Metatrader expert advisors dissected.
Tick Data Suite – feature matrix
As you might already know, the Tick Data Suite is the commercial alternative to the free Birt’s patch script and it’s meant to address all the quirks with the latter and to allow providing thorough technical support to its customers. I’ve put together a small table that lists the differences between the two methods:
| Feature | Birt’s patch | Tick Data Suite |
|---|---|---|
| Tick data backtesting | yes | yes |
| Variable spread backtesting | yes | yes |
| 2 GB limitation removal for FXT files | partial1 | yes |
| Can use FXT files larger than 4 GB | no | yes |
| Compatibility with Metatrader 4 build 414 and above | no | yes |
| Optimization support | no | yes |
| Variable spread autodetection (no configuration, no MT4 restart required) | no | yes |
| Avoids problems with regular backtesting | no2 | yes |
| No need to run a script after each MT4 restart | no | yes |
| Compatibility with 3rd party tools (such as the Walk Forward Analyzer) | no | yes |
| Technical support | no | yes |
1 – only available for MT4 builds 405 and above if the MSVC++ 10 runtime is installed; available for builds 402 and below for select operating systems (Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008).
2 – performing a regular backtest prior to running the script and another backtest afterwards will result in a crash.
