Support Board
Date/Time: Thu, 07 May 2026 19:30:55 +0000
Number bar chart lagging occasionally
View Count: 40
| [2026-05-07 15:17:04] |
| User763335 - Posts: 130 |
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Hi am noticing on occasions, the number bars are not printing in real-time and lag the clock by few seconds (and even other trading platforms like DasTrader). What I mean is this, - say the current time is 10:01:03, meaning the first minute is complete(past 10am) and we're 3 seconds into the second minute - the number bar chart is still finishing up the 1st minute bar, while the clock is into 2nd minute and Dastrader already started printing the 2nd minute bar. - few seconds(usually 2-3 seconds) later, the Number bar charts starts printing the 2nd minute bar.I just lost visibility into the tape for these few seconds. As a scalper, reading the tape for my entries, these few seconds matter to me. Noticing the issue during higher trading activity/volume after market open(the latest was between 09:50am-10:10am NYT). The CPU/memory/GPU usage is pretty light on the system( usually 30-40% peaks). The hard drive for the whole system is on internal SSD. The concerned ticker is $NVDA_MBO. Have attached a copy of the Chart Settings->Performance from the concerned Footprint chart. Global Settings->Data/Trade Service Settings->Intraday Data Storage Time Unit=1 Tick Number bars Study: Require 1 Tick Intraday Data Storage Time Unit=Yes Symbol Settings: Tick Size=0.01 Display: Chart Update Interval:Chart Update Interval in Milliseconds=50 Graphics Settings Global: Use OpenGL for Chart Graphics, Checked. SC version 2899 pls advise, Thanks Date Time Of Last Edit: 2026-05-07 15:29:51
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Private File |
| [2026-05-07 17:22:48] |
| John - SC Support - Posts: 46008 |
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You can not look at only the clock for your computer and determine this. You need to understand how different your clock is from the exchange clock. The exchange uses the national standard clock. If you open your Message Log, and start looking from the top down, you will find entries that state the following: 2026-05-07 11:04:41.592 | 2026-05-07 16:04:41 Local computer time in UTC
2026-05-07 11:04:41.592 | 2026-05-07 11:04:41 Local computer time in SC Time Zone 2026-05-07 11:04:41.592 | 2026-05-07 16:04:37 Server time in UTC 2026-05-07 11:04:41.592 | Local computer UTC time and Server UTC time difference: 4 seconds. In this case (my computer) my computer clock is different from the exchange uses by 4 seconds. So if my computer clock says that it is 10:01:03, then a new bar should NOT be started yet, as the exchange data is at 10:00:59. Then, you need to look at the "Data Delay" entry in the Chart Header to see how much delay you are getting IN ADDITION TO the difference in your computer clock and the exchange. In the chart header, this Data Delay entry will be prefixed with "DD:", and gives you the instantaneous difference between your computer clock at the exchange clock. Again, you need to take into account the difference without any data flowing, which is what you got from the above. If you do not have the Data Delay showing in the Chart Header, then refer to the following to add it, or move it to where you can view it: Working With Charts: Region Data Line / Chart Header Once you understand what is occurring with the data, then you can go through the items at the following link for how improve performance: High CPU Usage | Inactive User Interface | Poor Performance | Long Time to Load Chart Data | Charts Reloading Often For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, use the Teton service: Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing |
| [2026-05-07 18:33:32] |
| User763335 - Posts: 130 |
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Hi thanks for the response. But I'm not basing my issue purely on the computer clock, but the fact that SC Number bars are not printing in real-time, when I see the candle bars printed on other trading platforms like Dastrader, at the same time, during certain busy times(and hadnt noticed this issue before..seems to be happening lately). That's the lag I am concerned with, when I go blind(ie when I cant see the associated footprint data for a candle bar). Yes, I do see a difference of 6 seconds between local computer UTC time and Server UTC time. Also, I see a DD:00:00:07.2 on average on the chart header, indicating a Data delay of 7 seconds. You say this DD is "IN ADDITION" to difference in computer clock and exchange..,but also in the next sentence you said "gives you the instantaneous difference between your computer clock at the exchange clock". The documentation says "DD (Link) (Data Delay): The Data Delay field calculates and displays the difference between the current time and the time of the Last Trade Price or the Last Bid / Ask update time, whichever one is more recent. This is used to determine how much of a delay there is" . Am confused,can you clarify pls.. What can we do to reduce this data delay, as much as possible ? Thanks for that link,I will go through the entire list and try to take every step possible on my end to optimize, but its certainly not any of my computer resources(be it CPU or GPU or Memory or SSD..,as I have a very powerful Tower thats under-utilized even when heavily taxed) .and the fact that other trading app like DasTrader is printing the candles at the same time, when its missing in the footprint chart. Thanks |
| [2026-05-07 18:40:33] |
| John - SC Support - Posts: 46008 |
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All of the information you have stated regarding the "Data Delay" is saying the same thing. It is the instantaneous difference between your computer clock and the clock from the exchange. It could be that your computer clock is off by 7.2 seconds from the exchange at that time. You would really need to be watching that delay value when an issue is occurring to see if you are actually seeing the data being further delayed from what would be a "standard" amount at more "normal" times. If you do see the delay going up, then you are probably seeing an actual delay in the data. It could be for any number of reasons, including just a lot of data to process at that time. Going through the items at the link we gave will give you the best setup to help with this. And we can not, and will not, compare to another system. We have no idea how they are handling the data. It's entirely possible that they are timestamping based on your local computer clock, which would give incorrect bars - or at least, what we would consider incorrect relative to the times of the data. For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, use the Teton service: Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing |
| [2026-05-07 19:15:04] |
| User763335 - Posts: 130 |
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Hi can I go ahead enabling NTP Client in Sierra Chart(as per Network Time Protocol Client) to help bridge the gap between my computer clock and exchange clock?. Atleast this way, I'd have a clean baseline and see how much further delay there is , on the chart, when I notice the lag. |
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