We often receive emails about general TradeStation strategy automation problems from users running TradeStation around the clock. Common problems include overnight disconnections from the order execution network that cause missed trades, leading to automation halts. There are also, often related, overnight issues caused by data ranges of automated charts. This happens when charts begin processing new days. Then upon any manual or automatic data refreshing, old data may roll off. This results in updated historical strategy simulations with likely new starting points, leading to different real-time expected positions.
Even more fundamental problems with running TradeStation for long periods without restarts, is that there are eventual stability problems caused by application memory overruns, bad data, corrupted files, etc. Thus for any robust trading operation using the TradeStation platform, there is daily system maintenance including restarts. Clients generally restart between sessions, making sure all TradeStation processes close. Most institutional clients also clear TradeStation Cache and TCACHE folders. Then, after successfully restarting, they setup and save their workspaces; not saving them later, so as to avoid possibilities of saving corrupted workspace files.
As a solution, our TicketManager product is intended to make continuous trading operations more manageable and scalable, so that your business can grow. First, TicketManager is designed to handle mismatch problems, pursuing whatever target positions to which strategies change.
Please note that we do not eliminate needs for regular system maintenance, with restarts. This is essential. But TicketManager does have numerous built-in failsafe mechanisms to manage your data and order execution network connections, which becomes increasingly important when running the TradeStation platform for extended periods. TicketManager also has many features supporting portfolio managers, such as algorithmic trading to control slippage and/or pursue price improvement. There is aggregation, automatically combining signals of multiple charts, which eliminates boxing limitations and needs for short and long accounts. Aggregation can further protect clients from unnecessary trades as when charts produce offsetting signals.
TicketManager has been enhanced for professional needs, over years of active trading. Follow the link to try TicketManager. It is a professional tool with many more features than can be covered briefly. So we stand ready to support our clients. Note that there is a new version of TicketManager to be released soon. If you are interested in a trial, and/or in the coming release, let us know and we can expedite availability for you.