The StockTrades data stream provides only a small number of data columns. However, you can use it to provide answers for many queries with Sybase CEP, including to output the average trading price for each stock during a specific period for each new trade, to raise an alert whenever shares of a certain stock rise above a particular price, and to indicate whenever the number of shares traded for a stock exceeds the average volume of that stock over a specific period.
The StockTrades data stream used in this guide is a very simplified example that deals with data commonly found in financial trading. The financial trading industry is a domain with a significant amount of dynamic information. Stock trades flow continuously providing a large volume of detailed transactional data. Brokers and analysts monitor trade data on an ongoing basis, and are often interested in data that arrive within various intervals of time ranging from minutes to more than one day. Although the StockTrades data stream provides only a small number of data columns, it can be used to provide answers for many queries with Sybase CEP including:
Outputting the average trading price for each stock during a specific period for each new trade.
Raising an alert whenever shares of Microsoft trade above a particular price.
Indicating whenever the number of shares traded for a stock exceeds the average volume of that stock over a specific period.
This data stream is an extremely simplified example of stock trading data used to illustrate various concepts throughout this guide. However, the use of financial trading data in no way implies that Sybase CEP is only useful within the financial trading industry, or that the Sybase CEP functionality applies only to a specific domain. The Sybase CEP Engine is a flexible and versatile set of tools that are applicable to a wide variety of industries and problem domains. The purpose of this guide is to teach you how to use the tools, which you may then apply to your particular needs.