MA indicator RAM cost

[billitin]

I'm concerned with RAM usage optimization when running Market Analyzer and got a question along these lines. I've read somewhere in this forum that having one entry in MA with an indicator is like having a graph with that indicator. Now, when loading data for a symbol list with one of them being incorrect, I got two popup error messages about this symbol and four identical error log entries. I had two indicator columns in that MA template. Does this mean that each new indicator column is like yet another chart (rather than plotting the second indicator on the same one)? Correct me if I'm wrong.

[NinjaTrader_Jason]

It is not completely the same. Indicators are calculated to display their values. When adding an Indicator column in the Market Analyzer, the indicator will be calculated to display its value.

When you have two Indicator columns, two indicators get calculated for the instruments selected in the Market Analyzer.

Please see the following link that will provide performance tips to reduce RAM usage.

http://www.ninjatrader-support.com/HelpGuideV6/PerformanceTips1.html

[billitin]

Well, how would you comment on the following case. To save on plotting three different indicators, I am using one indicator IND that has three output values A, B, C. I conduct two tests in identical conditions for same instrument list (having updated historical data beforehand and restarted NT before each test run):

(i) Connect to data provider, bring up MA, make two columns ("Instrument" and "IND-A"), load data.

(ii) Connect to data provider, bring up MA, make four columns ("Instrument", "IND-A", "IND-B" and "IND-C", IND in all columns has parameters and time series identical), load data.

I've counted RAM consumption during these two test hoping it would be equal. Turned out not to be the case, and the second run takes 60% more. Why NT performs several calculations of the same thing? This programming sloppiness may cost me dearly because I'm hitting RAM limit with my tests and it looks like I would have to change my laptop to get more memory, all because of essentially nothing.

[NinjaTrader_Jason]

The RAM usage is increased in test 2, since more values are calculated than in test 1.

NinjaTrader 7 will have improvements in regards to memory consumption.

[billitin]

I think know what you mean, and then things are even worse than I supposed. I tried to load that one indicator with three output values, and displayed only one of them in MA. When loading data, NT stumbled on one symbol and gave me error "can't load data" 3 times. It looks like every new output value I'm creating inside an indicator is initialized with its own copy of bar data, is this right?