Migrating WinCC Flexible Projects to TIA Portal WinCC Complete

Overview: WinCC Flexible vs. TIA Portal WinCC

WinCC Flexible was Siemens' standalone HMI configuration suite from 2004 through 2014, used to program SIMATIC Panels, Multi Panels, and Comfort/Mobile Panels that were integrated into STEP 7 V5.x or operated as standalone installations. With the release of TIA Portal (Totally Integrated Automation Portal) in 2010, the HMI engineering environment was folded into the unified engineering framework as SIMATIC WinCC (TIA Portal). WinCC Flexible 2008 SP5 was the final standalone release; maintenance updates stopped in 2018.

The migration path from WinCC Flexible to TIA Portal WinCC is officially supported through the TIA Portal Migration Tool, which converts the source project (including screens, tags, alarms, recipes, scripts, and connections) into a TIA Portal HMI device representation. Direct editing of WinCC Flexible binary data outside this tool is not supported by Siemens; the proprietary .hmi container and embedded binary graphic streams must be parsed by the migration tool to produce a valid TIA Portal project.

Source Project Storage Architecture

Understanding how WinCC Flexible stores project data is critical for engineers performing manual recovery or preparing for migration.

When a WinCC Flexible project is integrated into a STEP 7 V5.x project, the source files are located in a folder called HmiES within the STEP 7 project tree. This folder contains:

• <project>.hmi — the compressed binary project container holding all screens, tags, alarms, recipes, and configuration data.
• Embedded graphic objects stored in compressed internal format (not standard PNG/BMP).
• VB script source code (where applicable).
• Connection and tag database linking to the STEP 7 symbol table.

Standalone WinCC Flexible projects (not integrated with STEP 7) use the same internal container format but reside in a user-selected folder with a single .hmi file. Neither format can be opened, edited, or rendered by external tools — the files are deliberately opaque to protect intellectual property and to enforce configuration integrity.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before initiating the migration, verify the following requirements:

For projects using a 16:9 aspect ratio or high-resolution graphics introduced in newer Comfort Panels, ensure the target TIA Portal version supports the panel's firmware revision. TIA Portal V17 or later is required for Comfort Panels V3 firmware.

Device Substitution: Mapping Old Panels to TIA Portal Devices

WinCC Flexible supported a wide range of SIMATIC Panels, many of which are now discontinued. The TIA Portal migration tool handles device substitution automatically, but engineers should verify the mapping before starting the migration:

Devices that have no direct successor (e.g., OP 73, TP 170A older units) require manual re-engineering as a different panel class with adjusted screen layout.

Step-by-Step Migration Procedure

1. Back up the source project. Copy the .hmi file (standalone) or the entire STEP 7 project folder including the HmiES directory to a secure location. Never migrate from the only copy.
2. Open TIA Portal and create a new project. The migration tool is invoked from the project view, not the portal view.
3. Navigate to Project Tree → Options → Migration. Select "WinCC flexible project" as the source format. The tool path may differ slightly across TIA Portal versions: in V15 and later, it appears under the "Project" menu in the project tree context.
4. Select the source file. Browse to the .hmi file or to the HmiES folder of the STEP 7 project. The migration tool validates the project version and structure.
5. Choose the target device. The tool proposes a successor device based on the substitution table. Confirm or override the selection. If the target is a PC runtime, specify WinCC Runtime Advanced or Professional.
6. Configure transfer options. Select which elements to migrate: screens, tags, alarms, recipes, logs, scripts, scheduled tasks, user administration, and language resources. Skipping elements reduces migration time but increases post-migration rework.
7. Execute the migration. The tool writes a new device node into the TIA Portal project tree. A migration log is generated showing converted objects, warnings, and errors.
8. Review the migration log. Critical items (unsupported objects, truncated tag names, missing connections) appear as warnings that must be addressed manually.
9. Compile the target project. Use "Compile → Software (rebuild all)" to validate the migrated configuration. Compilation errors indicate semantic issues requiring manual correction.
10. Download to the target device (for panel projects) or build the runtime (for PC-based targets). Verify on a test bench before field deployment.

Graphics Conversion: What Actually Happens

The user's specific concern — preserving complex P&ID graphics with all detail — is the most common challenge in WinCC Flexible migration. The conversion behavior depends on the graphic type used in the source project:

For P&ID projects with hundreds of objects per screen, the migration tool preserves the object tree and most property bindings. However, the following items commonly require post-migration attention:

• Layer assignments are converted, but layer visibility logic in scripts may need rewriting.
• Animation sequences (appearance, disappearance, movement) translate to the TIA Portal animation model; complex multi-step animations occasionally need rework.
• Dynamic SVG introduced in WinCC Flexible 2008 SP3+ requires TIA Portal V14 SP1 or later for full feature parity.
• Z-order (object stacking) is preserved; verify after migration because some panel resolutions change the visual layout.

