Importing SIMOCODE ES 2007 .sdp Files into TIA Portal V15

Overview

Engineers who built large SIMOCODE pro V (3UF7) fleets with the legacy SIMOCODE ES 2007 commissioning tool face a hard cutover when a project specifies the current SIMOCODE pro V generation: the new basic units are commissioned exclusively inside TIA Portal using the SIMOCODE ES option package, not via the standalone ES 2007 application. Because the legacy project data lives in proprietary .sdp files, it cannot be re-opened directly by TIA Portal. Siemens provides a documented project-migration path that converts the ES 2007 archives (and the older .sde working files) into TIA Portal-compatible device objects so that parameter sets, device wiring, and logic blocks can be preserved instead of re-entered by hand.

This article focuses on the specific scenario raised in the field: a large number of drives configured in SIMOCODE ES 2007 with file extension .sdp, hardware type 3UF7 010-1A*00-0 at firmware V4.0, that must move into TIA Portal V15 (or V15.1) for re-commissioning on the replacement SIMOCODE pro V basic units. The procedure is built around the Siemens support entry Entry ID 109753874 and the SIMOCODE ES in TIA Portal documentation that is delivered with TIA Portal V15.1 and remains reachable from the TIA Portal V20 documentation tree at SIMOCODE ES – TIA Portal.

SIMOCODE pro V Hardware Identification

Before any migration is attempted, capture the exact MLFB and firmware version of every device in the fleet. The MLFB encodes the device class, the functional scope, the terminal type, and the version release. For the device in this scenario the MLFB root is 3UF7 010-1A*00-0 and the firmware is V4.0.

Firmware V4.0 is the last release line that is fully supported by both SIMOCODE ES 2007 SP* and SIMOCODE ES V15/V15.1 inside TIA Portal. Newer replacement units ship with V5.x firmware that can be downgraded (within a device class) only via TIA Portal, never via ES 2007. Confirm this against the device label and the device's web server (default address 192.168.1.1) before migration.

Prerequisites

1. TIA Portal V15 or V15.1 installed with the SIMOCODE ES option package. The SIMOCODE ES option is selectable in the TIA Portal installer under "Device & Network Engineering -> SIMOCODE ES". V15.1 is recommended because it added CAx data export/import support and one-to-many device transfer features described in SIMOCODE ES – TIA Portal.
2. SIMOCODE ES 2007 still installed on a 32-bit Windows engineering station (Windows 7 / Windows 10 32-bit) so that the original .sdp files can be opened, resaved, and exported. ES 2007 will not run on a 64-bit-only environment.
3. Siemens migration tool / entry - download the migration package referenced in Entry ID 109753874. The package contains a TIA Portal add-in and a project converter.
4. All .sdp project archives available locally. Each .sdp is a ZIP-style archive containing the device's .sde working file plus CAx data; do not unpack them by hand - the Siemens tool reads the archive directly.
5. Administrator rights on the engineering station for registry and DCOM changes that the migration tool performs.
6. Backup of the TIA Portal project shell that will receive the imported devices, even if the shell is empty.

SIMOCODE ES 2007 vs SIMOCODE ES in TIA Portal V15

Understanding the architectural shift is essential before re-using any legacy data. The standalone SIMOCODE ES 2007 application is a 32-bit COM/DCOM tool that talks to a SIMOCODE pro V basic unit over PROFIBUS DP or USB (via the 3UF7 946-1AA01 PC cable). TIA Portal V15 replaces this with an integrated engineering model: every SIMOCODE pro V device becomes a device object in the TIA project tree, parameter sets are stored inside the TIA project database, and online diagnostics are routed through TIA Portal's online portal.

The migration tool bridges these two worlds by opening an .sdp archive, reading the contained parameter set, and instantiating a SIMOCODE pro V device object inside the TIA Portal project with the same parameter set, function block wiring, and protection settings.

Migration Paths

Two paths are available. The correct path depends on whether you still have working .sde files or only archived .sdp packages.

Path A - Direct .sdp to TIA Portal

Use this path when only the archive files are available. The Siemens migration add-in (referenced in Entry ID 109753874) reads the .sdp directly and creates a TIA Portal V15 device object per archive.

Path B - .sdp -> .sde -> TIA Portal

Use this path when intermediate edits are required, for example to align the device version to the replacement MLFB. Open the .sdp in SIMOCODE ES 2007, "Save As" to .sde, make adjustments, re-archive to .sdp, then run the same migration add-in.

