Version Control

Not many designers want to spend time fussing with version control. When data management tools don’t behave as expected, most designers will create copies upon copies of cells and libraries in an attempt to bypass the version control system. This is ultimately very error prone and often results in miscues with cells or untraceable chip versions that should have been archived for debugging purposes.

With Cadence no longer supporting TDM, options are limited to third party tools if tight integration into Cadence is required. Despite close integration into DFII, these tools are costly and difficult to customize unless someone in house wants to serve as administrator. Having tried these third party tools and eventually abandoning them in frustration, we have spent a great deal of effort integrating the same functionality of these tools but in an open CVS/Skill based platform.

This has the advantages of allowing full customization of the data management system, significant cost reduction and tighter integration into the cadence tools. The end result is a tool that designers will be more willing to adopt, can customize to thier preference and ensures the integrity of the archive.