Using Multiple Data and Trading Services at the Same Time

Introduction

In this documentation the term "copy" and "instance" have the same meaning. A copy or instance of Sierra Chart is an installation of Sierra Chart in its own folder which runs independent from any other instance or copy.

With Sierra Chart, you are able to run multiple copies/instances of the program at the same time on your computer. The purpose of this is to be able to use more than one different Data or Trading service at the same time, access multiple Trading accounts if they are on different Trading Service connections, and to distribute processing load.

The services being referred to here are the services that you select through the Global Settings >> Data/Trade Service Settings >> Main Settings >> Current Selected Service setting.

This can all be accomplished by running multiple copies/instances of Sierra Chart at the same time. Each one is located in its own folder on your computer. Only one Sierra Chart account/license is needed for this.

Although it is important to be aware that in the case of when using the Denali Exchange Data Feed from Sierra Chart, this data feed can be used on its own and is also integrated with all Trading services.

Therefore, there is no need to use multiple copies of Sierra Chart running on your system in this case. You can use just one single copy. For additional information about this, refer to Integration with Trading Services.

There is also the ability to run multiple copies of Sierra Chart using market data and trading functionality from a single Server copy of Sierra Chart. This is very useful because some Data and Trading services only only allow one simultaneous connection per username/account to that particular service.

For additional information about using other copies of Sierra Chart which share the market data and trading functionality from a Server copy of Sierra Chart, refer to Using DTC Server for Data and Trading in Another Sierra Chart Instance. One purpose of this is to distribute processing load across multiple instances of Sierra Chart.

When using multiple copies of Sierra Chart, each copy of Sierra Chart needs to be located in its own folder on your computer. It is that simple and very reliable.

Before using this feature, it is important to be aware that it is possible in Sierra Chart to use multiple trading accounts within a single copy/instance of Sierra Chart, if the particular Trading service username that you are logged in with, supports multiple trading accounts. For more information, refer to Selecting Trade Account. In this particular case, using multiple copies of Sierra Chart is unnecessary.

Although if the particular Trading service you are using does not support multiple Trade Accounts per username, then using multiple instances of Sierra Chart is necessary, one for each Trade Account.

Step-By-Step Instructions to Install Multiple Copies of Sierra Chart

To use multiple Data or Trading services or Trading accounts at the same time, you need to install additional copies of Sierra Chart. The Sierra Chart licensing allows you to do this. In this way, you will have full access to all the capabilities each service provides.

You can also configure each copy of Sierra Chart to use the same Trading service but a different Trading service account. Multiple copies of Sierra Chart can be run at the same time if each copy is installed to and running from a different folder on your computer. Follow the instructions below to do this:

Installing multiple copies of Sierra Chart is also useful for distributing processing load.

1. Download and install a second copy of Sierra Chart to "C:\SierraChart2\" or whatever unused folder you want to use. Download Sierra Chart from the Download page.
2. If you want to copy settings from an existing installation of Sierra Chart to a new installation, refer to help topic 15.
3. Start the second copy of Sierra Chart in that new installation folder. On your desktop you will notice a shortcut icon to the new installed copy of Sierra Chart. The icon name will have the folder you installed Sierra Chart to. You can use that icon to easily start Sierra Chart. You may also want to rename it to a more useful name.
4. Login with your same Sierra Chart Account Name and password that you used with the original installation. You can also use another Sierra Chart account if you wish.
5. Configure the second copy of Sierra Chart to the Data or Trading Service you want to use it with, by following the setup instructions for the Data or Trading Service you will be using.
6. It is essential that every copy of Sierra Chart that you have installed on your system uses a different Global Settings >> General Settings >> Paths >> Data Files Folder. They cannot use the same Data Files Folder. Otherwise, there will be conflicts, and unusual behavior that we will not provide support for. Verify that each copy of Sierra Chart uses a separate Data Files Folder. Do not pay any attention to any information you may find on the Support Board that mentions using the same Data Files Folder. Do not do this. It is no longer supported at all. You are going to create trouble for yourself and for us. By default, each copy of Sierra Chart will use a separate Data Files Folder, so there is nothing special to do in this regard. If you inadvertently or deliberately, used the same data folder, that will corrupt the files in this common data folder, and the chart data files in that folder will have to be deleted.
7. By running multiple copies of Sierra Chart at the same time, you can connect to multiple Data or Trading services or service accounts at the same time. You can install as many copies of Sierra Chart as you need. Each one needs to be in its own folder.
8. To share data from the data feeds of the multiple copies of Sierra Chart that you have installed and are running, with other copies/instances of Sierra Chart, refer to the Using DTC Server for Data and Trading in Another Sierra Chart Instance page.
9. A unique name on the title bar of the main window of each instance of Sierra Chart you are running can be set. Do this through Global Settings >> General Settings >> GUI >> Custom Title Bar Name.

Working with Multiple Trade Accounts

There are two methods to work with multiple trade accounts in Sierra Chart.

If the Trading service Sierra Chart is connected to, supports multiple trading accounts on the connection, then you can choose among those through the Trade Window. This is when there are multiple accounts which are associated with the same login you are using in the Global Settings >> Data/Trade Service Settings.

To select among these Trade Accounts, refer to Selecting Trade Account.

If you are working with completely different Trading services or different logins/connections to the same Trading service, then for each of those connections, you need to install a separate installation of Sierra Chart. For instructions to do this, refer to Step-By-Step Instructions to Install Multiple Copies of Sierra Chart.

In this second case you would then have access to the different Trading accounts through each installation of Sierra Chart separately.