diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 9aa3fea11adfb6ebf4fb1c804ad44d426fdaa666..f447168b9c930d3416ceb1b8b09c1b446a4ec3b7 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ if(BUILD_TESTING)
   enable_testing()
   add_subdirectory(DDTest)
 
+  set(BUILDNAME "${CMAKE_SYSTEM}-${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER}-${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}" CACHE STRING "set build string for cdash")
+
 endif(BUILD_TESTING)
 
 #---Documentation-------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -112,6 +114,7 @@ add_subdirectory(DDRec)
 add_subdirectory(DDEve)
 add_subdirectory(DDDetectors)
 
+
 if(DD4HEP_USE_GEANT4)
 
   #--- create a geant4 variables for the thisdd4hep.sh script
diff --git a/examples/CMakeLists.txt b/examples/CMakeLists.txt
index b794abbb1488bc4025960807a57025d7d4dfa0d6..6f13bab243720fde0ad9304af3214ca358b54c42 100644
--- a/examples/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/examples/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -21,7 +21,11 @@ option(BUILD_TESTING "Enable and build tests" ON)
 if(BUILD_TESTING)
 include(CTest)
 enable_testing()
+
+set(BUILDNAME "${CMAKE_SYSTEM}-${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER}-${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}" CACHE STRING "set build string for cdash")
+
 endif(BUILD_TESTING)
+
 #----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 #
 # (un)comment as needed