Is there something wrong with Gruss, the API or neither ?

[osknows]

Is it possible to timestamp every refresh down to the ms on the excel sheets when your looking into this?

[doris_day]

I think the problem is the API. It's not performing at all well just lately. The P&L is updated when your bets have been updated which is a separate refresh from the prices so you will have occassions where the P&L isn't updated for several refreshes when the bets refresh gets a slow response.

You are definitely not going to like this. Betfair have asked me to throttle the requests per market to 5 per second for price refreshes and 3 per second for bet refreshes. This is obviously because the API isn't coping. It's going to be rolled out to all vendors in due course. There won't be an option to reduce this throttling. You will still be able to make over the 20 requests allowed across multiple markets, but each individual market will never be able to exceed the 5+3 requests. There hasn't been an official announcement yet, but I am pretty sure this is going to happen.

Well bugger me, so Betfair are admitting that their technology just can't stand the strain. I have always maintained that it should have been based on push technology right from the start and this is proof that their polling system will break down the more popular it becomes.
I will have to look at alternative interfaces if they go ahead with their throttling plans but thanks for being upfront with this info.

[doris_day]

Gary, have you thought about splitting the refreshes so users can set their own refresh periods ?
For instance I dont need a short bet refresh but do need a short price refresh. So what I lose on the bet refresh I could gain on the price refresh if you get my drift.

[GaryRussell]

Yes, I have and I will. You will gain over multiple markets, but will still have the 5 per second constraint on the one market. You can't take the 3 bets refreshes allowed and use them for price refreshes.

[doris_day]

OK, understood. As an aside, today I uninstalled 63n and installed an earlier version. The refreshes appear smoother and less volatile but I suspect, sod's law being what it is, that would have been the case anyway

[doris_day]

Just got an email from Betfair which apologised for the poor performance of the API which they accept as being down to them.
They have told me that there will be a performance related upgrade in December which they are planning.

[doris_day]

It makes such a welcome change that they admit that they have problems.

[GaryRussell]

I investigated the P&L issue just to make sure it wasn't anything I had done and I am sorry I have to admit there was something slightly amiss. After a bet is triggered it does an immediate bets refresh and waits for this to complete on the current refresh cycle. It was doing two bets refreshes and waiting for both to complete. I have fixed this. Can you try the latest Beta and let me know if it improves? See http://gruss-software.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3922 for download link.

[osknows]

This is nothing to do with BA but today Betfair is a joke. I've had to stop trading and can't even access their site directly through my browser without massive delays

I don't understand how they can operate like this as things are clearly getting worse

[DFK]

Gary, how will the throttling limits affect in - running trading?

Regards DFK.

[GaryRussell]

I don't see it having an adverse effect on in running trading. If it actually helps reduce the spikes in response times it will improve it. I personally think a refresh rate of 5 times per second is adequate for manual trading.