User Guide
Web Application Interface
TimeBase Web Admin application screen is divided into two sections: streams list and the main screen.
TimeBase records time-series data in streams. See Basic Concepts for details. Vertical panel on the left displays all streams and spaces available in your specific TimeBase instance in a lexicographic order. You can expand each stream by selecting the up or down carrot to view stream instruments (symbols). A context menu is available using your right mouse button and actions vary deepening on whether a stream name or instrument is highlighted. All the stream data is rendered in the main screen.
Create Stream
You can create new stream right from the TimeBase Web Admin application.
- Step 1: Create schema
- Step 2: Add classes
- Step 2.1: Add enums
- Step 3: Add fields
- Step 4: Submit new stream
- Click Create new stream in the toolbar.
- Enter Stream Key in the dialog window and click Start Creating to open a stream schema editor.
TimeBase is designed to work with records of different types, we call them messages. In object-oriented programing languages messages can be seen as classes, each with a specific set of fields. Messages are arranged chronologically in streams.
Each stream has a unique stream schema, which declares what types of messages (including their hierarchy) a specific stream may store. This differs TimeBase from traditional relational databases with flat structure. Uniqueness of stream schema means, that identical classes defined by different stream schemas are in fact independent classes and are not treated as identical on a TimeBase level. Stream schema may as well include applicable enumerations.
- Click New Class in schema editor.
- In the dialog window specify:
- Parent Class - as we have mentioned earlier, classes can form hierarchies on the schema level. Here you can specify a parent class if applicable.
- Name - give your class a unique name.
- Used - this flag indicates that the current class will be used in stream schema.
- Title - optional parameter. You can specify class title along with class name.
- Click Add to submit the form and create a new class. New class is automatically added to the schema editor.
- Click class to add fields.
- Static - applies across all class instances. For a static field you will have to specify a static value.
- Non Static - applies to only one instance of a class.
- Click New Enum in schema editor.
- In the dialog window specify:
- Name - give your enum a unique name.
- Title - optional parameter. You can specify a title for the enum along with the enum name.
- Click Add to submit the form and create a new enum. New enum is automatically added to the schema editor.
To add a new filed just click either New Non Static Field or New Static Field. You will be able to change this field type later on.
- Name - enter a unique name of the new field
- Field Type - specify either static or non static field type
- Static Value - specify static value for a static field type
- Title - optional field Title
- Data Type - choose field data type. List of supported data types. Additional parameter may vary for different data types.
- Click Next in schema editor to proceed to the schema review step. Here you can take another glance at your class fields. You can go back to add/edit or remove any of them at this point. You will also be able to get back to schema editor any time later to edit your stream schema. NOTE that Next is disabled in case of any errors in the stream schema. Review and fix errors to proceed.
- Click Finish to submit changes.
Now, you can right-click your stream and select Schema to view or edit your schema.
Practical Example
For demonstration purposes lets take a MyBarMessage
class from deltix.samples.timebase.basics
sample package. In this example we will create a new stream with a sample class, create loader to write some demo data into the stream and view recorded data in Web Admin application.
- Click Create new stream in the toolbar.
- Enter Demo Stream Key in the dialog window and click Start Creating to open a stream schema editor.
- Click New Class in the schema editor and create
MyBarMessage
class. - Add new fields:
closePrice
,NON STATIC FLOAT IEEE64
openPrice
,NON STATIC FLOAT IEEE64
highPrice
,NON STATIC FLOAT IEEE64
lowPrice
,NON STATIC FLOAT IEEE64
volume
,NON STATIC FLOAT IEEE64
exchange
,NON STATIC CHAR
- Create a Loader to write data into a sample stream. Make sure to use your new stream name.
- Click View to see recorded messages.
You can also add messages manually. Refer to Send Message to learn more. Refer to client's APIs samples for more information.
Import/Export
You can find EXPORT TO JSON and IMPORT FROM JSON buttons in the stream schema editor screen when you start creating a new stream schema or edit an existing stream schema.
- EXPORT TO JSON - you can export a schema of any existing stream to a JSON file.
- IMPORT FROM JSON - you can use a JSON file with a pre-configured schema to create new stream/edit existing stream schema. In case it is applied to the existing stream, new schema from a JSON file will override the existing stream schema. The original stream schema will be restored if there are any errors in the JSON file.
tip
Make sure the JSON file you import is valid; otherwise, it will be rejected with an error. To pass the validation, a JSON file must include a state
key with arrays of classes
and enums
. Each array must include objects with name
, title
, and fields
array. In the fields
array there must be objects with name
, title
, and type
. In case a JSON file is missing any of those, it will be rejected with a corresponding error message.
