Integration with Other Applications > Windchill Workgroup Manager Documentation > ECAD > ECAD Design Migration > Design Data Migration
  
Design Data Migration
This topic describes the process of converting legacy ECAD designs to make them compatible with later releases of the ECAD Windchill Workgroup Manager software. A special conversion utility works in batch mode to convert older-style designs. Given the differences between separable (Cadence-style) designs and non-separable (Mentor-style) designs, a multistage conversion is performed using independent modules of the utility. In addition, data modification is executed in an incremental fashion allowing the utility to handle most types of legacy designs while skipping unnecessary conversion steps.
Legacy Data Migration
The following table shows the migration paths currently available for legacy ECAD data on later versions of Windchill Workgroup Manager.
Data Server Version
Migrate to Workgroup Manager Version
7.0
8.0
9.x
10.0 M010 and later
6.2.6
yes
no
no
no
7.0
n/a
yes
no
yes (non-variant designs only)
8.0
n/a
n/a
yes
yes (direct conversion)
9.x
n/a
n/a
n/a
yes (direct conversion)
* 
Pre-7.0 ECAD designs are incompatible with later versions of the ECAD Windchill Workgroup Manager. Therefore, data migration of 6.2.6 version designs to ECAD Windchill Workgroup Manager versions 10.0 and later should not be attempted.
Once the legacy design conversion is complete (stage one), the converter continues on to establish a primary assembly (stage two), and ends with a conversion of the new ECAD model (stage three). Conversion details for each stage are listed in the following sections.
Stage One (6.2.6 to 7.0) Data Conversion Details
Legacy designs have their design data stored in a single file that was assigned to a CAD document as primary content. A schematic CAD document may or may not have existed. Both the Cadence and Mentor converters create a schematic CAD document if none existed previously and also create a WTPart for the new schematic if one had previously existed for the board CAD document.
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All modifications in this stage are applied to new iterations of relevant CAD documents. Previous versions remain untouched.
Stage Two (7.0 to 8.0) Data Conversion Details
This conversion process ensures that each design has a primary assembly. The primary assembly is the one designated by the PTC_ECAD_PRIMARY attribute. This attribute must be created by the server administrator prior to starting the conversion.
* 
All modifications in this stage are applied to new iterations of relevant CAD documents. Previous versions remain untouched.
Stage Three (8.0 to 9.0) Data Conversion Details
This process converts the new ECAD model. Unlike the first two stages, modifications made in this stage are applied to all existing iterations of CAD documents. However, conversion of the oldest documents is not attempted. Therefore, 6.2.6 legacy designs are limited to a two-stage conversion. The new model conversion is performed using a set of migrators that are executed by the Upgrade Manager of the target Windchill server (version 10.0 M010 and later).
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To save processing time, you can elect to skip the first and second stages of the conversion process if there are no legacy 6.2.6 or 7.0 style designs to convert. You do this by including the optional argument -AttributesOnly=true in the command line listed in step 2 of the following procedure.
To convert an ECAD legacy design:
1. If not done so already, have your server administrator create and set the PTC_ECAD_PRIMARY attribute to define the primary assembly.
2. From an operating system prompt, enter the following command:
<java_1.4.2_home>\bin\java —classpath “lib\boot.jar;log4j.jar”wt.boot.BootstrapMain boot_jar=wtECAD.jar boot_class=com.ptc.conversion.ConverterMain [-AttributesOnly=true] boot_codebase=<Windchill URL>
A window appears prompting you to log in.
3. Log into the conversion utility as an administrator.
The conversion process begins with the conversion of Cadence legacy designs followed automatically with the conversion of Mentor legacy designs.
4. Check the latest method server log file for the conversion results.
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Beginning with Windchill 10.0, log4j is used for logging. You can set the logging level in log4jMethodServer.properties.
EDA Data Model Updates
The following list provides high-level changes to the EDA data model:
• Undo checkout is applied to checked out documents if they are processed by a special migrator. This prevents data loss.
• ECAD-SOURCE is eliminated for separable designs and becomes ECADNON- SEPARABLE-GENERIC for non-separable (MENTORB) ones.
• Family tables are created for non-separable designs and ECAD-BOARD and ECAD-SCHEMATIC become children of ECAD-NON-SEPARABLEGENERIC.
• ECAD-COMPONENTs EPMDocuments are eliminated. Parts are not affected.
• ECAD-ASSEMBLYs having no content are eliminated. The rest (rare) become ECAD-CONTENT having subtype ECAD-DERIVED-OBJECT-FOR-ASSM.
• ECAD-CONTENTs become derived objects of their respective sources.
• Former assemblies and their contents become derived objects of ECADBOARD (or ECAD-SCHEMATIC in the case of RSD).
• Subtype of assembly filegroups become ECAD-DERIVED-OBJECT-FORASSM.
• ECAD-BOARD of RSD Designs and their respective WTParts are eliminated.
• Assembly, board, and schematic model items are created in latest iterations of boards and schematics.
* 
Board model items are not created for RSD designs.
• Design data becomes primary content of boards and schematics in the case of separable designs and that of family table of non-separable ones.
• Design data can be parsed to extract a design item. Relevant IBA is attached to latest iterations of board and schematic.
• Authoring application version is assigned to boards and schematics. The oldest available version is used.
Data Model Comparison
The following tables show migration tasks and an object-to-object comparison between old and new ECAD data models for separable and non-separable designs.
Separable Designs
Old Model Objects (8.0 and 9.x)
During Migration
New Model Objects (10.x)
Assembly ▶ ASM file group
The assembly document is converted to a derived object if it has any attachments. Otherwise, it is removed.
Assembly derived object▶ Derived object
Assembly_SRC
The assembly source document is removed.
Board▶ Bare Board file group
File groups are converted to derived objects.
* 
For Routed System Designer (RSD) designs: board documents are removed.
Board▶ Derived object
Schematic▶ Schematic file group
Schematic▶ Derived object
Component▶ cmp1, cmp2, cmp3, . . .
Component EPM documents are removed.
Parts:
• Assembly Part
• Board Part
• Schematic Part
• Component Parts▶ cmp1, cmp2, cmp3, . . .
No changes.
Parts:
• Assembly Part
• Board Part
• Schematic Part
• Component Parts▶ cmp1, cmp2, cmp3, . . .
* 
Design data in the old model is secondary content.
* 
Design data in the new model is primary content.
Non-separable Designs
Old Model Objects (8.0 and 9.x)
During Migration
New Model Objects (10.x)
Assembly ▶ ASM file group
The assembly document is converted to a derived object if it has any attachments. Otherwise, it is removed.
Assembly derived object▶ Derived object
Assembly_SRC
The assembly source document is converted to an ECAD Non-separable generic object.
Assembly_SRC:ECAD Non-separable generic object.
Board▶ Bare Board file group
File groups are converted to derived objects.
Board▶ Derived object
Schematic▶ Schematic file group
Schematic▶ Derived object
Component▶ cmp1, cmp2, cmp3, . . .
Component EPM documents are removed.
Parts:
• Assembly Part
• Board Part
• Schematic Part
• Component Parts▶ cmp1, cmp2, cmp3, . . .
No changes.
Parts:
• Assembly Part
• Board Part
• Schematic Part
• Component Parts▶ cmp1, cmp2, cmp3, . . .
DesignAll.zip
Renamed to the document’s CAD name.
<$CAD_NAME>.zip
* 
Design data in the old model is secondary content.
* 
Non-separable design data is converted to a family table.
* 
Design data in the new model is primary content.