DxDataBook

For the electronic engineer developing a product, the ability to manage and quickly access corporate component information is critical to success. But geographically dispersed design teams often use separate component databases, which may be out-of-sync or out-of-date.

This can cause mistakes during product development that go undetected until later in the design cycle, causing costly redesigns or quality problems. Component information can come from a variety of sources including corporate parts databases, manufacturer's data books, and design systems. When adding component information to the design, outdated and missing data can affect design integrity and manufacturability. A more reliable solution is to have all the latest information accessible to all designers throughout the enterprise.

DxDataBook allows the designer to search all these sources directly. It is a component search-and-selection tool that allows design engineers to quickly search for and locate parts over a corporate Intranet or the Internet.

Features and Benefits

  • Provides a quick way to search and select components from any standard parts database
  • Enables geographically dispersed design teams to access corporate component information via Web or intranet
  • Enables component optimization
  • Reduces number of parts and cost for overall product
  • Easily integrates with corporate component and MRP databases using industry-standard ODBC
  • Eliminates redundancy by using generic graphical representation for similar parts

Simplified Library Management

Managing EDA libraries can be complex because each component requires a unique representation. This causes a large amount of duplication for each part. For example, the symbol for a "NAND gate" is contained for every instance of a NAND component. This is not only inefficient, but changing one symbol often requires that all the parts of the same type need to be updated. Further complication arises when the designers need to deal with multiple libraries to access the specific part that is required. DxDataBook permits a single tool to be used for access to all component information without data redundancy, multiple libraries or time-consuming tool overhead.

DxDataBook was designed with ODBC (Open Database Connectivity), an industry standard DBMS format. So DxDataBook can access data in virtually any database format including text, spreadsheets, Microsoft Access, Oracle, Informix and other commercially available RDBMS.

Typical Product Usage

The designer can use DxDataBook in several ways. To find a unique component the designer enters search criteria through a dedicated Query Builder where multiple AND/OR conditions are possible and DxDataBook displays all the available parts that meet the specified criteria. The user narrows the search by entering other to invoke searches based on the selections. After each search the system shows the number of candidates that meet the specified criteria. The user can review and select from the list of candidates by displaying all candidates and their attributes in a spreadsheet type of format. Using ActiveX controls, the user can view or download any relevant data to a particular component (e.g. datasheets). Using DxDataBook, the user can instantiate the desired component right onto the schematic.

The designer can also add a generic component to a schematic. For example, an engineer may want to postpone selecting a part from a particular component manufacturer until later in the design process, for example, after functional simulation. When it is time to select the manufacturer, the designer can select the component and DxDataBook will automatically display the available manufacturers and their respective status from production control. The decision can be based on such criteria as lead-time, price or inventory level. Once the selection is made, the component's unique attributes can be annotated to the generic component in the schematic.

DxDataBook can be used to verify the integrity of the entire design, ensuring the information on the schematic is consistent with the corporate database. It can also advise the user which parts of the design have not been uniquely identified and automatically annotate any missing attribute information.

Note: DxDataBook can be used in conjunction with a Mentor Graphics Data Management System (DMS) through the DMS Connector web application.

DxDataBook Resources

Contact Mentor Graphics

“I would recommend DxDataBook to anyone who wanted to improve their control and choice over component selection, their libraries and overall design flow.”

Elwyn Watkins, Rotork

“Using DxDataBook saves a lot of time by not having to create a new symbol for every component entry. It also makes managing and searching libraries very easy, therefore cutting down on costly mistakes such as using the wrong components or packages.”

Steve Sheridan, Sheridan Designs

“DxDataBook (verify) allows me to track any changes in our component library and company database back into a design, giving visibility of any obsolescence or modifications that may affect design integrity.”

Richard Townsend, UbiNetics

“DxDataBook is an invaluable facility for adding/modifying component details to a central database.”

Ali Mardi, City