A JSON file must be also valid from the business logic perspective, for example, it must have a valid hierarchy of classes. Always make sure your file is up to date with the most recent system updates.
You will get a JSON parse error when importing a not valid JSON or another file format.
Revert
You can find REVERT button in the fields editor screen when you start creating a new stream or open an existing stream schema.
REVERT works per field. Use it to undo all the unsaved changes made to a specific class field. REVERT is disabled in case no changes have been made to a selected field.
Stream Actions
Right Click any stream to display available actions in the context menu.
- View
- Reverse View
- Monitor
- Inspector
- Schema
- Query
- Truncate
- Purge
- Delete
- Change Name
- Describe
- Send Message
- Export to QMSG
- Export to CSV
View
Select View to look at stream data. Click the Properties icon to view the stream's properties. While viewing the data within the main screen, you can double click any record to open details.
Refer to Dashboard for more information on the actions available in the View dashboard.
Reverse View
Select Reverse View to display all the stream's data starting with the latest timestamp at the top of the screen.
Monitor
Use monitor mode to view latest records for each symbol in the selected stream in real-time.
Inspector
Use inspector mode to view updates for the latest 100 records in the selected stream in real time. The latest messages are displayed on top of the list.
Schema
Click Schema to display stream schema details. You can also edit, import, and export stream schema. Refer to Create Stream to learn more.
Query
Use Query to run data queries. Refer to Queries for more information.
info
Refer to QQL Tutorials for more information about TimeBase Query Language.
Truncate
Truncating a stream will remove all data after a specified time.
- Highlight a stream, right-click to open a context menu, select Truncate.
- Select all or individual symbols that you wish to be truncated.
- The stream’s time range will be displayed in the time slider. You can either use the slider to specify the truncate to time or you can define the time and date within the Date input area.
- Specify a Time Zone and select OK.
- Select OK for confirmation.
Purge
Purging a stream removes all data that is older than a specified start date.
- Highlight a stream, right-click to open a context menu, select Purge.
- The stream’s time range will be displayed in the time slider.
- You can either use the slider to specify the purge from time or you can define the time and date within the Date input area.
- Specify a Time Zone and select OK.
- Select OK for confirmation.
tip
The purge process can be aborted but it will not return to its initial state.
All data that was removed prior to aborting the process will be lost.
Delete
Use Delete to remove a specific stream from the system.
- Highlight a stream, right-click to open a context menu, select Delete.
- Click Delete in the dialog window to confirm or Cancel to abort
Change Name
Use Change Name to rename a specific stream.
- Highlight a stream, right-click to open a context menu, select Change name.
- Enter a new name in the text area and click Rename to confirm
Describe
Use Describe to display a QQL code with stream schema description. You can use this as a template to create new streams or modify existing streams.
Send Message
Use this to manually add new messages to the selected stream. Stream schema determines what classes of messages can be recorded to a specific stream. Each message class has an individual set of fields. See Basic Concepts for more information.
- Highlight a stream, right-click to open a context menu, select Send message.
- Specify parameters values using either the UI or in a JSON format
- Click Send to submit
tip
Please note, that available parameters are determined by the message class and may vary significantly for messages of different classes.
Export to QMSG
You can export the entire stream data, including all stream messages, to a file of a proprietary QSMG format. You can use this file to easily import stream data to another TimeBase instance.
Export to CSV
You can export the entire stream data, including all stream messages, to a CSV file.
In the Export to CSV from you can specify what exactly you would like to export
- Set the data time range.
- Select ALL symbols or specify symbols to be exported.
- Browse through stream schema classes and fields and select which ones you wish to export.
- Select the output CSV file configurations.
Symbol Actions
Unfold any stream to view symbols and Right Click any symbol to display available actions in the context menu:
View
Click View to look at a selected symbol's data. Double click any record in the main monitoring screen to open details.
Refer to Dashboard for more information on action available in the View dashboard.
Reverse View
Select Reverse View to look at a selected symbol's data starting with the latest timestamp at the top of the screen.
Monitor
Monitor allows viewing real-time updates for a specific symbol. Double click any record in the main monitoring screen to open details.
Inspector
Use inspector to view updates for the latest 100 records for the selected symbol in real-time. The latest messages are displayed on top of the list.
Chart
TimeBase Web Administrator can chart Level1/Level2 Market Data for a single contract per panel. This feature is designed to provide the user insight into the incoming market data to verify the aggregator process is consuming and storing data properly. TimeBase Web Administrator charts are not designed to be used as a financial research tool.
The No chart data message notifies the user that charting is not supported for a particular selection.
tip
The user will receive a warning in case the data within the selected stream is not capable of being charted and the chart function is selected.
