Exporting HMI Recipe Records to TIA Portal: KTP400 Guide

Overview

During prototype commissioning of a Siemens S7-1200 machine controlled by a KTP400 HMI, recipe data records are typically authored on the panel and written to PLC tags at runtime. When the integrator must mirror those production recipes back into the TIA Portal project (for documentation, version control, or migration to a new HMI image), the default approach of exporting a .csv file to a USB stick is often impractical: panels are frequently installed inside locked cabinets, behind doors, or in locations where a service engineer cannot easily reach the front USB port without partial disassembly.

This reference documents the supported Siemens workflows for retrieving recipe data records from a KTP400 (or any Comfort/Comfort-like HMI) and importing them into a TIA Portal project without physically swapping external media. The procedures cover:

• ProSave recipe database backup over Ethernet (works on both Basic and Comfort panels).
• TIA Portal V20 import/export of the configuration-side recipe database for WinCC Runtime Professional.
• PN/PN-coupler and S7-1200 tag mirroring as a fallback when HMI-side export is not feasible.

The flow follows the same logic as Siemens' official FAQ on HMI project migration, where the recipe database is treated as a transferable binary object between the runtime and the engineering station.

Prerequisites

Confirm the panel can be reached from the engineering station. From a Windows command prompt:

(substitute the HMI's actual PROFINET IP). A successful reply within < 5 ms indicates the panel is online and reachable. If the request times out, verify the X1/X2 port assignment, the configured transfer mode, and any firewall rules blocking TCP/UDP ports 102, 443, and 5000.

Method 1 — ProSave Recipe Database Backup over Ethernet

ProSave is the official Siemens service tool that performs the same upload/download operations as the USB stick, but over an Ethernet link. It is the only method that recovers a live recipe database (all data records, all structure values, all date/time stamps) from a panel whose project is unknown or has been deleted from TIA Portal.

Step 1: Configure the PC/PG interface

1. Open Control Panel → Set PG/PC Interface (the legacy 32-bit control panel shipped with TIA Portal).
2. Select S7ONLINE (STEP 7) → TCP/IP → <your network adapter>.
3. Set the access point S7ONLINE to the same adapter.

Step 2: Put the HMI in Transfer mode

On the KTP400 navigate to Start → Settings → Transfer (or use the operator button sequence Ctrl + Alt + Del equivalent on a touch panel: Start → Service → Transfer). Enable the transfer channel and note the IP address. If the panel was configured with Automatic transfer, it will already accept a project push from any source after a power cycle.

Step 3: Launch ProSave and select the panel

1. Start ProSave from C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\Portal V20\Data\ProSave.exe (path varies with the TIA version).
2. In the General tab, set Device type to KTP400 Basic color PN (or the exact article number visible on the back of the panel: 6AV2 123-2DB03-0AX0 for the color 4" Basic).
3. Set Connection to Ethernet / PROFINET.
4. Enter the HMI IP address; leave the default port 5000 unless the project explicitly changed it.
5. Click Connect. ProSave should report Connection established in the status bar.

Step 4: Backup the recipe database

1. Switch to the Recipes tab (in older ProSave builds the tab is labelled Recipe view).
2. Click Backup (in some builds: Save as).
3. Choose a target folder on the PC, e.g. D:\Recipes\KTP400_Project\2026-01-14\.
4. Confirm. The recipe database is written to a single file with the panel's project name and the extension .dat. Typical filename: Recipe_Project_KTP400.dat.

Step 5: Restore or re-import into TIA Portal

1. In TIA Portal, open the HMI device configuration and open the Recipes node.
2. Right-click the recipe and choose Restore from backup (or drag the .dat onto the recipe entry). TIA Portal validates that the recipe structure matches the configuration; mismatched structures raise error 1900H: Recipe structure mismatch.
3. Click Compile → HMI → Software (rebuild all) so the imported data records become part of the HMI image.

The same ProSave dialog can also be used to restore the recipe database back onto the panel after a factory reset, which is the symmetric reverse path: Recipes → Restore → Select .dat file.

Method 2 — TIA Portal V20 Configuration Import/Export

For WinCC Runtime Professional, TIA Portal V20 provides first-class CSV import/export of the configuration-side recipe database. This method does not require the HMI to be online; it operates on the engineering project directly. It is the fastest path when the same recipes must be re-deployed to several machines or when the recipe set is being documented as part of a recipe-management workflow.

The official V20 documentation is published at Importing recipes into the configuration and exporting them again.

Step 1: Open the Recipes editor

1. In TIA Portal project tree, expand HMI → Recipes.
2. Double-click the recipe to open the table editor (Structure / Elements / Data records tabs).

Step 2: Export existing data records

1. Select the Data records tab.
2. Click Data records → Export → CSV.
3. Choose a target path. A *.csv file is created with the following structure:

Name;Version;Status;Date;Time;Author;Comment;Field1;Field2;Field3
DARK;1;OK;2025-11-04;14:21:08;Operator1;Line 1 dark theme;120;55;0
LIGHT;1;OK;2025-11-04;14:21:55;Operator1;Line 1 light theme;255;255;0

Subsequent columns are the recipe elements in the order defined in the recipe structure. The separator is locale-aware (semicolon in German/European locales, comma in US English); the export dialog reports the actual separator used.