Tag and Alarm Migration

Tag migration in TIA Portal preserves naming, data type, and PLC connection parameters. Specific behaviors:

• Tag names longer than 128 characters (TIA Portal limit) are flagged in the migration log; these require manual shortening.
• Array tags with more than six dimensions are converted but limited to TIA Portal's array support (max 6 dimensions).
• External tags (PLC points) retain their connection assignment if the target controller (S7-300/400/1200/1500) is present in the TIA Portal project. Missing controllers generate warnings; tags become "connectionless" and must be re-bound.
• Limit values and linear scaling properties are preserved.

Alarms (discrete, analog, and S7-based) are migrated with the following notes:

• Alarm classes (Errors, Warnings, System) are converted to TIA Portal alarm classes with default acknowledgment behavior.
• Alarm texts are preserved including multi-language entries.
• S7 alarm number assignments (ALARM_S / ALARM_D) require the matching alarm configuration to exist in the STEP 7 (TIA) program; otherwise the alarm is registered as "unassigned."
• Custom alarm classes defined in WinCC Flexible are converted but properties like "go-to-source" must be re-validated.

Scripts and Scheduled Tasks

WinCC Flexible used VBScript for global and local scripts. TIA Portal WinCC uses the same VBScript engine with the following migration behavior:

For C scripts (less common in WinCC Flexible), note that TIA Portal WinCC Runtime Advanced does not support C scripting. C scripts must be rewritten in VBScript or replaced with function calls.

Unsupported Features and Known Limitations

Siemens explicitly documents the following as not migratable or requiring manual rework:

• Custom ActiveX controls and third-party OCX components — must be replaced with TIA Portal controls or vendor-certified alternatives.
• ProSave-backed transfer settings — reconfigure transfer channels in the TIA Portal project.
• Cross-references between screens across language variants — verify after migration.
• WinCC Flexible Runtime with custom DLLs (e.g., recipe functions calling external libraries) — DLL references must be re-added to the TIA Portal project.
• Integration with SIMATIC Logon — TIA Portal uses a different SIMATIC Logon version; verify credential mapping.
• Audit trail configurations — must be reconfigured using the TIA Portal Audit component.
• Custom Web Server pages — WinCC Flexible's web server is replaced by TIA Portal's Sm@rtServer, requiring redevelopment of web pages.
• Sm@rtAccess / Sm@rtService license-dependent features migrate but require license activation on the target device.

Post-Migration Verification Procedure

After the migration completes, perform the following verification steps before deploying the project to a live system:

1. Compile without errors. The target project must compile cleanly. Warnings are acceptable but must be reviewed.
2. Simulate with PLCSIM. Use TIA Portal's built-in simulator to run the HMI project against a virtual PLC. Verify tag updates, alarm generation, and screen navigation.
3. Audit screen count and contents. Compare the migrated project's screen list against the original WinCC Flexible project. Missing screens indicate incomplete migration.
4. Test all alarms. Trigger each alarm class from the simulator to verify acknowledgment, logging, and display behavior.
5. Validate user administration. Test login, logout, and permission-restricted actions. WinCC Flexible's user administration model differs slightly from TIA Portal's.
6. Verify recipe handling. If recipes were used, test export, import, and synchronization to the PLC.
7. Test language switching. Verify all configured languages load correctly. Some right-to-left languages require special font handling that differs between WinCC Flexible and TIA Portal.
8. Validate graphics rendering. On the physical target panel, check that all P&ID graphics display without missing objects, broken links, or layout shifts.
9. Test communication with the real PLC. Connect to the target controller and verify tag values, bit-level operations, and alarm acknowledgments.
10. Document the delta. Record every manual change made during verification. This becomes the migration baseline for future similar projects.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Alternative: PC-Based Runtime Architecture

If the original WinCC Flexible project used PC Runtime, the modern equivalent is WinCC Runtime Advanced (TIA Portal) or WinCC Runtime Professional (TIA Portal). The migration path differs:

• WinCC Runtime Advanced — direct migration of WinCC Flexible PC Runtime to a TIA Portal PC station. Functionality is essentially equivalent.
• WinCC Runtime Professional — for SCADA-scale applications, requires manual re-engineering. The project structure is fundamentally different: WinCC Professional uses graphics with C/VBScript and a different tag database architecture.

For multi-client distributed systems originally built with WinCC Flexible RT as a single-node solution, TIA Portal's WinCC Professional can introduce client-server architecture that was not available in WinCC Flexible.

Field Commissioning Checklist

When deploying the migrated project to a production line, observe the following procedural steps:

1. Verify the target panel's firmware version matches the TIA Portal engineering version (e.g., TIA V17 projects require panel firmware V17.x or compatible).
2. Back up the panel's existing project before transfer (use ProSave or TIA Portal "Backup" function).
3. Use TIA Portal's "Download to device" with the correct transfer mode (PN/IE, USB, MPI/DP, or serial — though serial is increasingly uncommon).
4. After download, perform a panel restart and verify the project boots without errors.
5. Test operator workflows end-to-end: login, navigate screens, acknowledge alarms, modify setpoints, handle recipes.
6. Verify time synchronization between the panel and the PLC (WinCC Flexible projects frequently used panel-as-master; TIA Portal projects typically use PLC-as-master).
7. Document the migration completion, including any manual modifications, in a project handover dossier.

FAQ