Step-by-Step: Migrating .sdp Files to TIA Portal V15

1. Install the migration add-in from the package referenced in Entry ID 109753874. The installer registers a "SIMOCODE Migration" entry under "Start -> Programs -> Siemens Automation -> Tools".
2. Launch TIA Portal V15 / V15.1 and open the receiving project. If starting from scratch, create a new project and add the SIMOCODE pro V device once from the HW catalog to initialize the SIMOCODE ES option. The HW catalog path is: Other field devices -> PROFINET IO / PROFIBUS DP -> SIMOCODE pro V -> 3UF7.
3. Open the migration tool from the Windows Start menu. Select "Source: SIMOCODE ES 2007 archive (.sdp)" and "Target: TIA Portal V15 project". Point the source to the folder containing the .sdp files; sub-folders are scanned recursively.
4. Map each .sdp to a target device slot in the TIA Portal project tree. The tool pre-fills the MLFB, but you can override the target MLFB to the replacement unit (for example 3UF7 011-1A*00-0 for a pro V PROFINET basic unit). Parameters that are not present on the new MLFB are flagged in the mapping report.
5. Run the conversion. The tool extracts each .sdp, parses the parameter set, and instantiates a TIA Portal device object. Function blocks (FB 9, FB 10, FB 11, FB 12, FB 13) are preserved with their interconnections to the PLC tags of the SIMOCODE pro V block.
6. Resolve the mapping report. Common flags: Parameter not supported on target MLFB, Function block version mismatch, Operator panel text length exceeded. Each flag must be acknowledged; unresolvable parameters revert to factory default.
7. Save and compile the TIA Portal project. Compilation writes the new device objects into the project database and validates the SIMOCODE ES option package integrity.
8. Document the device fingerprint: each migrated device receives a new GUID in the TIA project. Keep a CSV mapping {legacy .sdp name, TIA device name, GUID} for FAT/SAT traceability.

Configuring SIMOCODE ES in TIA Portal V15 / V15.1

After migration, the SIMOCODE pro V device object must be wired into the PLC program and, if needed, into the HMI. The following checklist applies to V15.1 with the SIMOCODE ES option package active.

1. Open the device object in the project tree. The navigation pane shows Device view, Parameters, Function blocks, Cyclical data, and Diagnostics.
2. Verify the firmware target: open Parameters -> Device and confirm the firmware shown matches the physical device. For 3UF7 010 with V4.0 firmware, the parameter FW version must read 04.00.00. If it does not, the device will reject the download.
3. Verify the bus address: PROFIBUS address on the 3UF7 010-1A*00-0 is set on the rotary switches on the front of the basic unit; the matching TIA Portal parameter is Parameters -> Bus -> PROFIBUS address. Mismatched addresses are the single largest source of "device not reachable" errors during commissioning.
4. Re-issue the SIMOCODE ES license for the migrated devices. TIA Portal V15 uses a per-device license (or a cumulative license) for the SIMOCODE ES option. Without a valid license the parameters are visible but cannot be downloaded to the device.
5. Download the configuration to each device: right-click the device object -> "Download to device -> Hardware and software". Use the online portal to confirm the device reports back as online before proceeding.
6. Save the parameter set from the device back into the TIA project once commissioning is complete: right-click the device object -> "Upload from device". This step captures any final trim values that were adjusted during the loop check.

Importing CAx Data and Bulk Device Transfer

TIA Portal V15.1 extended the SIMOCODE ES option with multi-device import/export, documented under What is new in TIA Portal V15.1 -> SIMOCODE ES at SIMOCODE ES – TIA Portal. The relevant features for a large drive fleet are:

• Bulk CAx export: select multiple SIMOCODE pro V devices in the project tree, right-click, "Export -> CAx data" produces one combined CAx XML that can be ingested by EPLAN or COMOS.
• Bulk CAx import: the inverse direction, used when the engineering team has prepared the parameter sets externally and wants to push them back into the TIA project. CAx import validates the target MLFB; mismatches are rejected with a per-device error report.
• Bulk parameter copy: in the project tree, drag-and-drop a parameter set from one device object to another to apply it to multiple devices. The receiving devices must share the same MLFB and firmware version or the copy is refused.

Commissioning and Verification

Commissioning a migrated SIMOCODE pro V fleet follows the same FAT/SAT pattern as a green-field project, but with extra verification steps tied to the migration.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Security and Lifecycle Notes

SIMOCODE pro V basic units and TIA Portal V15 fall under the Siemens product security advisories published by CISA. A relevant advisory is ICSA-24-193-13. As of January 10, 2023, CISA no longer updates Siemens ICS security advisories beyond the initial advisory; subscribe to the Siemens Industrial Security RSS feed for ongoing coverage. Before deploying migrated devices on a live network, confirm that the firmware and TIA Portal version are not listed in any open advisory and that the engineering station's SIMOCODE ES installation is patched to the latest service pack (SP) for V15.1.