What Is Test Data Management? | Page: 5 of 5 | Previous: Page 4: Use cases for Test Data Management?

The discipline of managing engineering test data is known by several names. Test data management, Measurement data management, and Measured data management all describe the same practice of organizing, governing, and analyzing physical measurement data. The terminology varies by industry and region. This guide uses test data management as the primary term because it aligns with the ASAM ODS standard and matches the most common search queries in the automotive and engineering context.

This guide has traced a path from the problem (scattered, ungoverned test data costing engineering organizations time and money) through the data itself (what it is, who produces it, what formats exist) to the standard that provides the foundation (ASAM ODS) and the roles and organizations that benefit from managing it systematically. This final page presents HighQSoft's approach to test data management software: the five principles that guide every product, the solution architecture that implements them, and the path from first evaluation to production deployment.

Every HighQSoft product is designed around five principles that define effective test data management at enterprise scale. These principles are not abstract ideals; they are engineering requirements that HighQSoft has refined over 25 years of production deployments at BMW, Bosch, Cummins, Ford, and Honda. Each principle addresses a specific failure mode that organizations encounter when test data outgrows file shares and ad-hoc processes.

HighQSoft's product portfolio covers four domains of the test data lifecycle. Each domain groups the products that work together to solve a specific class of challenges, from getting data into the system through storing, managing, and analyzing it at scale.Together, these four domains form a complete test data management platform where every component is
+ designed to work with the others, built on the ASAM ODS standard, and proven in production at major automotive OEMs.

Before test data can be managed, it must enter the system in a structured, validated form. HighQSoft's ModelMapper (MoMa) is a rule-driven ETL engine that imports measurement data from CSV, MDF4, ATFX, and other formats into the ASAM ODS repository. With approximately 455 built-in transformation rules and support for custom Java rules, MoMa automates the format normalization that would otherwise require manual conversion for every incoming dataset. HighQSoft's Catalog Editor enforces naming standards at the point of data entry, ensuring that signals recorded by different engineers at different labs carry consistent names, units, and classifications.

Once data is onboarded, it needs governed, scalable storage. HighQSoft's AReS Libertas is the enterprise ASAM ODS 6 server that stores and governs test data. AReS Libertas uses a mixed-mode architecture where metadata is stored in SQL databases (optimized for fast queries) and mass data is stored in dedicated repositories (optimized for throughput). HighQSoft's Janus Platform extends storage into federation, virtualizing multiple ODS servers, file systems, and cloud storage behind a single ASAM ODS interface. Janus Platform scales elastically on Kubernetes and supports bidirectional data space participation for sovereign data exchange.

Stored data must be findable, explorable, and shareable. HighQSoft's ASAMCommander is the web-based portal that engineers use daily to find, explore, and work with test data. ASAMCommander Lite is free and works with any ASAM ODS server. ASAMCommander Professional adds administration, Merlin UI, exporters, and integration with MATLAB, DIAdem, and AVL Concerto. For programmatic access, HighQSoft's HQL (HighQSoft Query Language) provides SQL-like queries available as a REST web service, Java library, command-line client, and through pyHQL for Python integration.

The final domain transforms raw measurements into engineering insights. HighQSoft's Merlin Analysis Server automates analysis workflows, executing jobs written in Python, MATLAB, Java, or Apache Spark. Merlin runs thousands of jobs daily at BMW, Ford, and Bosch without manual intervention. HighQSoft's ASAM ODS Toolbox for MATLAB gives engineers direct read/write access to governed test data from within MATLAB, a capability unique to HighQSoft. HighQSoft's MCP Server and Claire add AI-assisted access, enabling engineers to query measurements in plain English through Claude or ChatGPT. These are production products available today.

Starting with test data management does not require a multi-year transformation program. HighQSoft's modular architecture allows organizations to begin with a single use case and expand as the value becomes clear.

Download HighQSoft's free web client and connect it to an existing ASAM ODS system, or request a trial instance. ASAMCommander Lite works with any ASAM ODS server, including third-party systems like AVL Santorin and Eclipse openMDM. This gives engineering teams an immediate window into what structured test data access looks like in practice.

Most organizations begin with the test domain that feels the most pain, often powertrain or engine testing, where data volumes are high and the demand for automation is strongest. HighQSoft's team configures a pilot deployment that demonstrates search, analysis automation, and tool integration using the organization's own data.

Once one domain proves the value, additional domains follow. The ASAM ODS data model is flexible enough to accommodate every test domain's specific metadata while providing the shared infrastructure for cross-domain search, automation, and governance.

HighQSoft's team provides live demonstrations tailored to specific test domains and data management challenges. Contact HighQSoft to discuss your organization's test data management requirements, request a demonstration of the platform, or download ASAMCommander Lite to start exploring immediately.

HighQSoft provides test data management solutions for automotive OEMs and engineering organizations. HighQSoft's ASAM ODS-based platform, including the AReS Libertas server, Janus federated platform, and Merlin Analysis Server, serves BMW, Ford, Volkswagen, Bosch, Cummins, and Honda with over 25 years of production deployments. This guide explains what engineering test data management is, why it matters, and how organizations implement it at enterprise scale.