Test System Tradeoffs?

Data acquisition plays a major role in any electronic test system. But you deal with both analog and digital devices. And you have wired and wireless systems, and a variety of communications protocols and connector types. So my question is, what tradeoffs do you need to make when designing your test system? Software, operating systems, memory, and so on are digital. How much is performance affected by your selection of analog data converters, op amps, multiplexers, and other devices? Are there certain basic steps to build upon to ensure success? What guidelines do you recommend?

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