Import backtesting results

Backtest vs Alerts

The Backtesting Results step turns a TradingView Strategy Tester List of Trades export into the baseline events used by the comparison. The step is complete as soon as at least one entry or exit row is parsed.

Export the right table

1. In TradingView, open the chart and strategy you want to investigate.

2. Open Strategy Tester, then select List of Trades.

3. Use the export control for that table and download the CSV.

4. In Backtest vs Alerts, open Backtesting Results.

The List of Trades file is different from a performance-summary export. If the app reports that Date/Time or Type is missing, return to TradingView and export the trades table.

Choose the timestamp timezone first

Select the timezone that TradingView used for timestamps without an explicit offset:

• UTC — use when the file is in UTC. This is the default.
• US Eastern (NYSE) — interprets zone-less timestamps in America/New_York, including daylight-saving changes.
• Browser local time — use when the chart timestamps match the computer running the browser.

The timezone applies when the file is parsed. If you change it after loading a file, remove and load the file again. Timestamps that already contain Z or a numeric offset keep that explicit timezone.

Use a known event to verify alignment

Compare one distinctive backtest event with its alert. A consistent clock difference usually means the CSV timezone needs correcting; it is not a reason to widen the matching tolerance.

Upload or paste the CSV

Use either tab in the product:

• Upload File accepts a .csv file.
• Paste Data parses CSV text after you select Parse Data.

For a known-good fixture, download the parser-tested sample backtest CSV or follow the complete sample comparison.

Recognized columns

Only two columns are required to produce events:

Purpose	Recognized header
Timestamp	Date/Time, Date and time, or dateTime
Event type	Type or type

The event type must contain entry or exit. The direction must appear as long or short in either Type or Signal; rows without both an event type and direction are skipped.

The parser also recognizes these optional fields:

Purpose	Recognized headers
Trade number	Trade #, tradeNumber
Signal name	Signal, signal
Price	Price USD, Price USDT, price
Quantity	Contracts, Position size (qty), contracts
Profit	Profit USD, Net P&L USD, profitUsd
Profit percent	Profit %, Net P&L %, profitPercent
Cumulative profit	Cum. Profit USD, Cumulative P&L USD, cumProfitUsd
Cumulative profit percent	Cum. Profit %, Cumulative P&L %, cumProfitPercent

Missing optional values default to zero. A missing or invalid price does not discard the event, but it produces a warning and that row cannot use the price tolerance as evidence.

Read the import result

After parsing, the status card shows total, entry, exit, long, short, and skipped row counts. Review every warning before running the comparison:

• invalid or empty timestamps are skipped;
• event types without entry or exit are skipped;
• rows whose direction cannot be inferred are skipped;
• zero or unparseable prices remain in the dataset and are flagged;
• malformed rows are skipped and counted.

The workflow marks Backtesting Results complete when the parsed event count is greater than zero. A green or warning status confirms import, not that the dataset is complete or aligned with the alerts.

Before analysis

Confirm that:

1. the event and skipped-row counts are plausible for the export;
2. the earliest and latest timestamps overlap the selected Data Scope;
3. at least one known event aligns after applying the chosen CSV timezone; and
4. the symbol and strategy name in Strategy Properties describe this export.

Then continue to Analysis Configuration. If the file still does not parse, use the troubleshooting guide.