Time Range
Use the Time Range drop-down to select one of the preset time intervals for the chart or Custom Time Range to manually set the time interval. Use the Left and Right controls to pan the chart forwards of backwards along the stream's time range.
Chart Modes
You can switch chart modes in the upper-right corner of the screen.
- Pan Mode - when enabled, click-hold-drag chart to move chart left and right along the stream's time range.
- Zoom Mode - when enabled, click-hold-drag chart to zoom-in a specific time period on the chart. In the case where zoom-in is no longer possible, the chart mode will automatically go to Pan Mode.
Chart Zooming
Use zoom-in and zoom-out icons located in the upper-right corner of the screen to zoom in/out the chart.
Use Zoom Mode to select a specific time range within the chart.
Order Book
Order Book is an aggregation of market data from one or across several exchanges for a selected trading instrument. On the same screen you may as well look at Market Depth Chart that gives a quick glimpse into supply (Ask) and demand (Bid) on the market, by showing the available to buy/sell volumes at/above/below each price level.
Query
Click Query to open a window where you can run QQL queries. Refer to Queries for more information.
info
Refer to QQL Tutorials for more information about the TimeBase Query Language.
Change Name
Use Change Name to rename a specific symbol.
- Highlight a symbol, right-click to open a context menu, select Change name.
- Enter a new name in the text area and click Rename to confirm.
General Controls
Toolbar
Use a toolbar to quickly access:
Search
Search box is located at the top of the streams list and allows to quickly locate stream(s)/symbols available in your specific TimeBase instance.
Screen Controls
- Click the Collapse/Expand icon next to the TimeBase title to show/hide the streams list.
- Click the Down Arrow icon to expand/collapse symbols in a specific stream.
- Click Collapse All to quickly collapse all the expanded streams.
- Hover over any stream and click the Open in new tab to open stream data in a new tab.
- Click Show spaces to display spaces in the streams list.
Queries
TimeBase Web Admin application allows querying streams' data using a TimeBase proprietary data query language called QQL. You can invoke a Query window from the Toolbar, Stream, and Symbol actions menus.
You can open more than one Query tab at the same time and run different queries with different settings in each of them. As you type in your query text, query editor offers autocomplete options and formatting hints (click Ctrl + Space anywhere in the query line to show available options). You may double click any field in the query output area to view stream details in a JSON format.
Query Modes
- Run - run QQL query.
- Live - subscription to the latest data starting from the query timestamp.
- Monitor - look at your query execution in real-time.
In case of an error, the corresponding query elements are highlighted in red right in the query text and user receives an error message. You can use Cancel to stop any running query in case it takes an excessive time to process it by the back-end.
tip
Refer to QQL Tutorials for more information about QQL and all the supported features.
Stream, Message, and Symbol Details
In the main monitoring area you can preview stream, message, and symbol properties. Please note, that you cannot display both at the same time. Selecting one disables the other.
Display Message Details
- Select any stream to view stream data in the main monitoring area.
- Double-click any message in the selected stream to show Message Details in the additional window.
- You can switch between Show JSON View and Show Simple View.
Display Stream Properties
Select any stream and click information icon (highlighted on the screenshot) to view the it's properties.
Display Symbol Properties
Having selected a specific symbol in a stream, you may click information icon (highlighted on the screenshot) to view the selected symbol's properties. Same applies within charts.
Working With Dashboard
- Use the column context menu to:
- Pin, Unpin, or Reset Grid to default state.
- Autosize All or a Specific column to the default size.
- Choose columns to be displayed in the grid.
- Use grid context menu to
- Copy a specific field in JSON format.
- Export to CSV, MS Excel, XML.
- Send Message
- Additional information is available for selected grid fields when double clicking a row (e.g. Entries)
- Use mouse scroll to move up and down the displayed time range.
- Use Timebar to navigate within the entire available time range.
Working With Tabs
When Open in a new tab checkbox is enabled in the Stream List, each new selection will be displayed within a separate tab within the main window.
All open tabs are displayed in the top pane of the main window.
Use Tabs List located next to the Settings in the upper-right corner to:
- View all open tabs.
- Navigate between tabs.
- Close all open tabs at once .
Working With Filter
Select the Filter button to filter out stream data:
- Filter by Symbol
- Filter by Message Type
Working With Time Box
Use the Time Box input field and/or calendar icon to set the displayed Start From date.
- Use Apply to apply selection .
- Use Clean to reset the selection to the initial state.
Settings
- Tabs List - use to view, navigate, and hide open tabs.
- Stream's Properties - click to display Properties window for a particular stream.
- Use Global Settings to set:
- Date Format.
- Time Format.
- Time Zone (local time zone is detected and populated automatically).
- Sign out