Schema technology key to re-use says Beach

Schema technology will be pivotal in helping solve issues facing EDA tool vendors and users as they tackle the complexities of IP packaging, integration and re-use in SoC and platform-based design.

Beach Solutions believes that schema technology will be pivotal in helping to solve the industry-wide issues facing both EDA tool vendors and users as they tackle the complexities of IP packaging, integration and re-use in SoC and platform-based design.

As one of the founding members of the newly formed SPIRIT (structure for packaging, integrating and re-using IP within tool flows) Consortium, Beach is applying its extensive expertise in object oriented schema technology to underpin the consortium's efforts and will be supporting the resultant standard as the company continues to enhance its range of Easi-Tools products.

Beach Solutions' Easi-Tools suite was developed specifically to address the use and re-use of IP in complex SoCs and platform-based designs.

Version 3.0, previewed in March 2003, has just started shipping.

Crucially, the tools address the need to define the interface between hardware (IP blocks), systems and the embedded software used to control and monitor the IP block behaviour.

The experience in addressing these problems, both first hand and from working with customers, has enabled Beach to build a range of tools based upon an easily accessible, extensive and extensible object oriented schema.

This schema technology defines objects and attributes of IP blocks and systems along with their inter-relationships.

"As a company with a proven track record in delivering schema-based solutions to our customers for IP integration and re-use, Beach Solutions will bring something special to the SPIRIT consortium", says Terry McCloskey, CEO of Beach Solutions.

"We are enthusiastic about this technology becoming standardised as it will enable us to work even more closely with other EDA, IP and systems companies for the benefit of the SoC industry.

With core capabilities and experience in the application of OOA (object oriented analysis) schemas, we are confident the implementation of an XML schema standard will facilitate enhancements to our current family of Easi-Tools with which integrated device manufacturers have already had significant successes".

So what is meant by a schema? "Essentially a schema defines the objects that are to be stored in a database and, more importantly, the inter-relationship between these objects", continues McCloskey.

"For EDA purposes a schema, typically implemented in XML, can be used to describe the structure of design objects and the relationships between them.

Used in this context, it can deliver three major benefits associated with object-oriented analysis - maintainability, re-usability and productivity.

Although the EDA industry is not especially familiar with schemas, it is a tried and tested technology used extensively in the development of enterprise computing systems and software.

It is also a technology that Beach believes the EDA industry must embrace quickly if the issues raised by IP packaging, integration and re-use are to be addressed in a consistent and standard way that adds value to the design process.

"Of course, it can be argued that structure and automation for IP re-use are not absolutely essential in an EDA environment", concludes McCloskey.

"But the same was once said of verification tools.

Design tasks can always be performed manually.

The question is, how long can companies remain competitive and deliver reliable SoC devices on time using traditional approaches.

Designs are fast becoming too complex for an individual to conceptualise and specify.

They require the expertise of project teams that include both hardware and software engineers and, with this increasing complexity, the constraints of using existing techniques are already starting to compromise the design process".

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