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The eSignal Data Manager
eSignal has many products and services -- many of which are award-winning and leaders in their respective areas. However, eSignal is most renowned for its timely and reliable real-time quotes. At the heart of that success is a small, unpretentious application called the eSignal Data Manager. Within the company, we call it the DM, but don’t let the two letter abbreviation fool you…this application is vital to keeping eSignal up and running smoothly.
The DM and You
The eSignal Data Manager is responsible for many things; however, one of the first tasks it handles is making sure your account is logged into the network. After this occurs, the DM downloads the services you are subscribing to. Under the File -- Properties menu, you’ll find a window that is an interface for this process. You’ll see that your username and password are stored here. There’s also a button called Services that lists all the different things that your account is authorized for.
Figure 1: The eSignal Data Manager
Streaming Data
When a trade occurs on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, it is sent across the exchange’s network out to our ticker plants. From there, it is broadcast out to those eSignal users who have that ticker on their eSignal pages. It is the eSignal Data Manager’s responsibility to grab that incoming data and get it to the eSignal application as fast as possible. Each and every real-time, streaming trade or quote is processed via the DM, so it is vital that it remains running in the background in order to keep the data flowing to your charts and quote windows.
Connecting All the Parts
As mentioned in last month’s article in the Exchange, eSignal’s network comprises many different server types. When you launch eSignal and, subsequently, the Data Manager, it begins the process of connecting to the network in order to make those multiple connections possible. While our backend infrastructure automatically handles maintaining all the connections, it’s the Data Manager on your desktop that the network communicates with.
While you’re out in the markets making your next winning trade, be sure to give a nod to the hard-working, yet modest eSignal Data Manager sitting in your system tray. 
