When compiling a design in DSE II, the compilation fails if the .qsf does not list all of your design files

When Design Space Explorer (DSE) II compiles a design, it first creates an archive of the design. The Quartus II software archive flow automatically discovers all of your project files, even if they are not listed in the Quartus II Settings File (.qsf). However, the archiving function in DSE II does not automatically discover the files; the archiving step will fail, causing the entire compilation to fail, if the project files are not specifically listed in the .qsf.

This issue is fixed in the Quartus II software version 15.0.

For previous software releases, there are two ways to resolve this problem:.

1. Add the missing files to the .qsf and then recompile the design.
2. Archive your design in the Quartus II software, then in DSE II navigate to Archive Settings > Use existing design archive and specify the archive file in the Quartus II archive (.qar) file name dialog box. Then run the compilation or design exploration.