Bloomberg Terminal Export Guide for Excel

Understanding Bloomberg Export Functions

PRTU - Portfolio Upload Function

PRTU is the primary function for exporting portfolio data:

• Type PRTU <GO> in Bloomberg
• Upload your ticker list
• Select data fields to export
• Choose export format (Excel, CSV, etc.)

Other Key Export Functions

Step-by-Step Export Process

Step 1: Create Your Security List

Start with a list of securities you want to analyze:

1. Open Excel or text file
2. List tickers (one per line or comma-separated)
3. Include exchange identifier if needed (e.g., "AAPL US Equity")
4. Save as .txt or .csv

Step 2: Upload to Bloomberg

In Bloomberg Terminal:

1. Type PRTU <GO>
2. Click "Upload" button
3. Select your file
4. Bloomberg will identify securities
5. Review and fix any unidentified tickers

Step 3: Select Data Fields

Choose which data points to export:

Common Fields

• PX_LAST: Last price
• PX_OPEN: Opening price
• PX_HIGH: Day's high
• PX_LOW: Day's low
• PX_VOLUME: Trading volume
• CUR_MKT_CAP: Market capitalization
• PE_RATIO: Price-to-earnings ratio
• DIVIDEND_YIELD: Dividend yield

Finding Fields

Use FLDS function to search:

1. Type FLDS <GO>
2. Search for field name (e.g., "market cap")
3. Copy field mnemonic (e.g., CUR_MKT_CAP)
4. Add to your PRTU export

Step 4: Export Format Selection

Choose your export format wisely:

Step 5: Export and Download

1. Click "Export" button in PRTU
2. Bloomberg processes your request
3. Download file when ready
4. Open in Excel for analysis

Common Export Formats

Standard Export

Default Bloomberg export looks like:

Ticker,Name,Last Price,Volume
AAPL US Equity,Apple Inc,150.25,45000000
MSFT US Equity,Microsoft Corp,380.50,32000000

Cleaned for Analysis

What you want for Excel:

Ticker,Name,Price,Volume
AAPL,Apple Inc,150.25,45000000
MSFT,Microsoft Corp,380.50,32000000

Notice the removal of " US Equity" suffix - use our Bloomberg Formatter to clean this automatically.

Excel Integration Best Practices

Using Bloomberg Excel Add-in (EXS)

For live data in Excel:

1. Install Bloomberg Excel Add-in
2. Use formula: =BDP("AAPL US Equity","PX_LAST")
3. Data updates automatically when Terminal is running

Static Data Import

For historical analysis without live updates:

1. Export from Terminal as CSV
2. Open in Excel
3. Convert to Table (Ctrl+T)
4. Apply formatting and formulas

Data Validation

Always validate your exports:

• Check ticker count matches expectation
• Verify data types (numbers as numbers, not text)
• Look for #N/A errors (missing data)
• Confirm date formats

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue #1: Securities Not Identified

Problem: Bloomberg can't find your tickers

Solution:

• Add exchange suffix (US, LN, JP, etc.)
• Use full ticker format: "AAPL US Equity"
• Verify ticker is correct in DES function
• Try using ISIN or CUSIP instead

Issue #2: Missing Data Fields

Problem: Some fields show #N/A

Solution:

• Check if field applies to security type (e.g., PE_RATIO not valid for bonds)
• Try alternative field names
• Contact Bloomberg help desk (HELP HELP)

Issue #3: Date Formatting Issues

Problem: Dates appear as numbers or text

Solution:

• Format cells as Date in Excel
• Use TEXT function: =TEXT(A1,"MM/DD/YYYY")
• In PRTU, specify date format in settings

Issue #4: Large File Crashes

Problem: Excel crashes with large exports

Solution:

• Split into smaller batches (max 5,000 securities)
• Use CSV instead of XLSX for better performance
• Import to database instead of Excel
• Use Power Query for large datasets

Advanced Tips

Automating Exports with BQL

Bloomberg Query Language allows programmatic exports:

-- Get last price for portfolio
let(#tickers=members('my_portfolio'))
get(PX_LAST) for(#tickers)

Historical Data Extraction

For time series data:

1. Use GP (Price Graph) function
2. Select date range
3. Export to Excel
4. Creates time series dataset

Scheduled Exports

Set up automatic daily exports:

1. Save PRTU settings as template
2. Use Bloomberg DPDF function
3. Schedule via Bloomberg Terminal
4. Exports delivered to email/FTP