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46 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2021 eloquent solutions to keep from getting out of control. Take, for instance, the amount of data that is generated during the design of electronics. PCB Design Data e first thing to consider in our world of PCB design is just how much data there is that needs to be managed. From a casual overview it may not seem that extensive, but let's break the average design down into its four separate pieces. is gives us the schematic, circuit sim- ulation, PCB layout, and analysis, and that is just a generalization. Designs oen have more pieces than that in them, especially when you consider the depth of system level design. But starting with the basic four pieces, we can break those up even further: • Design databases and associated system files • Library files and sub-library element files • Read-me, template, and example files • Reports, standards, specifications, special instructions, etc. e main four pieces of design data will have their own output or interfacing files. For exam- ple, let's examine the PCB layout data in greater detail. Circuit board manufacturing requires a lot of different design data including: • Artwork, drill, apertures, and other fabrication files • Drawings, component XY locations, artwork, and other assembly files • Netlists, test point XY locations, and other test files ese items are just a sampling as the average design will produce much more data than what I've listed here. Of course, all this must be mul- tiplied for design revisions, backups, or alter- nate part numbers and board configurations. As you can see, the amount of data in a PCB design can easily stack up and create plenty of unexpected problems along the way—just like my collection of tax documents had. Pitfalls of Data Storage First, this data requires storage space. Everyone knows that, with all the advances in technology, our storage systems are larger now than they've ever been before, which is a great thing. However, what is easy to forget is how our databases and file sizes are also get- ting larger, and the amount of data that we are saving increases all the time. A friend once warned me, as we were moving someone else's "stuff " into a larger facility, "People are like fish, they grow to fit the tank." Ironically, this rather obscure law of nature seems to fit PCB design data as well. As soon as the data storage is upgraded, someone just fills it back up again. Another problem to contend with when dealing with excessive amounts of data is con- fusion. It is not unusual for PCB designers or design groups to encounter one or more of the following problems: • Which design is the most current? • Incorrect databases being selected for work by designers • Essential design data stored on personal drives where it is inaccessible to others • Open file permissions allowing for critical data to be altered, corrupted, or over-written Interestingly enough, in some cases, just the opposite is happening; not enough data is being saved and managed. Here are some of the problems that we've heard reported: • Original design history and data that is permanently lost • Missing changes or revisions creating a disconnect between design and manufacturing • Inability to produce traceability docu- mentation and data for regulated or controlled products • Having to recreate databases from artwork, or completely redesign a PCB instead of simply rolling a board revision Obviously, there can be a lot of problems associated with the storage of data generated