Futures Data Tutorials

Installation Tutorials


How To Install Portara (Daily Database Only)

Get up and running with Portara Charts.

Install Portara Charts and setup your daily data with a walkthrough video of all the basics you need

How To Install Portara (Intraday Database)

Get up and running with Portara Charts.

Install Portara Charts and setup your Intraday and Daily data with a walkthrough video of all the basics you need

How To Install Portara Downloader

Get up and running with Portara Downloader.

Install Portara Downloader and get started with your Daily, Intraday, Tick – Trades and Level 1 data. This video contains a walkthrough of all the basics you need.

Showcase Tutorials


Where Has the Open Gone?

An Analysis of Standard Daily Data and Regular Trading Hours Data

If you use volatility-off-the-open or momentum based systems then consider watching this video. It shows the impact of RTH built with intraday data as a superior alternative to standard daily data and shows why. There is a real justification for CTA’s to consider in many contexts whether standard daily data is dead.

Daily Database with 5 Price Points!

Portara’s daily database is unique in the fact it contains 5 daily price points.

When you choose to output to text file you can select Open, High, Low and for close you now have the choice of either LastPrice or Settle.
Now you can create data mark-to-market for administration and back office duties and if your traders prefer, you can run off your text data including the lastPrice as a more robust alternative.

Hints & Tips Tutorials


Individual Data Contracts (Tenors)

I need to extract the individual contracts. How?

Portara was originally designed for the creation of continuous 1 minute bar data back to inception. However, many funds require access to the underlying data files too. We refer to these individual data files as ‘Tenors’.

The CQG raw data files contained within the Portara encrypted databases, regardless of exchange are all timestamped to Chicago. This has been a legacy of CQG Data Factory since its launch in 1987 and in most cases, is not desirable.

However, Portara allows you to customise the individual raw CQG database files to any format needed. This includes timestamp, timezone and multiple compression rate manipulation. Also, flexible start and end sessions can still be applied to the individual contracts if required.

Watch the video to see how.

Using Roll Manager

Tips and Hints on its use

Roll Manager Templates Explained
Portara File Structure Fully Explained
Hints and Tips Log
Use of Roll Manager with CQG intraday data

Using Compression Manager

Tips and Hints on its use

Weekend Data
Customised Symbology
Setting Timestamp Models
CQG Indicative Daily Data – things to remember
Customised Session Template- creation and setting
Setting overall templates for the Compression Manager

Multiple Symbols

How to Create Multiple symbols all of the same name

Different variants of a symbol can be created. E.g. BP with 5 min and a different session time structure than BP 10 minutes etc. Complete flexibility.
Create deferred contract setups for looking for edges outside of nearest future.
Create multiple templates.

Using Auto Updates

Tips and Hints on its use

Using Update API
Running Automated Roll Manager
Running Automated Compression Manager
Running Automated Executables
Automating via Zone – Pacific Rim | Early Europe | US | Rest of World

Integrity Checking

How to check your compressed data to the individual contracts.

DST adjustments with the Compression Manager explained…
Adjustments for an exchange-based timestamp explained…
How to check your data explained…

File Backups

Tips and Hints on Backups and Application Updates

Talks about Application Updates and how to install them. Where Backups of User Files are stored and how to retrieve them. Also covers missing and corrupted files and how to repair them.

Batch Files

How to Create and Run a Batch File

If you need multiple automated templates for all different varieties of data. Use a batch file.

Advanced Batch Files (Multiple Commands Including Tenors)

Learn how to use and implement batch files into Portara

An advanced tutorial for creating batch files with multiple commands. Create Tenors data using batch files and custom settings.

Local v Exchange Timestamps

How to use a Local Timestamp Model and compare that to an Exchange Timestamp Model

An advanced tutorial comparing local timestamp modelling to exchange timestamp modelling within Portara. Create data and “prove” the data is correct with and timestamp model.

Roll By Sessions

Custom End Of Session Roll Paradigm

You can now roll by using the new customisable end of session model or you may choose to roll based on the standard daily end of day model. You choose…

Multiple Sessions

How to Use Multiple Sessions

Create multiple sessions in your back-adjusted data. If the exchange changes its opening and closing times you can set unlimited start and end sessions to coincide to these changes by date from market inception.

Robustness Testing

Change the volatility of your data, Randomise the Opens and Closes and much more…

Test how sensitive your strategies are to increases and decreases in the underlying volatility of symbols you trade. If your systems are sensitive to the whereabouts of the open and closes in markets you may randomise the opens and closes to stress test these areas. Watch the video to see live examples.

What has rolled today?

How to find out simply what has rolled today…

Setup Portara so that it will open a daily report of which markets in your portfolio have rolled. This small demonstration also looks at two different types of roll algorithm that you may find useful.

Best Place To Roll?

Where is the best place to Roll A Futures Contract

I am often asked where the best place is to roll a futures contract even from seasoned traders. There are many variants but in the end it boils down to a date and an underlying reason why. If you don’t know the nuances of the various sectors and markets that have developed over the years and why for instance you need to choose long periods in the metals before expiry date compared to only a day or so in the indexes then you face problems. This presentation demonstrates a few very simple methods of how to determine an optimal place; a sweet-spot to work with. I discuss a method to find best roll position for TYAA (Financials) Metals and Dax. You can apply the same reasoning and logic to any globally traded future by simply observing behaviour…

Hardware – Parallel Processing with Titan-US and Portara


12 Core Work station

Parallel Processing at Its Finest!

Watch Portara run in parallel on a 12 core machine built by TitanUS based in Florida. They ship worldwide and Portara recommends them for any large production machines you may require.
Remember Hovever: Portara will operate on any 64 bit machine running Windows including laptops.