Find your way through the data maze

Richard House President VI Technology Austin, TX Richard House is president of VI Technology, a company specializing in test data management, automated test products, and professional services. House has nearly 20 years of experience in engineering, marketing, and corporate operations in the test and measurement field. Prior to joining VI Technology in 1999, House held the positions of director of engineering and strategic marketing manager at National Instruments.  For more Q&A showing examples of successful Arendar installations, as well as information on engineering services offered by VI Technology, read the continuation of this interview.

T&MW: To what extent have the number and complexity of tests increased at OEMs?

House: Very significantly. Taking automated measurements used to be difficult and time consuming, but new, off-the-shelf test equipment and software have made the process much easier and faster. Combine that with cheap hard-disk space, and there's little pressure on engineers to cut down on tests. New sequencing software also allows for very complex tests, such as sweeping measurements over various voltage and temperature ranges, or it can enable a test step to be repeated many times until it passes. Engineers also know that the repercussions of not getting enough test data can be very costly. Tests may have to be revalidated, which can be very expensive, or engineers may need to regain access to test equipment that they share with other departments. Engineers look bad if they have not performed all the tests needed. The problems come when they need to retrieve that data.

T&MW: What is the impact of poor test data management on companies?

House: Higher costs, longer time to market, missed opportunities, poor product quality, and dissatisfied customers. Productivity is lost, too. Engineers complain that they have better things to do than hunt for lost data. At one communications company we worked with, it took over 24 hours before engineers could get a report back. A semiconductor firm held a frustrating meeting every Friday in an attempt to standardize nomenclature for test files. At still another company, one group feared that its funding would be cut because of difficulties in retrieving data and generating required reports.

T&MW: How does your Arendar software address these problems?

House: In essence, it creates a system for managing test data from the very start of product development. Most engineers are not skilled in creating databases and networks. They also hesitate to get IT involved, for fear it will slow the testing process and cause costs to soar. Arendar eliminates these problems. Deploying this software is as simple as using an installer, and the cost is comparable to that of test-development software—under $10,000 for the server and about $2000 for each station.

T&MW: When in a product's life cycle is Arendar most useful?

House: It is primarily a tool for managing tests during the design and manufacturing stages of a new product. However, companies also use Arendar to track field tests on products that have been returned because of problems. They will then compare these incoming field tests with original tests. This analysis can help them spot trends in failed products that can then trigger needed changes in design or manufacturing.

T&MW: What are some other benefits for customer companies?

House: Arendar makes test data universally acceptable and useful. It helps companies capture data from test software, as well as legacy data files, and organizes it in a Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle database. Engineers can then access the data through a standard Web browser, through their interactive analysis software, or over a network. In essence, we are bringing enterprise-class software to test engineers at a very low cost.