National Instruments NI 6120 - Manual (Page 15)

Chapter 1 Introduction
NI 6115/6120 User Manual 1-4 ni.com
Software Programming Choices
When programming National Instruments DAQ hardware, you can use an
NI application development environment (ADE) or other ADEs. In either
case, you use NI-DAQ.
NI-DAQ
NI-DAQ, which shipped with the NI 6115/6120, has an extensive library of
functions that you can call from the ADE. These functions allow you to use
all the features of the device.
NI-DAQ carries out many of the complex interactions, such as
programming interrupts, between the computer and the DAQ hardware.
NI-DAQ maintains a consistent software interface among its different
versions so that you can change platforms with minimal modifications
to the code. Whether you are using LabVIEW, LabWindows
™ /CVI ™ ,
Measurement Studio, VI Logger, or other ADEs, your application uses
NI-DAQ, as illustrated in Figure 1-1.