Does QuickFAST work with Arca?
The ArcaBook data feeds can be described as FAST-like than true FAST. Arca developed their encoding scheme before the FAST Specification was available, and it departs in several ways from the published standard. Particulars include compressing part of the message but leaving the remainder of the message in clear text; using field types that are not defined in the FAST standard; using fixed presence map bits rather than consuming the presence map bits as needed by the fields; and sending the fields in a different order from the presence map bits to which they correspond. QuickFAST does not handle Arca data “out-of-the-box” but it contains hooks to allow Arca support to be added on. At least one QuickFAST user has been live, receiving ARCA data, since mid-summer 2009. Feel free to contact us at OCI for more details.
