4 VISTA Data Level Architecture

The data level of the VISTA system was designed to meet most of the requirements stated in Chapter 2.1.2. It features:

• A layered procedural interface for applications to store and retrieve all TCAD relevant data,

• Language bindings to FORTRAN, C, and LISP,

• A common ASCII interchange format (profile interchange format, PIF),

• A compact binary storage format (PIF logical binaries, PLBs),

• Parallel access to different PLBs,

• The ability to build databases of PLBs into PIF binary files (PBFs),

• Database utilities to manage PBFs,

• Networking capabilities.

• 4.1 Design Guidelines
• 4.2 PIF - The Intersite Format
• 4.3 PBF - The Intertool Format
• 4.4 Comparison to Other Approaches