Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1114420
74 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2019 designs must be redesigned because of func- tional errors found after prototype designs are built and verified. Of those errors, over 44% are related to electrical problems (EMC/SI) not being verified and communicated to the physi- cal design team due to the lack of intelligent browse, query, and communication capabili- ties for engineers, test, and manufacturing. How We Do It Today In the past, options for collaboration were pretty limited to DXF, which required extensive manual file mapping. Today, there are multiple choices, each with their own pros and cons. In the case of IDF or STEP, both require that the entire database is exchanged each time. This generally entails sending a detailed RE- ADME file along with marked-up PPT and/or PDF files to explain what was being changed, where the changes occurred, and why they were done, as it is virtually impossible to tell simply by importing the file. While those two formats are the most popu- lar method of data exchange and the method- ology still works, it is truly a static way of com- municating because: • Once the changes are passed to the other domain, the design process does not stop while waiting for a response • If there are any questions regarding the updates, they are typically resolved via a face-to-face discussion, phone, or email (i.e., it's hard to communicate the accep- tance or rejection of proposed changes) • Conversations are generally not docu- mented or retained, leading to lack of traceability regarding who, what, why, and when the changes were done Also, to implement the changes, constraints are often turned off, resulting in interference issues and potential re-spins. What Are the Options? While all file format transfers generally have the same inherent issue—the files need to be created and managed—as the industry evolves, so does the collaboration process. Now, the emerging standard is moving towards EDMD, which uses the incremental data exchange (IDX) file format. What is the difference, you might ask? Is it just another format that follows the same mold as the others? For those of you who are not fa- miliar with it, the EDMD format is based on the ProSTEP iViP format, which is: • Standards-based • Process-oriented • STEP-affiliated In addition, it is supported by almost all of the major ECAD and MCAD vendors on the market today as the "go-forward" form of col- laboration. What sets it apart from the other formats, is that it enables incremental data exchange (i.e., the IDX file only contains items that have been added, deleted, or updated from the last data exchange). To do this, it assigns a unique iden- tifier to each item associated with the design including components, holes, keep-in/-out ar- eas, and the board itself. It also allows you to: • Evaluate updates before incorporating them into the design • Propose new updates without sending the entire database Figure 1: The IDX format flow, which allows incremental data exchange.