Normalize shared quote fields while preserving the contract details that make each asset class different.
FX pairs, equities, commodity futures and crypto markets can share timestamps and bid/ask fields, but they do not share every calendar, unit or identifier convention. Keep asset-specific metadata attached rather than forcing it into a misleading universal symbol.
Start with an agreed instrument catalogue and consumer matrix. Validate precision, sessions and source permissions for each class, then test how downstream applications handle instruments that are closed, unavailable or missing an optional field.
Bring the proposed instrument list, source documentation and consumer workflow to a technical discussion. The agreed integration specification defines coverage, fields, usage permissions and acceptance tests.
| Instrument scope | Identify the exact underlying, source identifier, quote currency and intended use. |
|---|---|
| Consumer workflow | List trading platforms, charts, risk tools and applications that need the output. |
| Delivery contract | Agree protocol, quote fields, timestamps, source status and recovery behaviour. |
| Production review | Confirm source rights, integration ownership, test evidence and commercial scope. |
For your instrument universe, define who consumes the prices and what each system needs to reconstruct a usable quote. An application dashboard, broker platform and historical process can require different delivery rules even when they share one normalized instrument model.