Patent ID: 7325018
Filing Date: 2008-01-29
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method of operating a computer system to validate data defining a design of an integrated circuit, the method comprising: storing said data in a plurality of data files in a database each of said data files having an associated file type and being arranged in a plurality of data stores in said database, each of said data stores relating to a different aspect of said design, wherein at least one of said data files is a data dependent file containing data dependent on data in one or more other of said data files; selecting a file locator which is associated with a respective one of said data stores in said database relating to a respective one of said aspects of the design; using said selected file locator to identify a first data dependent file from said data files and to identify one or more other of said data files upon which said first data dependent file depends; for each of said identified files, selecting a first file reader associated with file type of the identified files; using said selected first file reader, determining a timestamp indicating the time of last modification of said identified files; comparing the timestamp from the first data dependent file with that from each other identified file; and after when determining, based on the act of comparing, that the timestamp from the first data dependent file is same as or later than the timestamp from each other identified file, providing an output signal for each identified data file, indicating that the identified data file is valid for use in manufacture of said integrated circuit.