Categories : All, Case Study, Finance, Microsoft Development

Online Stock Investment and Trading Portal

Client Requirement

Online Stock Investment and Trading Portal application is an exhaustive financial community website for investors and traders to view dynamic real-time statistics online, offering up-to-the-minute information, news and user opinions on the current happenings in the stock market.

It includes the incorporation of streaming videos with sound ON/OFF feature to alert users about the possible advantages and windfalls of certain stocks.

The site offers facilities such as quoting, charting, managing portfolios and schedules along with a range of premium services that users can benefit from.

The site encourages users to create fantasy portfolios through which they can participate in various contests hosted by the site.

In addition to the business-related attributes, the site also focuses on enhancing the users’ online trading experience through numerous convenient features such as instant messaging, blogs, learning section and a store among others.

Project Challenges

The team faced the following challenges:

• Incorporating and managing up-to-date information, news, statistics and related data on the backend through RSS feeds.
• Harmonizing the simultaneous execution of various integrated features and options while maintaining consistent load balance.
• Ensuring safe and secure transfer of data while integrating RSS feeds.
• Developing a sturdy & dependable framework to support the real-time updation of content on the site.
• Incorporating advanced cutting-edge web usability principles through AJAX while developing numerous features designed for enhancing the users’ community networking experience.
• Allowing the site to handle millions of users at the same time without reduction in performance.

Technologies Used

Manpower

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Planning

The following four-tier development approach was adopted to equip the site with numerous features and functionality mentioned below:

• The Database layer containing MSSQL Server Database , Tables, Stored Procedures and so on.
• The User Interface layer which formed the Graphical User Interface of the website.
• The Business layer DLL consisting of all the business logic procedures for modules like User Profiles and Blogs etc.
• The Data Access layer containing the Data Access DLL responsible for accessing data from the database.

Architecture

Developed in C#.NET, the Business Layer DLL consisted of all the business logics for modules like Offices, Properties, Maps etc. and they were compiled to a single Business DLL that directly interacts with the UI layer. DLL consisted of all the Business logics used for respective modules like Save [Add/Update], Delete, Get Single Object, Get Multiple Objects for listing and were designed to be capable of handling many more logics which were not related to the database.

The Data Access layer contained Data Access DLL responsible for accessing data from the database and built a generic query for insert, update, delete and select depending on the business class. All business layer components were coded to use this DLL for data accessing process from the database. Stored procedures were used only for complex retrieval of data from multiple tables and were entirely avoided with conditional syntax to ensure smooth performance of the website. The UI layer was kept free of any business logic with images, applications and data being called from their respective servers. Sub-domains were used for the different areas of the website to guarantee scalability

Development Highlights

Intensive usage of pioneering technologies like PODS through the implementation of advanced AJAX resulted in a feature-rich site providing a high level of ustomization. Examples included the provision for selecting different layout themes with ‘drag-and-place’ page content which was auto-saved by the site every time the user logged in. The site continuously displayed dynamic content through the inclusion of RSS feeds which involved interacting with third party providers, parsing a variety of content, queuing and presenting this content to users.

Streaming video content completely with sound ON/OFF feature was provided to alert users about the stock related information. These videos were stored and streamed through ‘User Plane’. A robust framework ensured smooth performance despite the heavy use of brand new technologies employed through Advanced AJAX among others. Web usability guidelines were strictly followed during development and the interface was made easily navigable through judicious use of AJAX, CSS and HTML controls. The site was developed and fully functional within a span of 6 months.