Ninja Trader 8 Best Practices
Ninja Trader 8 daily clean out is recommended but not required.
NINJA 8 works with Windows 10 or 11 using 16-32 GB RAM. Nexgen recommends upgrading to at least 32 GB but prefers 64 GB RAM. NOTE: anything over 64 GB is overkill.
Ensure you enable tick replay for "synthetic Fibonacci levels" and for T3 Market Flow to plot.
Watch this short video or follow the written instructions below to clean NT8 data and prepare for the trading day. We have found that cleaning out data is best done once per week unless you have a specific need for doing so.
(ONCE PER WEEK) To delete cached tick data- BROWSE TO DOCUMENTS> NINJATRADER 8> DB folder or \Documents\NinjaTrader 8\db. Deletion of DB Tick Files: In addition to the tick and cached data removal, it is imperative to delete the DB tick files. These files store historical tick data and can accumulate over time, potentially leading to increased memory usage and performance degradation. Removing these files regularly ensures a clean and optimized database for the Ninja 8 platform.
(ONCE PER WEEK) Clearing Temporary Data: Clearing temporary data is essential to maintain a streamlined workspace. By removing temporary files generated during platform usage, any redundant or unnecessary data is eliminated. This process enhances system performance and prevents conflicts or errors arising from an overloaded temporary data cache. Browse to Documents\NinjaTrader 8\tmp and remove the files.
From the control center, click TOOLS>OPTIONS> GENERAL and check true the box for "confirm on window or tab close." This will prevent you from accidentally deleting charts or windows and stabilize your Ninja Trader 8 from drag-and-drop issues.
From the control center, click TOOLS>OPTIONS> MARKET DATA and ensure your futures data is set to "DO NOT MERGE".
When operating the Ninja 8 platform, it is crucial to refrain from utilizing Microsoft's OneDrive due to potential adverse consequences. OneDrive's functionality of saving data to a cloud server can lead to delayed updates and, ultimately, system crashes. In light of this, Nexgen strongly advises users to remove OneDrive entirely from their machines as a precautionary measure.
For users equipped with a capable video card, optimizing graphics settings for high performance using the provided image as a reference is advised. To accomplish this, follow the instructions below:
Open the search bar and enter "GRAPHICS."
Right-click on the NINJA 8 icon and select "Properties."
Copy the path specified in the properties menu.
Navigate to the settings section related to graphics and paste the copied path.
Enable the high-performance option instead of relying on Windows to determine the settings.
By implementing these adjustments, your GPU will be better utilized to render NINJA 8 graphics efficiently.
By adhering to these instructions, users can enhance their graphics' performance and maximize their video cards' capabilities while utilizing the NINJA 8 platform.
To ensure optimal performance, it is crucial to consistently operate your computer on a high-power plan that maximizes CPU utilization throughout the day. It is worth noting that certain laptops may default to a power-saver mode, which can adversely affect the stability of Ninja 8. To address this issue, follow the instructions provided below:
Access the search bar and input "EDIT POWER" as the search query.
From the search results, select the option labeled "Edit power plan."
This action will open the power plan settings, enabling you to modify and customize the power plan to your requirements.
Ensure you select a high-performance power plan that prioritizes CPU usage rather than a power-saving mode.
You may use any higher power plan your computer system offers from here.
To access and modify the advanced power settings necessary to optimize your computer's behavior, follow the steps outlined below:
Initiate a search by entering "EDIT POWER PLAN" into the search bar.
Click "Change advanced power settings" from the search results within the power plan window.
This action will open a window where you can customize the advanced power settings.
It is crucial to ensure that your computer and hard drives are configured never to idle, hibernate, or turn off.
Take note that the option to access the advanced power settings is available only through the "power plan" page and not the "battery-savings" page if you use a laptop.
The example provided illustrates how the advanced power settings screen should appear.
Following these steps, you can access the advanced power settings and make the necessary adjustments to prevent idling, hibernation, or power-off events for your computer and hard drives.
It is highly recommended to synchronize the time on your Windows operating system regularly. You can mitigate the risk of time discrepancies by performing this synchronization frequently, preferably daily. Windows tends to lose or gain time, which can impact the accuracy of data feeds, including Ninja Trader 8's precise data feed that operates at a hundredth of a second level.
To synchronize your Windows time, follow the steps provided below:
Access the search bar and enter "clock" or "time" as the search query.
From the search results, locate and select the option to "Sync Windows Time" or a similar reference.
This action will synchronize your computer's clock with a reliable time source.
By adhering to this practice and ensuring regular time synchronization, you can maintain the accuracy of your system clock, which is crucial for precise data feeds in platforms like Ninja 8. T
If you have a live account with Ninja Trader and you wish to trade APEX or some other services, it is recommended that you clean NT8 up. Then connect to ONE OF THE TWO DATA FEEDS. Let your charts populate and then connect to your second source of data.
When you get an order that is "STUCK PENDING" on Ninja 8 in orange. You will see a PENDING ORDER that you cannot get rid of, log out of Ninja Trader 8 and go through the clean-up process for data and also clean out LOG and TRACE FILES. GO TO TOOLS DATABASE MANAGEMENT AND RESET IT.
When using Ninja 7, if you do, you only have to delete the data files.
When utilizing Ninja Trader 7, it is strongly advised to double-check the merge policy for your data to ensure accurate historical prices. Specifically, the merge policy should be set to "DO NOT MERGE." Failure to adhere to this recommendation may result in the platform stitching together past contract prices and making adjustments that deviate from the actual price movements.
These adjustments can introduce discrepancies in the historical prices displayed on the charts, complicating the analysis of Fibonacci levels. To rectify this issue, if you need to change your merge policy, you must re-clean your data to remove the historical data affected by these price offsets.
To illustrate this matter visually, refer to the accompanying picture.
See deleting old charts and templates if you want to start over in a clean environment when using Ninja Trader. CLICK HERE FOR THE PAGE
Daily computer cleanout- not required but we like it!
This routine is followed daily by John Novak, the CEO, to ensure he has a clean computer for the upcoming trading session. Using NORTON UTILITIES PREMIUM will clean the computer, and unused RAM will be released. The computer is also set to run at maximum performance.
From the main dashboard, click "Re-analyze."
Then click repair all and turn off all start-up programs that may slow your computer.
Choose Speed Up. Then use the RAM Reclaimer section and open it by clicking it.
Once open it will analyze your RAM and give you the option to defragment. You will have to push this button 3-6 times generally until you have entirely defragmented your RAM.
Once the RAM is completely defragmented, your screen will look like this.
Finally, click the Real-Time Boost button. From "CONFIGURATION TAB," please make sure you activate and check each of the boxes. Select the power optimizer mode ultra-performance gaming, ensuring your CPU and GPU will run at full speed in a clean environment.
You are now ready to open your Ninja Trader 7 or 8 with a clean, fast computer setup.
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