How to map Screener "Data Item Names" to "Data Item Codes (TR Codes)" via API or Master Dictionary?

Question

I am an academic researcher using the lseg.data Python library to extract historical M&A data (SCREEN).

Currently, I use the Workspace Screener to identify the variables I need. However, the Excel export only provides the "Data Item Name" (e.g., Premium Paid - 4 Weeks Prior to Announcement, Target Primary Ticker Symbol), whereas the Python API requires the exact "Data Item Code" (e.g., TR.MnAPrem4Weeks, TR.MnATargetTicker).

I have dozens of fields I need to map. I tried using ld.discovery.search(view="IndicatorQuotes", query="<Item Name>") to programmatically fetch the codes and definitions. While it works for some basic fields, it fails or returns incorrect matches for many others. Manually searching for each item in the Data Item Browser (DIB) is not scalable for my research pipeline.

My questions are:

* Is there a specific API function or search parameter in lseg.data that reliably and exactly maps a "Screener Column Name" to its corresponding "TR Code" and Definition?
* Alternatively, is there a downloadable Master Data Dictionary file (CSV/Excel) available that provides a complete mapping table of all Screener Names to their TR Codes and Definitions?

Any guidance or documentation links would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Jirapongse · Accepted Answer

@YAa_1234567

Thank you for reaching out to us.

Under the hood, both screener and lseg.data uses the TR fields to retrieve data.

If you have the Screener formula used in the Workspace Excel, you can use it with the ld.get_data method to retrieve the same set of data. For more information, please refer to the Find Your Right Companies with SCREENER | the Data Library (Python) article. I think you can use the "Export All as Formulas" to get the Screener formula used in the LSEG Workspace Excel.

As far as I know, we do not have an API that maps TR fields to their definitions. Otherwise, you may contact the helpdesk team via LSEG Support to confirm whether the Screener can be configured to display TR fields instead of full field names.

YAa_1234567 · Accepted Answer

@Jirapongse Hi there, Thank you so much for your prompt and incredibly helpful response. Your suggestion to use the "Export All as Formulas" feature in the Workspace Excel add-in was exactly the solution I needed! I was able to successfully extract all the underlying TR.MnA... codes for my required 34 fields. Passing those exact codes to the Python API (ld.get_data) now fetches the data flawlessly, matching the Screener results row-for-row. I also understand the limitation regarding the definitions API. Since I now have the precise TR codes, I can manage the definitions manually for my research appendix. This is perfectly fine for my workflow. Thank you again for your excellent support—this has significantly accelerated my academic research pipeline!

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