Client Challenges
The client wanted a more robust, scalable and reliable solution for caching FX static data. The large legacy system was clunky and slow. Each trading system that used the cache actually only required small subsets of data for each transaction. Management and access to the data was cumbersome and created latency within the system impacting the various systems that relied on the data for their
trading operations. The asked Brickendon to provide a solution.
The client had many challenges to ensure their data had clear owners and could be relied upon by
the various users across the bank. These included:
To deliver big changes to the existing data application and access layers, whilst allowing live
trading to continue.
To effectively manage the changes and ensure all concerned parties know about, and
accept, the new way of working.
To work with a large user base but a small project team, meaning that developers were
spread very thinly across some parts of the project.
Limited guidance or involvement from those who sponsored the project leaving to a
management vacuum.
To be aware that the system is live and any changes have the potential to cause financial loss.
To provide adequate roll back mechanisms for any changes in the event of issues.
Lack of communication between different teams.
Brickendon Solution:
The client engaged Brickendon to provide a team to work with the various teams to
change the business process flows to incorporate the data changes. The work
included:
To completely replace the application with micro-services i.e. a series of smaller,
more specific services that can be streamlined to meet specific needs, as opposed to
one large service, which has the potential to be a massive point of failure. i.e. a
dedicated counterparty search service, which allows users to search for particular
counterparties.
To ensure that all change is implemented in a backward-compatible, incremental
fashion i.e. all major changes need to be done in such a way as to make new
functionality available whilst initially still enabling users to continue with the old
functionality.
To upgrade the technology used to speed up the process of data collection.
To improve the reliability of the system and remove the margin for error.
To eventually remove the clunky legacy system from operation.
Client Benefits
The benefits realised by the change implemented by the Brickendon team achieved all the
outcomes defined at the outset and were achieved within the timeframe and budget set
out in the project brief. These included:
A much more reliable and manageable system for storing and retrieving cached FX
data
Easier and quicker access to information on trades, prices and reporting requirements
Less margin for error as a result of the smaller services
An overview of who is using what data for which services as a result of the individually
targeted applications
Technologies used:
Java & various database technologies including Sybase
Hibernate (an Object Relational Mapper (ORM), which converts java objects to rows
in the database above, and vice-versa)
Hazelcast (a distributed cache, which stores all the static data and spreads the store
across several servers and locations so the data can be accessed quickly without
having to move it from London to Frankfurt for example)