press, choose "Launch The Press".

If enabled, the menu item "Exit" when you right click on the shuttle icon will either stop the service, or exit the application. If you prefer not to have this "exit" item when running as a service, modify the corresponding registry key as follow: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\RTLaunch]

Note: no production system should be using Dataworks Enterprise as an application. It should be run as a service for a production system.

Q4: How can I check the raw data?
Q4: What is the test client?

A:

The client is a basic development, diagnostics, testing tool. It should not used by end users, but can be used to look at the raw data "straight out of Dataworks Enterprise". It can help reproduce a problem, and isolate a front end problem from a Dataworks Enterprise problem.

There are different ways to start the client:

  1. Go in the Start menu, Programs, The Press, and choose "Press Client".
  2. Right click on the "shuttle" icon in the system tray. Go in Tools, then choose "Press Client".
  3. Double click on the "shuttle" icon in the system tray. A window called "The Press Launch Service" should appear. Go in the Tools menu, choose "Press Client".

Q5: I installed Dataworks Enterprise and I get an error message such as "Cannot load T3.dll".
Q5: What is the minimal Dataworks Enterprise installation?

A:

When installing Dataworks Enterprise, there is no need to tick all the boxes during the installation process. This will install a number of handlers which can be used on Dataworks Enterprise servers, but are of no use to most Dataworks Enterprise clients. For example, if the box "Topic 3 handler" is ticked, then this handler will run, looking for the installed version of the Topic 3 software on the same server.

Strictly speaking, the only necessary component is the "Press API Components", which is selected by default.

In most cases, you don't run handlers on your own server machine but connect to a remote server where the sources are made available to you. The component needed for this is the "Remote Client".

If you have error messages when Dataworks Enterprise starts, and when you open the Launcher window (by double clicking on the shuttle icon), there are numerous lines in the processes section, you need to disable all these processes.

The quickest and easiest way is to de-install Dataworks Enterprise (using Windows add/remove program), and re-install it.

(There is an alternative way by editing the registry, which will be part of a knowledge based article).

Then, refer to the FAQ "how to configure Dataworks Enterprise", which explains how to use files (rather than the registry) to configure Dataworks Enterprise.

Q6: I installed Dataworks Enterprise and I have no sources in my client program!
Q6: how to test my Dataworks Enterprise connection?

A:

The Remote Client is the component of Dataworks Enterprise which allows you to connect to a server (or more specifically, a Dataworks Enterprise Remote Server running on a server) which offers a variety of sources. Sources which are not created on your own machine will be delivered via the Remote Client. Therefore, if you can�t see any sources, there may be an issue related to that component.

There are different possible reasons:

  1. There is no Remote Client running on your box
  2. There is a Remote Client running, but it is not configured properly
  3. There is a Remote Client running, it is configured, but there are network problems
  4. There is a Remote Client running, it is configured, but the server you are connected to doesn�t have any data sources or doesn�t allow you to have any.

To identify which is your problem, open the Dataworks Enterprise Launcher by double clicking on the shuttle icon in the system tray. In the top right area, called "Processes", you should see one of the lines called "RemoteClnt" (or similar such as "RC to Main Hub"). Its current state should be "running". If it isn't, right click on the process and choose "Start Process".

If you can�t find it, the Remote Client is not running on your box. See the FAQ "how to configure Dataworks Enterprise" which explain how to run and configure that component.

Once you�ve found the Remote Client process, double click on it. A new window should open. If the traffic light is red, you are not connected to a server. This can be cause by a problem in your configuration (such as the wrong server name or IP has been set), see the "How to configure Dataworks Enterprise" FAQ; it could be a network problem (is your server on the network?), check connectivity; or it could be that the remote server you�re connecting to doesn�t allow you to connect to it, in which case you have to contact the Administrator of the server, and make sure that your client�s IP is enabled in the Remote Server configuration files.

If the light is green, it means you are successfully connected to a server. If you still don�t see any sources in your client application, there are two possible reasons: the server doesn�t allow you to have any sources, in which case contact the Administrator of the server to amend the Remote Server configuration files; or the sources you are allowed to have are currently down, i.e. there is a source outage.

Q7: What instrument code do I use on source XXX?

A:

Each source has a default symbol set. For example, by default, the PGE source uses PGE symbols (Global Topic symbols); the Datastream/History source accepts DSCodes.

Prior to version 3, a request to a source had to be made using a valid symbology. If that symbol was not known, the use of manual cross referencing was necessary, for example by using the XREF source.

With version 3 comes transparent Resolution. A symbol set can be specified along with the request, and Dataworks Enterprise takes care of the conversion transparently. It is then possible to use a PGE symbol against the Datastream/History source, or vice versa.

Q8: Is there anything else than VB in the example code of the documentation

A:

Historically the documentation was written with examples in VB because it is an easy language and easily adaptable to other languages. The documentation has just been re-engineered in a friendlier format, compliant with Microsoft help and html help. This new format will provide more examples in other languages, such as C++ or C#.

Q9: How to get a given datatype from Datastream?

Or a question like: I would like to get the following data from Datastream:
-Consensus eps
-Consensus eps 12 month forward
-Consensus eps 12 month trailing
-Float
-etc...

A:

The main source for datatypes is the Datastream Navigator. This can be found online at: http://product.datastream.com/navigator/search.asp?starttool=dt

You can search all Datastream datatypes per instrument types (equities, unit trusts, etc�) on the left menu, and then by name, group, etc�

I you do not find an item, please contact the Thomson Financial Research Help Desk on 0870 1910580, asking them for the "Datastream datatypes" for the data you need (Consensus eps, Consensus eps 12 month forward, Consensus eps 12 month trailing, Float, etc...). They will provide you with a list of codes that you can use against Datastream.

These codes are used in a number of Datastream-based products; it is therefore irrelevant if you request these via Dataworks Enterprise or a product such as Datastream Advance. For the History source, follow the syntax described in the help page for the History source on the PDN:

Q10: How do I make a request on the Datastream/History source?

A:

This is documented on the help page for the History source on the PDN. The simplest request consists of a request code (a DSCode for example). This will return a 1 year closing price history. Then other parameters can be added, such as time periods, datatypes, currency conversion, financial formulas, etc� All parameters are separated by ~.