Backtesting Data Upload

The Backtesting Results section is where you upload your TradingView Strategy Tester export. This trade history becomes the baseline against which your real-time alerts are compared.

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Overview

Your backtest data represents the “expected” behavior of your strategy — the trades it should generate based on historical data. By comparing this to actual alerts, you can identify where and why your strategy diverges between testing and live execution.

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Exporting from TradingView

Follow these steps to export your trade history:

1. Open Your Strategy Chart

   Navigate to TradingView and open the chart with your strategy applied. Make sure the strategy is actively running on the chart (you should see position markers and the Strategy Tester panel).

2. Access Strategy Tester

   At the bottom of your TradingView screen, locate and click the Strategy Tester tab. If you don’t see it:

   • Click the three-dot menu (⋮) near the bottom panel tabs
   • Select “Strategy Tester” from the list

   The Strategy Tester panel shows your strategy’s performance metrics.

3. Navigate to List of Trades

   Within the Strategy Tester panel, you’ll see several tabs:

   • Overview
   • Performance Summary
   • List of Trades ← Click this one
   • Properties

   The List of Trades tab displays a table of all executed trades.

4. Export the Data

   In the top-right corner of the trades table, look for the Export icon (a download arrow or ”↓” symbol).

   Click it to download the CSV file. The file will be named something like Strategy Tester Trade List.csv.

5. Verify the Export

   Open the downloaded CSV to verify it contains:

   • Trade # column
   • Type (Entry/Exit)
   • Signal name
   • Date/Time
   • Price
   • Profit information

   If any columns are missing, check your TradingView version or strategy settings.

Note

Export Limitations: TradingView may limit exports on free plans or for very large trade histories. If your export is incomplete, try narrowing the chart’s date range or upgrading your TradingView plan.

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Uploading Your Data

Once you have your CSV file:

Drag & Drop

Drag and Drop Upload

1. Locate your downloaded CSV file
2. Drag the file over the upload zone (dotted border area)
3. Drop the file when the zone highlights
4. Wait for validation to complete

Browse

Browse for File

1. Click anywhere in the upload zone
2. A file browser dialog opens
3. Navigate to your CSV file
4. Select the file and click “Open”
5. Wait for validation to complete

Paste

Paste CSV Content

1. Open your CSV in a text editor or spreadsheet
2. Select all content (Ctrl+A / Cmd+A)
3. Copy to clipboard (Ctrl+C / Cmd+C)
4. Click in the paste area of the upload zone
5. Paste content (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V)

Tip

Pasting is useful for quick testing or when you’ve modified the CSV in a spreadsheet.

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CSV Format Specification

The system expects TradingView’s standard export format:

Required Columns

Column	Description	Example
Trade #	Sequential trade number	1, 2, 3
Type	Entry or Exit	Entry Long, Exit Long
Signal	Strategy signal name	Buy Signal, Take Profit
Date/Time	Trade timestamp	2024-01-15 09:30:00
Price	Execution price	245.50
Contracts	Position size	100

Optional Columns (Enhanced Analysis)

Column	Description	Used For
Profit %	Trade profit percentage	Performance analysis
Profit	Trade profit in currency	Performance analysis
Cum. Profit %	Cumulative profit	Equity curve
Cum. Profit	Cumulative profit value	Equity curve
Run-up %	Maximum favorable excursion	Risk analysis
Drawdown %	Maximum adverse excursion	Risk analysis

Example CSV Content

Trade #,Type,Signal,Date/Time,Price,Contracts,Profit %,Profit,Cum. Profit %,Cum. Profit
1,Entry Long,Buy Signal,2024-01-15 09:30:00,245.50,100,,,,
1,Exit Long,Take Profit,2024-01-15 14:45:00,248.20,100,1.10%,$270.00,1.10%,$270.00
2,Entry Long,Buy Signal,2024-01-16 10:15:00,242.80,100,,,,
2,Exit Long,Stop Loss,2024-01-16 11:30:00,241.50,100,-0.54%,-$130.00,0.56%,$140.00

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Timezone Configuration

Caution

Critical: Timezone mismatches are the #1 cause of false “missed alerts” in analysis results.

Your backtest data and alert data may be in different timezones:

Data Source	Typical Timezone
TradingView Backtest	Exchange timezone or UTC
Webhook Alerts	UTC (server time)
Your Local CSV	Your local timezone

Timezone Offset Adjustment

Use the Timezone Offset slider to align your data:

Offset	Use Case
0 hours	Both sources are already in UTC
-5 hours	Convert EST → UTC
-8 hours	Convert PST → UTC
+1 hour	Convert CET → UTC

How to determine the offset:

1. Find a trade that appears in both backtest and alerts
2. Compare the timestamps
3. Calculate the difference
4. Apply that offset to the slider

Tip

Quick Test: After uploading, check the first few backtest timestamps against your alerts. If they’re consistently off by a fixed amount, that’s your offset.

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Validation & Processing

After upload, the system:

1. Parses the CSV structure
2. Validates required columns exist
3. Extracts trade information
4. Normalizes dates and formats
5. Displays trade count and date range

Successful Upload Indicators

• ✅ Green checkmark appears
• Trade count displayed (e.g., “247 trades loaded”)
• Date range shown (e.g., “Jan 1 - Jan 31, 2024”)
• Step marked as complete in workflow

Validation Errors

Error	Cause	Solution
”Invalid CSV format”	File is corrupted or wrong format	Re-export from TradingView
”Missing required columns”	CSV doesn’t have standard headers	Verify TradingView export
”No trades found”	CSV is empty or filtered out	Check date range, re-export
”Parse error on row X”	Invalid data in specific row	Check/fix that row manually

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Completion Criteria

The Backtesting Results step is marked complete (✓) when:

• A valid CSV file is uploaded
• At least one trade is successfully parsed
• Trade count is displayed

Once complete, the Analysis Configuration step automatically expands.

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Best Practices

Before Exporting

1. Set your chart date range to match your intended analysis period
2. Verify your strategy settings are the same as when alerts were generated
3. Check trade visibility — ensure all trades are displayed in the Strategy Tester

After Uploading

1. Verify trade count seems reasonable for the period
2. Spot-check timestamps against your expectations
3. Confirm symbol matches your strategy properties entry

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Common Issues

Fewer Trades Than Expected

Causes:

• TradingView limited the export
• Chart date range is narrower than you think
• Strategy has fewer historical signals than expected

Solutions:

1. Extend chart date range and re-export
2. Check TradingView plan export limits
3. Verify strategy was active for the entire period

”No Trades in Date Range” After Upload

Cause: Your uploaded trades don’t overlap with your Data Scope date range.

Solutions:

1. Adjust Data Scope dates to match your backtest data
2. Re-export backtest with a different date range
3. Check timezone offset isn’t shifting dates outside your range

Duplicate Trade Numbers

Cause: Multiple entries/exits share the same trade number (this is normal — each trade has an entry and exit).

Note: This is expected behavior. Trade #1 will have both an “Entry” and “Exit” row.

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Related Sections

• Strategy Properties — Previous step: identify your strategy
• Analysis Configuration — Next step: set matching tolerances
• Troubleshooting — Full troubleshooting guide