Importing Your First Strategy
AlgoChef accepts trade history exports from most trading platforms. The import wizard guides you through mapping your data columns to AlgoChef's format. Specific guides are available for NinjaTrader, MetaTrader, and Excel trade journals.
Supported File Formats
| Format | Extensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CSV / TXT | .csv, .txt | Comma, semicolon, or tab delimited |
| TradeStation/Multicharts RINA XML | .xml | Native TradeStation performance report export |
Step-by-Step Import
1. Navigate to the Strategy Hub
From the app sidebar, open Strategy Analyzer and click the Import button in the top-right corner.
2. Upload Your File
Drag and drop your file onto the upload zone, or click to browse. AlgoChef auto-detects:
- File delimiter (comma, semicolon, tab)
- Date format patterns
- Column headers
3. Map Your Columns
The import wizard shows your file's columns and asks you to match them to AlgoChef fields. Required fields are:
| Field | Description | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Date | When the trade was opened | Yes |
| Exit Date | When the trade was closed | Yes |
| Profit/Loss | The trade result in dollars or points | Yes (one of two) |
| Side | Long or Short | No (improves analysis) |
| Entry Price | The entry price | No |
| Exit Price | The exit price | No |
| Quantity | Position size or contracts | No |
Tip
If your file has a Net Profit or P&L column in dollars, that's all you need. AlgoChef will calculate everything else. Entry/exit prices unlock additional metrics like MAE/MFE analysis.
4. Configure Settings
- Initial Capital — Starting account balance (used for percentage calculations and CAGR)
- Instrument — Optional, for context (e.g., ES, NQ, AAPL)
- Commissions & Slippage — Add per-trade costs if not already in your P&L data
- Timezone — Ensures correct date handling
5. Review & Import
Preview your mapped trades, then click Import. AlgoChef calculates all 95+ metrics, generates equity curves, and scores your strategy. This typically takes a few seconds.
Info
Something look wrong? If metrics seem off, check that your Initial Capital and Commission settings match your actual trading account. These two settings have the biggest impact on percentage-based calculations.
After Import
Your strategy appears in the Strategy Hub with:
- An equity curve sparkline
- CSI score with tier badge
- Quick-access links to the full report, Monte Carlo, and Portfolio Studio
Import Formats & Templates
If you import from the same platform regularly, you can save your column mapping as a format template. Next time, the wizard auto-maps your columns.
For detailed format specifications, see:
Tip
Ready to import? Open the Strategy Hub and click Import to get started.