A special interface in the DDR PHY allows real time data to be captured from within the DDR memory system. It enables the tool to run numerous and different analyses to check the shape of the entire DDR memory system, including the package, board, and DDR-SDRAM device(s). It can be used to determine DDR memory system margins and identify board or DDR component peculiarities, or tune various parameters to compensate for issues that have been uncovered.