Data Export

[spottysallrite]

I would like to do my backtesting/ optimization on a second computer because doing this on my primary computer is taking too much time (ie, I need a bigger computer).

I've got nearly 10 years of single tick ES data, plus a custom, 1 minute instrument that covers that same period. One way get this data into that second computer is to use the Historical Data Manager to export each of those contracts, then copy them over to the second computer, then import them into NT that is the second computer. This would be very tedious, as well as time consuming.

So, is there a better way to do this? (This can't be the first time the need to transfer one's work to a second computer has happened.)

[NinjaTrader_Zachary]

Hello spottysallrite,

Thank you for your post.

There's a number of ways that you could achieve this. Although, with that much data, most of them will be somewhat time consuming because it will take time to transfer several GBs of data from one PC to another. However, there are much lower effort ways to do this than exporting the data in the way you've described. Instead, you could use NinjaTrader's backup and restore feature to create a backup file with all of your historical data and database (the database will contain your custom instrument definition so that you don't have to manually recreate it).
To do this, follow these steps:

• Open NinjaTrader 8 on the computer you wish to backup from and disconnect from any open connections if applicable
• Go to Tools > Export > Backup File
• Select which items you would like to backup and click 'Export'
  • To transfer your historical data, you'd want to make sure that 'Historical chart data' is one of the items selected
  • Selecting 'Database' will ensure that any custom instruments/instrument lists will also be transferred
• Email or Save the file to an external storage device. The file can be found in the Documents\NinjaTrader 8 Backup folder on your PC

Open NinjaTrader 8 on the computer you wish to restore to and disconnect from any open connections if applicable.

• Open the email with the backup file or connect the external storage and save the backup file to a destination of your choosing (I recommend the desktop as it is easy to find)
• Go to Tools > Import > Backup File...
• Select the backup file you created from the location you saved it

I have also attached the publicly available Help Guide section regarding backup and restore below:

Help Guide - https://ninjatrader.com/support/help...ightsub=backup

Please note that if you decide to transfer other items, such as your Configurations or NinjaScript files, a bit of additional setup will be required for them to work on the second PC.
The new computer will have a different Machine ID and will result in any passwords for account connections being removed along with the NinjaTrader License key being removed. For security purposes all account connections will need to have the username and password re-entered and the License key will also need to be re-entered.

You will also need to contact any 3rd party vendors and let them know that your machine ID has changed. You can locate the new machine ID by the following:

• Control Center > Help > About... (e.g. Machine ID: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX)

Please let us know if we may provide further assistance.

[spottysallrite]

Yes, I was thinking about doing what you suggested above (creating a backup file, then copying that to the other computer). However, this backup file is some 14 GB in size. So, would it make sense to use Window's file compression to reduce the size ?

[NinjaTrader_Zachary]

Hello spottysallrite,

Thanks for your reply.

Compressing the backup file shouldn't cause any issues with it. Just remember to unzip it prior to trying to restore it on the second PC.

Please let us know if we may assist you any further.