Debt Credit Facility (Details Textual) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Jan. 02, 2016 USD ($)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Outstanding borrowings under Revolving Credit Facility	$ 50,000	$ 0
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Credit facility, current borrowing capacity	250,000
Credit facility, additional borrowing capacity available	150,000
Credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity	$ 400,000
Credit facility, maturity date	Sep. 19, 2019
Credit facility, interest rate at period end	2.51%
Outstanding borrowings under Revolving Credit Facility	$ 50,000	$ 0
Credit facility, interest rate description	Interest accrues on borrowings under the credit facility at either LIBOR plus a margin between 1.25% and 2.0% per annum or at the base rate plus a margin between 0.25% and 1.0% per annum. The interest rate applied to borrowings is determined by Cadence’s consolidated leverage ratio as specified by the credit facility agreement. Interest is payable quarterly.
Credit facility, covenant description	The credit facility contains customary negative covenants that, among other things, restrict Cadence’s ability to incur additional indebtedness, grant liens, make certain investments (including acquisitions), dispose of certain assets and make certain payments, including share repurchases and dividends. In addition, the credit facility contains financial covenants that require Cadence to maintain a leverage ratio not to exceed 2.75 to 1, and a minimum interest coverage ratio of 3 to 1.
Credit facility, covenant compliance	As of December 31, 2016 and January 2, 2016, Cadence was in compliance with all financial covenants associated with the revolving credit facility.
Maximum [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Credit facility, commitment fee percentage	0.35%
Minimum [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Credit facility, commitment fee percentage	0.20%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Credit facility, covenant, leverage ratio	2.75
Interest coverage ratio	3
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Credit facility, interest rate spread	2.00%
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Credit facility, interest rate spread	1.25%
Base Rate [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Credit facility, interest rate spread	1.00%
Base Rate [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Credit facility, interest rate spread	0.25%