Portfolio Slicer Setup Instructions

Portfolio Slicer can be setup just on Windows PC machines. It will not work on Macintosh OS. To use Portfolio Slicer you need Excel 2010 (will not work on Started Edition) and you also need to download and install the free Add-in from Microsoft: "Microsoft SQL Server 2012 PowerPivot for Microsoft Excel 2010". 

Make sure that your computer has PowerPivot installed by confirming that in Excel you can see "PowerPivot" menu:

1. Download the PortoflioSlicer.zip file from this link.
2. Extract files from the archive to a location where you will permanently keep stock quotes and the portfolio slicer files. You will be able to change that location later, but every change will require that you re-point the Portfolio Slicer workbook from where to read quotes and source transaction information. It is highly recommended that you choose a location that is automatically backed up. For example, files stored in DropBox are automatically backed up online with backups retained.
   Note: If you would like to have a simplified setup, then create the folder c:\PowerPivotApps and extract the contents of the PortfolioSlicer.zip file there (as in the image below). In this case your Excel workbook connections already points to the right files and you do not need to change connections as described below in step five.
   Here is how your file structure will look like after extracting files from archive:
   

   

3. Decide what will be first date that you will start tracking your investments from. You will need to have historical transactions from that point on. Let’s say you decided that you want to track your investments from 2009. In this case choose your minimum date to be December 31st, 2008. This way you will be able to enter all of your balances and holdings with date 2008-12-31 and starting from 2009-01-01 you will enter proper transactions and will be able to track your investments.
4. Configure the script that will be downloading stock quotes from Yahoo Finance website. More info about this here...
5. Optional - configure the script that will be downloading mutual fund quotes from Globe Fund website. More info about this here...
6. Optional - configure the script that will be downloading currency exchange rates from Bank of Canada website. More info about this here... If you do not use multicurrency feature in Portfolio Slicer, you need to open file \Quotes\currency.txt in text editor and delete all but first line (leave just file header).
7. Configure and run batch job "_refresh-prices.bat". This will download stock quotes, exchange rates and will create Date table. More info about this batch job here.... More info about "Date" table here...
8. Configure PortfolioSlicer.xlsx connections. More info about this here...
9. Open file PortfolioSlicer-src.xlsx and enter there your trading transactions, information about your stocks, etc. More info about this here...
10. Open file PortfolioSlicer.xlsx and refresh data. More info about data refresh here...
11. Review reports, check your data. And if you are comfortable, create your own reports.
12. Done.