Decision Support, Planning, and Data Management of Complex, Discrete Event Systems

Complex soflware environments, such as CAD systems, consist of many modules which are often created, maintained, and executed separately. When slick systems are invoked, appropriate execution sequences and parameters must be determined for each modiile so that desired results are produced. The task of planning, executing, and supervising the CAD environments has become so complex that it itself requires advanced computer support facilities. This paper presents a sophisticated new design process management system (DPMS) that helps 20 manage globally the design process i n order t o achieve adequate (if not optimal) design results. It thus makes design systems more autonomous by freeing resources for the critical design steps. The architecture of the system, as well as its data management, decision support, and planning facilities ure described in detail and a prototype system is presented. The system has been used in the electronic design automation area. However, the concepts described here are applicable t o other design domains as well.