Step 3: Import a CSV back into the configuration

1. Edit the CSV in Excel or a text editor.
2. Return to TIA Portal, Data records → Import → CSV.
3. Select the file. TIA Portal validates each row against the recipe structure; incompatible types are flagged with a red marker and a tooltip explaining the violation (e.g. Field1 out of range 0..65535).
4. Click Apply. The data records are merged into the project; existing records with the same Name + Version are overwritten.

Step 4: Push the updated recipes to the panel

1. Compile and download the HMI to the panel. The compile operation packages all data records into the runtime image.
2. Alternatively, use Online → Recipe management → Download recipe data records only to push just the recipe data without recompiling the full project. This option is available with TIA V17+ and reduces panel downtime during commissioning.

Method 3 — Ethernet-Based CSV Export from the Panel Itself

When the cabinet is sealed but a network drop is available, the panel's built-in Export function can be re-pointed to a network share, eliminating the USB stick entirely. The mechanism is the same one Siemens describes for migration scenarios: the Storage location for recipe exports is configurable per recipe.

Step 1: Map a network share on the engineering PC

1. Create a folder on the PC, e.g. C:\HMI_Recipe_Drop\.
2. Share it as HMI_Recipe_Drop$ with read/write access for the panel account. The panel's User management credentials must match.
3. Note the UNC path: \\192.168.0.50\HMI_Recipe_Drop$.

Step 2: Configure the export path in the recipe

1. In TIA Portal, open the HMI recipe editor.
2. For the recipe, set Properties → Storage location to \\192.168.0.50\HMI_Recipe_Drop$.
3. Recompile and download the HMI project so the new path is active on the panel.

Step 3: Trigger the export from the panel

From the runtime recipe view, press Export. The panel writes a CSV directly to the share, and the engineer can pick it up from the PC without opening the cabinet.

Method 4 — Fallback: Mirror Recipe Data Through the S7-1200

If none of the above methods are available (locked-down panel, no ProSave license, mixed-protocol environment), the recipe data records can be reconstructed by reading the corresponding tags on the S7-1200. The S7-1200 retains the last values written by the panel, so a snapshot of those DBs effectively reproduces the recipe state at the moment of last write.

Step 1: Identify the recipe DB

Recipes on a Basic panel are stored in a fixed DB generated by TIA Portal, typically DB_RECIPES or the DB whose name matches the recipe (e.g. DB_Recipe_ColorMix). In TIA Portal, open Project tree → PLC_1 → Program blocks → System blocks → Recipe data blocks.

Step 2: Read the DB online

1. In TIA Portal, expand PLC_1 → Watch & force tables.
2. Create a watch table referencing every element of the recipe DB.
3. Go online. The current values appear.
4. Use Snapshot → Save as CSV to record the live state.

Step 3: Replay into the configuration

The captured values can be typed into a new data record in the TIA Portal Recipes editor. This is tedious for recipes with many elements and is therefore a last-resort method; reserve it for one-off recoveries when the HMI's own export channel is unavailable.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Verification

After any of the four methods, perform the following checks to confirm a successful transfer:

1. File integrity: open the recovered .dat or CSV and confirm that the record count matches the panel's runtime display. On a Basic panel, navigate to Start → Recipes; the count of data records shown must equal the number of rows in the file.
2. Structure check: re-import the recovered file into a clean TIA Portal test project. TIA Portal reports the import as successful only if every element type, every name, and every limit value match.
3. End-to-end roundtrip: download the recovered recipes to a panel, perform a Save from runtime, then re-export. The two CSVs must be byte-identical (or differ only in the timestamp columns). This is the strongest field-proven validation.
4. PLC cross-check: if the recipe drives PLC tags, switch each data record and confirm the expected tag value is written to the S7-1200. Use a watch table to observe the value at the moment the panel issues a Write to PLC command.

Field-Proven Notes

• Firmware parity. ProSave must be the same major version as the panel's runtime image. Mixing a V16 ProSave with a V14 panel raises 0xE001 even when the connection is otherwise correct. Always check Panel → Start → System → Version before opening ProSave.
• Recipe quota. KTP400 Basic supports up to 32 recipes with 32 elements each and 32 data records per recipe, and 256 KB of total recipe data. Comfort panels scale to 1000+ recipes and 4 GB. Confirm the engineering project stays within quota, especially when copying data records between machines.
• Cabinet-free commissioning. On modern machines, the Engineering Station PC and the HMI are usually on the same managed switch. Configuring the export path as a network share (Method 3) is the lowest-friction workflow for ongoing engineering changes; the USB stick is reserved for situations where the network is intentionally air-gapped for cyber-security reasons.
• Cybersecurity. When the recipe database contains proprietary process parameters (temperatures, pressures, setpoints for a paint line, etc.), restrict the ProSave backup folder with NTFS ACLs and encrypt the folder at rest. The CSV export shares the same sensitivity profile.
• Version control. Commit recovered recipes to the project's \Recipe\<date>\ folder and reference the TIA Portal project revision that produced them. This is mandatory for ISO 9001 / GMP environments where recipe traceability is auditable.

Related Standards & References

The recipe-handling workflows described above are aligned with:

• Siemens FAQ 98784532 — HMI project migration and recipe transfer — primary reference for the ProSave .dat backup path.
• Siemens TIA Portal V20 online help: Importing recipes into the configuration and exporting them again — covers WinCC Runtime Professional CSV import/export.
• General recipe management concept reference: Weintek Recipe Database User Manual — vendor-neutral description of upload/download semantics via a utility manager, useful for cross-vendor understanding.

FAQ