What is a Smart Curve?
A Smart Curve is a forward curve that is automatically built, maintained, and versioned by the OpenDataDSL platform. Rather than manually assembling price curves from raw market data, Smart Curves define the logic for how a curve should be constructed — and the platform executes that logic on demand or on a schedule.
The Problem with Manual Curves
In traditional energy and commodity trading workflows, forward curves are often built by:
- Exporting raw market data from multiple sources
- Running spreadsheet models or scripts to blend and interpolate prices
- Manually publishing the resulting curve to downstream systems
This process is time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to audit.
Manual curve processes introduce operational risk — particularly around data lineage, versioning, and consistency across teams.
How Smart Curves Solve This
Smart Curves move the curve-building logic into the platform itself. You define:
- What data to use — which input timeseries or curves to source
- How to build it — the mathematical method (bootstrapping, interpolation, etc.)
- When to build it — triggered by data arrival or a fixed schedule
The platform then handles execution, versioning, and storage automatically.
Every time a Smart Curve is built, the result is stored as a versioned snapshot — giving you a full audit trail of how the curve looked at any point in time.
Key Benefits
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Automation | Curves rebuild automatically when source data changes |
| Consistency | One definition, one result — no divergence between teams |
| Auditability | Full version history with timestamps and build metadata |
| Flexibility | Supports a wide range of curve-building methods |
| Integration | Output curves are immediately available via API or subscription |
Typical Use Cases
- Energy forward curves — power, gas, oil products blended from exchange and OTC data
- Blended benchmark curves — combining multiple market sources into a single reference curve
- Spread curves — spark spreads, dark spreads, crack spreads derived from component curves
- Seasonal adjustment curves — applying shape factors to a base curve
Next Steps
- Learn about the curve building methods available in OpenDataDSL
- See how to configure a Smart Curve using ODSL syntax
- Understand how to schedule and automate curve builds