Documentation for DS.SYMBOLLOOKUP API

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GoGoGroundhog
GoGoGroundhog Contributor
in Datastream

We intend to use the DS.SYMBOLLOOKUP function to expose a symbol search by name or code.
We also want to allow filtering based on the security type. We found out that DS.SYMBOLLOOKUP supports a "Category" argument, e.g. DS.SYMBOLLOOKUP(Category=Equities). However we could not work out which security types the Category argument will accept.


We tried the same names used in the category filter on product.datastream.com but not all of them work.


Specifically, neither Category=Futures not Category=Future works (error: Unrecognized Category value).
Is there documentation on this topic and all the optional arguments that DS.SYMBOLLOOKUP accepts (we know that there is a Count argument to limit the number of returned search results)?

Working:
Bond Indices
Bonds & Convertibles
Commodities
Economics
Equities
Equity Indices
Exchange Rates
Interest Rates
Investment Trusts
Options
Unit Trusts
Warrants

Not working:
Futures
Credit Default Swaps
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Best Answer

  • James.Bright1
    James.Bright1 LSEG
    Answer ✓

    Hi,

    We are currently working to include Futures with Symbol Lookup within our next development release in August.

    You can currently see Credit Default Swaps using category setting "CDS"

Answers

  • James.Bright1
    James.Bright1 LSEG

    DS.SYMBOLLOOKUP provides limited functionality and clients are advised to you Navigator as a tool for symbology requests. Is there a reason why this tool wouldn't suffice?

  • GoGoGroundhog
    GoGoGroundhog Contributor

    User experience! Our application has a built-in symbol search function that we want to feed with DS.SYMBOLLOOKUP results. The user would need to leave our application, including copying & pasting from Navigator.

    Except for this odd "Futures" problem the returned results appear to be more than sufficient and not limited in any way. In my opinion this looks like a bug/oversight in the API, so see this as a bug report.

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