Why is the compilation time unexpectedly long in the Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition software version 20.2 and earlier?

Due to a problem in the Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition software version 20.2 and earlier, you may see the compile time is unexpectedly long for designs targeting Intel® Stratix® 10 devices. This is because of some slow rule checkers in the Design Assistant and the Design Assistant flow is enabled by default.   

To work around this problem, disable the DA flow: 

1. Check off "Enable Design Assistant execution during compilation" in Settings ->  Design Assistant Rule Settings or 
2. Write the following QSF assignment in your project's QSF:    

set_global_assignment -name FLOW_ENABLE_DESIGN_ASSISTANT ON

This problem is fixed starting with the Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition software version 20.3.