For new system developers using TradeStation:
First, read the Tradestation Manuals. From the main menu, choose Help -> TradeStation Books. Read "Getting Started with TradeSation EasyLanguage" then move on to "EasyLanguage Reference Guide."
Next, bring up a TradeStation chart and add some random strategy. Click View -> Strategy Performance Report. In the Performance Summary and Trade Analysis tabs, click on each statistic's name type and read the description. It is pretty informative.
Then read chapter 5 of this book if you need more info on the stats.
Chapter 6 is the real meat of this book and the reason you should add it to your library. Unfortunately it is riddled with typographical errors. It's a shame. If the authors would have just copied and pasted the code from a verified strategy, they would have caught most of the problems.
Chapter 7 and 8 also have some valuable information.
Again, if you can find this book used, go ahead and buy it. There are a couple strategy coding, debugging and printing, and EL tweaks for research that you will find interesting.
Also, look into
"Professional Stock Trading: System Design and Automation" (more good ideas and examples of TS coding)
"Design, Testing, and Optimization of Trading Systems" by Robert Pardo (oldie but goodie on system design, but no TS).
"The Encyclopedia of Trading Strategies" by Jeffrey Katz (there is good chapter on basic statistics originally published in 1997 Technical Analysis of Stocks and Commodities)
