---
title: Metastock
description: "#### **How to connect Overcharts to a Metastock database** If you have an **old-format Metastock database** (*.dat* data file) you can connect it to Overcharts and use it as historical data provider To connect Overcharts to an old-format Metastock database,…"
url: "https://www.overcharts.com/en/helpcenter/docs/metastock/"
updated: "2025-01-31"
category: Connections
---

# Metastock

#### **How to connect Overcharts to a Metastock database**

If you have an **old-format Metastock database** (*.dat* data file) you can connect it to Overcharts and use it as historical data provider

To connect Overcharts to an old-format Metastock database, please follow these steps carefully:

**1.** Start Overcharts and press **ADD CONNECTION** button from **Connections** Tab of the Overcharts main window.

**2.** Select *Metastock* and press **OK**.

**3.**In connection configuration window, define following properties:

- **Connection Name**: enter a unique name to identify the connection in Overcharts.
- **Short Description**: enter a unique code of a few characters to identify the connection in Overcharts.
- **Connect Automatically**: for this connection we recommend you select ***Connect on Startup***.
- **Bar Timestamp**: define whether bar timestamp represents the beginning or end of bar. For example, in a 5-minute bar (from 10:00:00 to 10:04:59), 10:00:00 represents the bar's start-time (*On Open*) and 10:05:00 the bar's end-time (*On Close*). This property is especially useful for minutes-resolution data
- Fill in any other required properties according to your preferences.

**4.** **Add** to Path list **all folders** **PHYSICALLY** containing metastock files (*.dat*). If you add multiple folders and the same instrument (*symbol*) is present in more than one folder, data will be requested from file (*.dat*) belonging to highest folder in list.

**5.** Press **OK** to save configuration

#### **Add your Metastock instruments to Overcharts**

***After configuring and starting** the Metastock connection:*

**1.** Go to **Instruments** Tab of the Overcharts main window and press **ADD INSTRUMENT** button

**2.** Select Metastock connection you have configured

**3.** Lookup and add Metastock instruments to Overcharts.

When configuring instruments, pay close attention to:

- select the right instrument ***exchange***
- define the correct instrument ***tick-size***

otherwise, charts will not be displayed correctly.

*For details on how adding instruments, refer to the specific article available in this help center.*