CDM Settings for Comparisons: General

To go to this tab, click the Settings toolbar button and select the Compare tab. In the Compare tab, double-click in the Value field of the General option.

Defines the tolerance with which the Compare action is conducted, how the output file is structured, and the elements it contains. The following settings are possible:

• Compare mode

  Defines the extent to which minimal differences in the numbers, resulting from rounding up or down, conversion formula or different number formats in data formats such as CVX and DCM, can be skipped.

  exact	Two values are considered as different if their physical values do not match exactly. This mode allows you to detect all differences.
  tolerant	Two values are considered as different only if the destination value would actually change if it were overwritten by the source value and quantization. Differences resulting from a comparison in the opposite direction are ignored. This mode allows you to permit small differences that have no effect on the destination value. If the Float data type contains numbers or the inverse formula is not available (formula is not strictly monotonous), a fraction is used.   For Float 32 / Float 64: Epsilon by IEEE   For Integers: 1/data value range If the source and destination are exchanged, different results can occur. A source value with a high resolution, for example, long, does not change a destination value with a low resolution, for example, word. The other way round, the destination value would be changed.
  tolerant bi-directional	Two values are only considered as different if a destination value would be changed when overwritten by a source value and a source value would be changed when overwritten by a destination value followed by quantization. Differences resulting from a comparison in one direction only are ignored. This mode allows you to permit small differences. This is useful for making comparisons independently of source and destination behavior. It allows a fast overview. Small differences are possibly not detected since only changes in both directions cause inequality. A source value with a low resolution, for example, word, changes a destination value with a high resolution, for example, long. The other way round, the procedure does not cause any change, and the difference is not detected.
  format (ASAM-2MC)	Two values are considered as different only if their physical values differ within the precision defined by the ASAM-2MC file. If datasets are compared with different precision criteria, the lowest precision is used for all datasets. Differences resulting from a too small precision specification in the A2L file are ignored. This mode uses the display format defined in the A2L file and compares the result strings.
  format (ASAM-2MC) using the maximum of the decimals	Two values are considered as different only if their physical values differ within the precision defined by the ASAM-2MC file. If datasets are compared with different precision criteria, the highest precision is used for all datasets. Differences resulting from a too small precision specification in the A2L file are ignored. This mode uses the display format defined in the A2L file and compares the result strings.

  Note
  The precision to be used for compare operations is affected by three different option settings: Compare mode, Use precision for compare as well as the setting Maximum precision in the INCA user options for data exchange. Depending on the selected setting, the same compare operations can produce different results.

  Detailed information on precision

• Use precision for compare

  Data exchange files contain only the physical values of the data without information on data type. INCA uses the data type Float 64 internally for data from data exchange files; INCA also determines the precision of the values contained in the data exchange file and saves the determined precision together with the value.

  You can use this option to define whether INCA uses the internally used precision for data from data exchange files or the precision used in the data exchange files.

  For data exchange files only	In the case of data exchange files, the precision of the data contained in the data exchange files is used (default setting).
  never	In the case of compare operations, the internally used precision is generally used (Float 64).

  Note
  The precision to be used for compare operations is affected by three different option settings: Compare mode, Use precision for compare as well as the setting Maximum precision in the INCA user options for data exchange. Depending on the selected setting, the same compare operations can produce different results. For datasets, the precision of the data type used here is always used.

  Detailed information on precision

• Compare array

  Defines how CDM behaves during the comparison of arrays of different sizes. The following criteria can be used for the comparison: sequence and position of the values, number of values, size (content) of the individual values.

  same sequence, same size (default setting)	Arrays are only recognized as identical if they have the same number of values, if they come in the same order and if the values are equal in size.
  same sequence, same position	The data of the source dataset must be present in the destination dataset in the same order, starting with the first value. Arrays can be considered equal, although the array in the destination dataset has a larger number of values than in the source dataset; any additional values, however, have to be appended at the end.
  same sequence, interrupts allowed	The data of the source dataset must be present in the destination dataset in the same order; interrupts are allowed here, i.e. additional values can be inserted in the destination dataset. Arrays can be considered equal, although the array in the destination dataset has a larger number of values than in the source dataset; additional values can be inserted at any position.
  different sequence, same content	The data of the source dataset must be present in the destination dataset, position and order, however, are irrelevant here. Each value of the source must appear at least once in the destination; however, if a value appears more than once, it also has to appear more than once in the destination dataset. The destination dataset can contain additional values.
  different sequence, at least once	The data of the source dataset must be present in the destination dataset, position and order, however, are irrelevant here. Each value of the source must appear at least once in the destination; however, if a value appears more than once, it has to appear just once in the destination dataset. The destination dataset can contain additional values.

