Dukascopy Tick Downloader

Dukascopy Tick Downloader is a software application that allows you to export real market tick data (bid, ask, volumes with millisecond precision) directly from Dukascopy servers into a CSV file. It is ideal for backtesting, strategy development, data analysis, or building machine learning models.

System Requirements

• Windows 7/10/11 or compatible OS
• Internet connection (for downloading tick data)
• Dukascopy Tick Downloader executable (.exe)

Using the Software

1. Open the Dukascopy Tick Downloader application.
2. Fill in the required fields: Symbol, Start Date/Time (UTC), End Date/Time (UTC). The Output CSV file is generated automatically based on the symbol (e.g., EURUSD → Documents/EURUSD-ticks.csv).
3. (Optional) Set Point Scale. This controls how raw Dukascopy price data is converted into decimal prices. If left blank, the application automatically uses the correct default scale for the symbol.
   
   Example:
   • Most 5-digit forex pairs like EURUSD use a point scale of 100000.
   • JPY pairs like USDJPY usually use 1000 (because they are quoted with fewer decimal places).
   • Gold (XAUUSD) may use a different scale depending on data format.
   
   If prices look incorrect (for example 1.105 instead of 1.10523), adjust the point scale manually.
4. Keep empty hours: Continues downloading even if some hourly data files are missing (recommended for long date ranges).
   
   Strict mode: Stops the entire download immediately if an error occurs.
5. Click Download. The log window displays initialization details and a completion summary, while the progress bar shows overall download progress.

Understanding the Date-Time Format

When specifying the start and end times, the software uses the ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS. Example: 2020-01-01T00:00:00 represents midnight (UTC) on January 1st, 2020.

• YYYY – 4-digit year (e.g., 2024)
• MM – 2-digit month (01 = January, 12 = December)
• DD – 2-digit day of the month (01–31)
• T – Separator between date and time
• HH – Hours in 24-hour format (00–23)
• MM – Minutes (00–59)
• SS – Seconds (00–59)

Make sure to follow this format exactly to avoid errors when downloading tick data. All times are in UTC.

CSV File Location

The generated CSV file will be saved to the path you specified in the software.

CSV File Format

The exported CSV uses the following format:

	Time,Bid,Ask
	2024.01.01 00:00:01.123,1.08543,1.08548
	2024.01.01 00:00:01.456,1.08544,1.08549
	

Important Notes

• The software displays a real-time log to track download progress.
• Large date ranges can produce very large CSV files (hundreds of MBs).
• Point scale defaults: 1000 for JPY pairs, 100000 for others.
• Missing hour files can be skipped using Keep empty hours.
• Enable Strict mode to stop downloading on the first corrupt hour.

Common Use Cases

• Backtesting trading strategies with historical tick data
• Building machine learning models based on real market data
• Simulating trading scenarios with precise tick-level data
• Analyzing spreads, liquidity, and tick volatility
• Maintaining a personal historical or live tick database