Implementation and performance evaluation of a real-time e-brokerage system

Timeliness is an important attribute for e-brokerage both in the detection of opportunities in a narrow time window and also in facilitating differentiation of end-to-end quality of service (QoS). In this paper, we demonstrate how real-time event monitoring techniques can be applied to time-critical e-brokerage. We start with a formal timed event model which provides the semantics for specifying complex timing correlation rules in composite events. The formal event model of the system is based on RTL (Real Time Logic), which is important for disambiguating informal specifications when multiple instances of the same event type may appear in a timing correlation rule involving composite events. This leads to our design of an e-brokerage, online stock monitoring and alerting system which enables users to express their complex preferences and provides an alert service to users in a timely manner. The user's preferences are monitored by a real-time event monitor. We report the design of this system and some performance data characterizing some key timing parameters. Our system is being used by a class of MBA students in a field test.