Patent ID: 7236918

Claim:
A method of compiling a simulation model of a digital design, said method comprising: receiving as an input into a model build process constraint information indicating a desired set of instrumentation entities to be included within a simulation model of a digital design described by a plurality of hierarchically arranged design entities, wherein said instrumentation entities monitor logical operation of one or more of said plurality of design entities during simulation for occurrence of events of interest, wherein the desired set of instrumentation entities includes fewer than all instrumentation entities defined for the simulation model, and wherein said constraint information is distinct from source code files describing said plurality of design entities and said instrumentation entities defined for the simulation model; in response to receiving said constraint information determining by reference to a bill-of-materials of a previously compiled file whether or not the previously compiled file was compiled with instrumentation entities compatible with the desired set of instrumentation entities such that no instrumentation entity excluded by the desired set is included in the previously compiled file and that no instrumentation entity indicated by the desired set as being included in the simulation model is excluded from the simulation model by the previously compiled file; and in response to determining that the previously compiled file was compiled with compatible instrumentation entities, compiling the simulation model of the digital design utilizing said previously compiled file in accordance with the constraint information.