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Friday, March 27, 2015

UTP Vendor Alert #2015 - 6
Testing Schedule Announced for UTP Message Header Formats Enhancement

Markets Impacted:

Products Impacted:

Contact Information:

What you need to know:

  • As previously announced in UTP Vendor Alert #2015-2, the SIPs will make modifications to the Message Header Protocol to support additional participant information in the data feed specifications (UQDF, UTDF & OMDF).
  • Additionally as announced in UTP Vendor Alert #2015-4, at the request of the UTP Operating Committee (UTPOC), the UTP Securities Information Processor (UTP SIP) will implement two Sale Condition Modifier revisions in conjunction with the Expanded Message Header release.
  • The UTP SIP and the Operating committee are announcing the following Saturday testing schedule:
    • May 30, 2015
    • June 20, 2015
    • July 11, 2015
    • July 25, 2015 Confidence Test Go/No Go
  • All direct connect UTP subscribers, as well as extranet providers, should make plans to upgrade their data feed processing by the new release date Monday, July 27, 2015.
  • Data Recipients are advised to be prepared to receive and process the new enhanced message header or risk the loss of data.

What’s Changing?

As previously announced in UTP Vendor Alert #2015-2, to accommodate additional participant information in the message header (including Timestamp information), the UTP SIP will be expanding the message header format from a total of 24 bytes to 43 bytes.

Data Recipients are advised to be prepared to process or handle the new Expanded Message Headers to the extent that they do not impact their normal data processing as failure to do so will result in a loss of UTP data.

While there is no intention of publishing both new (expanded Message Header) and existing (current) UTP Message Header formats over the course of the trading day, Data Recipients should be prepared to receive/process both formats allowing for a rapid fallback from the new (expanded Message Header) Message Header formats to the existing (current) Message Header formats.

What are the testing opportunities?

To ensure that direct data feed subscribers are ready to handle the new Message Header Formats, the UTP SIP will offer nightly and Saturday testing opportunities. The UTP SIP, working closely with the UTP Operating Committee and industry representatives, has established the following testing schedule:

Type of Testing Scheduled Dates Description
Evening Test Transmissions Continues nightly through Friday, July 24, 2015 A test file will be recorded to be replayed in the evenings from 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., ET, to all UTP data feed subscribers. No registration is required to participate in evening testing. Vendor evening format testing continues for the message header changes (including Timestamp 1 and Timestamp 2) and the new sale condition modifier changes (Contingent Trades “.V” and Qualified Contingent Trade “.7”) on all outbound SIP feeds (UQDF; UTDF and OMDF).
Saturday User Acceptance Test (UAT) Saturday, May 30, 2015; June 20, 2015*; Saturday, July 11, 2015; and Saturday July 25, 2015 (Confidence Test) UTP participants will be invited to enter data to test the new Participant Input Expanded Message Header functionality. As it is generated, the UTP SIP will disseminate the new Expanded Message Header test data via the UTP data feeds. Advance registration is requested for the UATs.
Production Launch Monday, July 27, 2015 Production implementation of the Expanded Message Header functionality and revised Sale Condition Modifier changes. This will be implemented as a “Hot Cut” release, vendors must be prepared to process the new expanded message header format or risk the loss of data.

*Note: As part of the combined SIAC/UTP SIP Hot/Warm Quarterly Failover tests scheduled for June 20, 2015, UTP will support testing of the new Expanded Message Headers at the primary and backup data center facilities. The new Multicast Output Expanded Message Header will be disseminated over the UTP Data Feeds.

Testing Coordination

To coordinate testing, and to provide written confirmation of testing, which is required of all Direct Data Recipients, please register as follows:

  • Send an E-mail with your name, organization name, phone number, and date of test request(s) to products@utpplan.com.

Where can I find additional information?