The two responsible are often asked about certification. The most important questions are therefore listed here.
What types of certification are there?
Firstly, there is standard certification. A defined number of K fields can be written correctly. This could be confirmed in a standard certification with a list of K-fields.
The correct way is to certify to the AQDEF standard. In addition to the K-field list, all of the working group's requirements (both data flow and format) must be met.
Is AQDEF owned by Q-DAS or Hexagon?
No, the working group is an industry working group, completely separate from Q-DAS or Hexagon. The two people responsible for the certifications are authorised by Q-DAS to act completely outside Hexagon during their work for the working group and are only accountable to the members of the working group during this time.
How long does certification take?
The length of time really only depends on how much time is taken to develop the measurement software. This can take weeks or years. Usually the process is such that AQDEF certification is started and after a short time a "usable" format can be used, even though certification is not yet complete. The gaps are then gradually closed until certification is achieved.
What does certification cost?
A standard certification, i.e. "only" writing a limited number of K-fields, is charged by the hour.
An initial AQDEF certification, on the other hand, is free of charge. However, the working time of the 2 contact persons is limited to approximately 20 hours per certification.
The reason for offering this "cost neutral" service has the following background: Coming from the software industry, the contact persons are aware of the internal costs incurred by the measurement software manufacturers. However, an AQDEF certified interface will cause very few problems for the end customer. And as a Q-DAS company with the goal of complete automation, this can only be a desirable state to strive for.
Who can be certified?
Only a specific version of the software of a measuring instrument can be certified. A certificate is valid "from" this version of the software, provided that no changes are made to the DFQ output.
Who chooses the AQDEF category?
The category to be certified is determined by one of the two contact persons of the working group and depends on the features that the measurement software can record.
Are there exceptions to the requirements for AQDEF certification?
Yes, if it can be technically justified, requirements or parts of requirements can be ignored, and this will be noted on the certificate. However, the requirements that cannot be met will be presented to the members for prior approval at the next working group meeting.
Who can write the format?
Any manufacturer of a measuring instrument can write the format. With or without certification.
Does AQDEF certification affect the measurement software?
Yes, of course it does. Fields must be made available; catalogue access must be enabled and defined field contents must be made available.
What does the AQDEF working group require?
There is a misconception that AQDEF is just a few fields. This is not true. In addition to the pure format, it is also the data flow, the notation, the filename generation, the handshake and the like that are part of a data exchange.
Can converters be certified according to AQDEF?
No. One of the basic requirements of AQDEF is that the output of the Q-DAS ASCII transfer format is an integral part of the measurement software.
Does the AQDEF certified measurement software cover everything that can be done with the Q-DAS software?
No. The Q-DAS software has many more capabilities. The AQDEF has limited itself to the basic format. Many more options are available and will be covered during certification.
Is the ISO/TR a copy of the AQDEF?
No. While the AQDEF defines fixed field names, in the ISO these are a "proposal to be agreed between the measurement generating system and the measurement processing system". The AQDEF allows any notation that the Q-DAS software can read; the ISO has agreed on the simplest format. However, for many years AQDEF certifications have been carried out using only the ISO notation to ensure that the ISO requirements are met.