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40 The PCB Design Magazine • November 2015 Shaughnessy: how does emA help designers man- age their data? Marcano: We help customers in many ways. First, we provide PCB CAD aware data manage- ment tools from Cadence to allow engineers to manage their PCB data in the context of their design environment effectively. We also provide a number of consulting services to help com- panies adopt best practices around PCB data management. This often starts with process as- sessments to help them understand where their holes are or where inefficiencies can be elimi- nated. Then we can help design and implement an effective and efficient environment based on both the needs of the engineering team as well as integration to corporate systems like PLM. Shaughnessy: i see that there's a new orcAd edm tool that addresses this issue. tell us how this works. Marcano: OrCAD EDM is a PCB data manage- ment environment built specifically for PCB de- sign teams using OrCAD. It is integrated direct- ly inside the OrCAD user interface providing a seamless process to check-in and check-out files as you need them. It is aware of the different file associations and file types that are derived from your core OrCAD PCB data so it can track them effectively. OrCAD EDM will even gener- ate a set of these derived files as you check-in your design you can be assured they always stay in synch. Management and other stakeholders can easily review project status in real-time directly within OrCAD Capture CIS or through a web browser. Full administration and permissions management is also available so organizations can collaborate with their partners while ensur- ing their critical IP is protected and secure. Shaughnessy: emA helps customers manage Wip pcB data, component data, etc. how does it all work together? Marcano: PCB data and component data go hand and hand. WIP PCB data includes all the files associated with the PCB like the schematic, PCB, libraries, 3D models, simulation models, netlist, Gerbers, etc., while the component data covers parametric information about the specif- ic parts being used including things like toler- ance, resistance, voltage as well cost and manu- facturer part number. We help design teams manage both these data types together so they can easily map their component parametric data to the PCB librar- ies and files as they use them. The component data helps drive part decisions and ultimately the BOM while PCB data management ensures the BOM is in synch with the actual design files themselves. Shaughnessy: how do plm tools fit into this equa- tion? Marcano: We are completely complimentary to PLM systems that companies may already have in place or are considering. Our solution is focused on WIP PCB data management. This is managing the PCB data when it is still in de- velopment stage before it is released for produc- tion. During this time change is occurring rap- idly as the design is being created and modified to meet the desired design specifications. PLM is designed to manage a product through its life- cycle once it is released. It is really not geared for the rapid change associated with a project before it released. In the past we have seen customers try to use the PLM for WIP and it never really works out as they expect. We see an opportunity to connect WIP management to the PLM space for PCB similar to what is done in the MCAD world, where each MCAD vendor has their CAD aware WIP environment that can then take the " Management and other stakeholders can easily review project status in real-time directly within orcaD capture cis or through a web browser. " EMA: HELPING TECHNOLOGISTS MANAGE DISPARATE DATA feature interview