Finding and selecting codes, for example for equities, indices, or currencies, is a key task when running Datastream programs. For this reason a variety of methods for looking up codes is available to you. The most important of these is Code Lookup . This enables you to search for, select, and automatically input codes within Datastream. The thousands of types of data that are maintained by Datastream are only manageable through the use of codes.
Codes allow the user to specify with precision, exactly what the user wishes to obtain.
Understanding codes and how they may be found is of the utmost importance if one is to learn how to use Datastream. Again, a code is simply a number or mnemonic assigned to a type of data to promote a uniformity in methods of series identification. For instance, if I wanted to know about the stock of Novell on a particular day, I could not simply select a program and enter the word Novell when prompted for an item to search for. Finding the correct code, however, is a matter that requires care. If you are familiar with programs in Datastream, you will find that the first thing you will want to look up when beginning a search is the data code you will be using.