• Instant Compare

  Defines whether the variables of the source dataset – if inserted in the Variables (& functions) to process list – are compared immediately with the variables of the active destination dataset. The results of the instant comparison are displayed as symbol next to the variables.

  Detailed information on Instant Compare

• Instant Compare - Destination Highlighting

  Determines if the results of the Instant Compare of parameter values and quality meta data values are displayed as symbols in the destination dataset.

• Write title

  Prints a title page at the beginning of the output file. The title page contains general information such as user name and date, plus a summary of compared datasets.

• Write table of contents

  Generates a list of contents for the output file.

• Write header

  Generates a header for each page of the output file. The header contains the name of the current dataset, the company name, the current date, page number and version number of the CDM software.

• Sort output

  Specifies the sort criterion for the output file. The file can be sorted by variable, address, function or attribute.

• Overview (table)

  Defines whether the summary table contains all attributes or only those found with different attribute values during the comparison.

• Write conversions

  Defines how conversion formulae are listed in the output file:

  for each variable	Conversion formulae are listed complete for the variables for which they apply.
  only once	Conversion formulae are listed once only as overview. In the variables, a reference is made to the formulae.

• Write group axis overview

  Defines how in the case of group axis points the axis points distributions are listed in the output file:

  only of selected axes	Axis point distributions are only output if they are listed in the group field Variables {and functions} to process. In the case of den characteristic curves and maps, reference is made to the axis point distribution in each case.
  of all referenced axes	Axis point distributions are listed once as an overview; this is also the case if they are not listed in the group field Variables (& functions) to process. In the case of the characteristic curves and maps, reference is made to the axis point distribution in each case.

• Missing axis warning

  Defines whether a warning is written to the output file if axes are missing.

• Display multiple maps in single table

  Defines whether one table containing the values from multiple compared datasets is output per variable when maps are output. Alternatively, a separate table is printed for each comparison dataset.

• Write different attributes

  Defines how the summary for differences for the individual variables is printed:

  All	Shows all selected attributes for which differences were found.
  only once	Shows only the most important of the selected attributes for which differences were found.
  no	Shows no summary of differences for a variable.

• List differences by attribute

  Defines whether the listing is arranged by individual attributes or variables.

• Write missing variables

  Defines whether missing variables are listed in the output file.

• Output format for 2-dataset comparison

  Defines whether a special format is used for the output of the comparison of two datasets or whether the generally valid format of the N-variant comparison is retained.

• Use color for compared datasets

  Uses different colors for the datasets in the output file (for HTML output format only).

• List missing variables

  Generates a list of variables that were missing in the comparison target.

• List new variables

  Generates a list of variables added to the comparison target.

• Write summary

  Prints a summary of comparison results in the output file.

• Write appendix

  Generates an appendix at the end of the output file. The appendix contains the names of all output variables. Miscellaneous sortings are possible for the appendix.

• Sort appendix

  Specifies the sort criterion for the appendix of the output file. The following sort methods are possible:

  No	Variables are printed according to their sequence in the datasets.
  Dataset	Variables are sorted by name.

• Sort variable file

  Specifies the sort criterion for the variable file. The file can be sorted by variable, address, function or attribute.

• Sort new and missing variable file

  Specifies the sort criterion for the output file for new and missing variables. The file can be sorted by variable, address, function or attribute.

• Sort error and warning variable file

  Specifies the sort criterion for the output file for errors and warnings. The file can be sorted by variable, address, function or the error/warning type.

See also

CDM Settings Dialog Box