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Date/Time: Fri, 26 Apr 2024 11:05:49 +0000



Can SC connect to any broker with an API?

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[2015-08-05 00:43:39]
User760942 - Posts: 120
Can I use Sierra Charts to connect to (and trade with) any broker, so long as the broker has an API?
I figure I can integrate/program the broker's API into Sierra Charts myself (assuming it's a broker that is not already connected to SC).

Or can SC only be used with brokers that are already connected to and/or supported by SC?
[2015-08-05 04:57:57]
Sierra Chart Engineering - Posts: 104368
Yes this is possible.

Sierra Chart supports the DTC Protocol:
http://dtcprotocol.org/
Sierra Chart Support - Engineering Level

Your definitive source for support. Other responses are from users. Try to keep your questions brief and to the point. Be aware of support policy:
https://www.sierrachart.com/index.php?l=PostingInformation.php#GeneralInformation

For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, *change* to the Teton service:
Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing
[2015-08-05 07:36:26]
User760942 - Posts: 120
What in the broker on has a FIX API?
[2015-08-05 07:43:42]
Sierra Chart Engineering - Posts: 104368
The FIX protocol is not standardized enough for Sierra Chart to be able to connect to any FIX API without special custom programming.


The whole idea behind the DTC Protocol is that it is a strict standard but still allows for expandability.
Sierra Chart Support - Engineering Level

Your definitive source for support. Other responses are from users. Try to keep your questions brief and to the point. Be aware of support policy:
https://www.sierrachart.com/index.php?l=PostingInformation.php#GeneralInformation

For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, *change* to the Teton service:
Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing
[2015-08-05 07:59:41]
User760942 - Posts: 120
Can I hire you to do the custom programing required to connect Sierra Chart to a broker's FIX API?

If so, how often would this custom programming have to be checked/updated to make sure the connection still works? Everytime the broker changes something about its software and/or Sierra Chart changes something about its software?
[2015-08-05 08:57:36]
Sierra Chart Engineering - Posts: 104368
Possibly, but we do not have time at the moment. We can consider it later on. Which particular broker's FIX API are you interested in having Sierra Chart work with?

As far as maintenance goes with changes, there really should be very little if anything. In our experience, changes are extremely infrequent.
Sierra Chart Support - Engineering Level

Your definitive source for support. Other responses are from users. Try to keep your questions brief and to the point. Be aware of support policy:
https://www.sierrachart.com/index.php?l=PostingInformation.php#GeneralInformation

For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, *change* to the Teton service:
Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing
[2015-08-05 09:26:19]
User760942 - Posts: 120
There are a number of brokers I'd like to integrate with, but this is the main one www.mbtrading.com/developers.aspx#mbtfixgateway

Are there any third parties you recommend who can do these types of integrations when you don't have time?

Thanks!
Date Time Of Last Edit: 2015-08-05 09:42:07
[2015-08-05 09:54:58]
Sierra Chart Engineering - Posts: 104368
We definitely would 100% strongly recommend against anyone outside of Sierra Chart integrating to a FIX protocol by bridging that to the DTC protocol for use by Sierra Chart.

The reason is that Sierra Chart already has very efficient and well developed FIX connectivity within it. Using an external FIX to DTC bridge, would be inefficient and if the developer were to use something like Quick FIX for the FIX connectivity, this would be absolutely horrible. We have a very poor impression of Quick FIX and consider it very substandard quality and buggy.

Also integrating to external Trading services, is not easy to do it properly. This should never be trusted to anyone but the very best and most competent programmers of which there are not many.
Sierra Chart Support - Engineering Level

Your definitive source for support. Other responses are from users. Try to keep your questions brief and to the point. Be aware of support policy:
https://www.sierrachart.com/index.php?l=PostingInformation.php#GeneralInformation

For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, *change* to the Teton service:
Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing
Date Time Of Last Edit: 2015-08-05 09:57:37
[2015-08-05 15:53:21]
User760942 - Posts: 120
I see. Is this just regarding connecting Sierra Chart to a broker's FIX API? Or do you not recommend anyone outside of SC trying to connect SC to a broker regardless of the type of API the broker is using?
[2015-08-05 17:14:10]
Sierra Chart Engineering - Posts: 104368
If you are writing a program for your own use and the external trading service does not use FIX but another protocol like a simple protocol using a direct socket or HTTP, writing a bridge program interface the trading service interface to the DTC Protocol, will be fine.

Having someone else do this, we generally do not recommend that this be done unless they are using the trading interface themselves.

Also another problem with FIX is order IDs. Sierra Chart has a standardized method for working with FIX order IDs. FIX order IDs can be complicated and having an intermediary program handle this, is very difficult and impractical.
Sierra Chart Support - Engineering Level

Your definitive source for support. Other responses are from users. Try to keep your questions brief and to the point. Be aware of support policy:
https://www.sierrachart.com/index.php?l=PostingInformation.php#GeneralInformation

For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, *change* to the Teton service:
Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing
[2015-08-05 18:42:43]
User760942 - Posts: 120
Cool. When do you think you could connect me to mbtrading.com via any of their api options? In a matter of days, weeks, months? Any estimate of how much $ it will cost me?

See their api options and documentation here
https://www.mbtrading.com/developers.aspx#environments
https://www.mbtrading.com/developers.aspx#documentation
[2015-08-06 05:52:13]
Sierra Chart Engineering - Posts: 104368
Really the best way is to ask them to adopt the DTC Protocol:
http://dtcprotocol.org/

They should contact us because we can provide Sierra Chart for free for their users for a period of time if they adopt the protocol. And considering what we see with their own communication protocols, we would think adopting the DTC Protocol would not be too much work or difficulty for them and is hugely to their advantage.

Otherwise, we really do not know when we could do this and we recommend not waiting around for us. There really is a lot of work to this. Sometimes when we are asked to integrate to a FIX protocol for market data only, that is not too involved. But when there is market data, trading, and historical data that is a hugely different matter and is something that is not likely we would get involved with.

Sorry if we were misleading. It is just that in the beginning, we do not want to say no, but as we gradually began to understand what was involved, we realize that this is beyond anything we can spend time with.
Sierra Chart Support - Engineering Level

Your definitive source for support. Other responses are from users. Try to keep your questions brief and to the point. Be aware of support policy:
https://www.sierrachart.com/index.php?l=PostingInformation.php#GeneralInformation

For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, *change* to the Teton service:
Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing
Date Time Of Last Edit: 2015-08-06 05:53:13
[2015-08-06 21:43:38]
User760942 - Posts: 120
no prob. Thanks for the info. Please give me a heads up on this thread if you do wind up integrating with them in the future. I'll do same if i can convince them to integrate with you.
Thanks!
[2015-08-06 22:21:28]
Sierra Chart Engineering - Posts: 104368
Refer them to this thread here about the DTC Protocol:
DTC Protocol
Sierra Chart Support - Engineering Level

Your definitive source for support. Other responses are from users. Try to keep your questions brief and to the point. Be aware of support policy:
https://www.sierrachart.com/index.php?l=PostingInformation.php#GeneralInformation

For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, *change* to the Teton service:
Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing

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