Ascent: Migrate DE-HDL & OrCAD X Capture to Allegro X PCB System Capture

The electronics design world is moving fast, and teams are starting to feel the limits of their existing schematic workflows with Allegro X Design Entry HDL (DE-HDL) or OrCAD X Capture. As design complexity increases and product cycles shrink, engineering organizations need tools that make collaboration smoother, improve traceability, and simplify library management.

That future-ready environment is available in Allegro X PCB System Capture, and the good news is that powerful, automated tools are available to help you migrate DE‑HDL and OrCAD X Capture designs with ease and confidence.

Why Upgrade to System Capture Now?

System Capture isn’t just a new schematic editor—it’s a complete overhaul of how teams design, track changes, manage variants, and transfer logic to layout using an integrated, fast interface. Everything you need is available within the same application.

With DE-HDL discontinued and OrCAD X Capture workflows becoming more complex, moving to System Capture ensures your team is fully prepared for the upcoming design demands.

The advantages of switching to System Capture include:

• A clean, modern, intuitive UI.
• Unified libraries for quick part selection.
• Built‑in revision control for complete traceability.
• Advanced multi-board system design for complex architectures.
• Comprehensive integrity and analysis tools, such as electrical overstress (EOS), mean time between failures (MTBF), power topology analysis, and thermal analysis.
• Flexible management of variants.
• Seamless integration with Allegro X and OrCAD X, including a faster PCB layout interface built directly into System Capture.

Migration Utilities  

Powerful yet light migration utilities are available to move legacy DE-HDL and OrCAD X Capture designs. With the utilities, you can:

• Migrate setup.
• Analyze libraries and designs.
• Report unsupported or partially supported features.
• List corrective actions needed in the source or the migrated designs.
• Compare the source designs with the System Capture designs and report differences, such as netlists, board routing, and so on.

This built-in verification reduces manual cleanup, saves time, and provides clear assurance that the migration is correct and complete.

For more details, you can explore the following resources:

• DE‑HDL Deployment and Migration Assistant Utility
• OrCAD Capture CIS to System Capture Migration Utility
• Recorded Migration Webinar

Boost Your Skills with Virtual Training

To help you unlock the full power of Allegro X System Capture, we are offering the following instructor-led virtual training sessions in a Blended/Virtual format that are designed to elevate your expertise:

• Allegro X System Capture Basics
  05 May 2026  
• Allegro X System Capture Front-to-Back Flow
  06-08 May 2026 

You can also enroll in the free Online Training courses available on the Cadence ASK platform:

• Allegro X System Capture Basics v25.1 (Online)
• Allegro X System Capture Front-to-Back Flow v25.1 (Online)

Please reach out to us at Cadence Training if you would like to register for one of the training sessions. 

Want To Level Up Even Faster?

If you want structured learning, pair the Training Bytes with Accelerated Learning, where you can test out of what you already know and focus only on areas that need attention, saving even more time. 

You can become Cadence Certified once you complete the course.

Cadence Training Services offers free Digital Badges for all popular online training courses. These badges indicate proficiency in a certain technology or skill and give you a way to validate your expertise to managers and potential employers. You can add the digital badge to your email signature or any social media channels, such as Facebook or LinkedIn, to highlight your expertise.

To find out more, see the blog post Take a Cadence Masterclass and Get a Badge.

You might also be interested in the Learning Map that guides you through recommended course flows as well as tool experience and knowledge-level training modules. Find out how to get an account on the Cadence Learning and Support portal.

SUBSCRIBE to the Cadence training newsletter to be updated about upcoming training, webinars, and much more. If you have any questions about courses, schedules, online training, blended/virtual live training, or public, or onsite live training, reach out to us at Cadence Training.

Click the training byte link now or visit Cadence Support and search for this training byte under Video Library.

Related Training Bytes

• How to Use Version Control and Track Versions in Allegro X System Capture Project
• Creating a Design Variants/Stuffings in the Allegro X System Capture Project
• How to Add a DE-HDL Library Part/Component in the Allegro X System Capture Schematic
• How to Use Selection Filter in the Allegro X System Capture Project
• Beginner's Guide to Editing Allegro X System Capture Projects
• Creating a Personalized Application Theme and Preferences in the Allegro X System Capture Projects
• Find and Replace the Components/Nets/Property in the Allegro X System Capture Schematic
• How to Create a new hierarchical block and add a block to the schematic in the Allegro X System Capture Project

Related Blogs

• Ascent: Training Insights: Learn Allegro X System Capture from the Experts
• Ascent: Training Insights: Controlling Design Versions in Allegro System Capture
•  Frequently Asked Troubleshooting Questions on Cadence ASK
• Training Insights Accelerated Learning–The More You Know, the Faster You Go