Migrating WinCC to WinCC Flexible 2008 and TIA Portal Tools

Migration Paths Overview

Siemens SCADA/HMI engineering has shifted through three major project generations on the PC-based and panel-based runtime side. The migration paths that are actually supported today are limited; understanding which source generation you are starting from is the first engineering decision.

Prerequisites

Before launching any migration tool, verify the engineering station meets the hardware and software requirements of both the source and target products. Migrations fail most often because of a missing prerequisite, not because of the conversion engine.

1. Operating system. WinCC V6.2 SP3 originally shipped on Windows XP Professional / Windows Server 2003. WinCC flexible 2008 is supported on Windows XP SP3 and Windows 7 (32-bit). TIA Portal V16 onward is Windows 10 (64-bit) only. The same engineering station cannot host all three generations simultaneously; plan for a virtual machine or a second workstation when bridging V6.x and TIA Portal.
2. Source license authorization. The migration utility reads the original .mcp (WinCC Classic project) or .hmi (WinCC flexible project) files. A valid source license is required for the migration utility to even invoke the converter for some protected objects (e.g., S7 Graph, S7-SCL blocks).
3. WinCC flexible installation mode. During setup choose either Standard (installs Migration automatically) or User-defined (allows the operator to add Migration later). The Migration component appears under Siemens Automation > SIMATIC > WinCC flexible once installed.
4. Target runtime authorization. Have the WinCC flexible 2008 / TIA Portal license for the target panel (e.g., MP277 14" Touch) ready on the same USB license stick (or soft container) so post-migration compile does not fail on missing authorization.
5. Project backup. Copy the entire source project folder, including referenced graphics (\GraCS), libraries, scripts (C, VB), user archives, and alarm logs. The migrator does not roll back changes.
6. Audit the project manually. List all optional packages installed on the source runtime (e.g., WinCC/WebNavigator, WinCC/DataMonitor, OPC, S7 F/FH Systems). Each has a counterpart in WinCC flexible but with reduced feature scope.

Tool Installation and Setup

The migration toolchain is split across three generations. The PC-based Classic WinCC migrator is internal to WinCC V7; the WinCC flexible migrator is an optional setup component; the TIA Portal migrator is built in.

WinCC Classic Project Migrator (V6.x → V7/V8)

The Project Migrator for WinCC Classic is installed together with WinCC V7 / V8. Starting WinCC V7.2, the migrator no longer needs to be invoked explicitly: WinCC Explorer opens a .mcp project, detects the older format, and offers in-place conversion. For V6.2 SP3 sources, call Start > SIMATIC > WinCC > Tools > Project Migrator. The output is a new project folder containing *.mcp in the target version. Refer to the procedure described in Migration of WinCC Projects from V6.2 SP3 to V8.1.

WinCC flexible Migration Utility

This utility is delivered with WinCC flexible 2007 HF4 and WinCC flexible 2008. The standard installation copies it to %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC flexible\Migration. The launcher binary is Migration.exe. No separate license is required for the migration step itself, but the resulting project must be compiled and downloaded with a valid WinCC flexible license.

TIA Portal Migration Wizard

When the target is TIA Portal V13 SP1 or later, the migration wizard is integrated. The entry point is Project > Migrate project. The wizard accepts both .hmi (WinCC flexible) and .s7p / .ap* (STEP 7) project files. Note that upgrading an existing TIA Portal project to a higher TIA Portal version is supported and is a separate operation from migration of WinCC flexible to TIA Portal.

Step-by-Step: WinCC V6.x (PC-based) → WinCC Flexible 2008

1. Close the source project in WinCC Explorer and verify that no WinCC runtime is active on the engineering station.
2. Launch Start > SIMATIC > WinCC flexible > Migration. The "WinCC flexible Migration" dialog opens.
3. Select source type. Choose WinCC Project (Classic) and browse to the *.mcp file.
4. Select target type. Pick the destination runtime from the dropdown: Panel (e.g., MP277 14" Touch) or PC Runtime. This selection controls the migration of unsupported objects.
5. Set destination path. The migrator writes a WinCC flexible project folder (*.hmi) plus a MigrationLog.txt.
6. Review the log entries. Items that cannot be migrated appear with severity "error" or "warning". Examples: WinCC-Script: function "xyz" not supported on panel or User Archive: only the first 1000 entries will be transferred.
7. Open the resulting *.hmi in WinCC flexible 2008.
8. Compile with the offline compiler. Resolve remaining warnings before downloading.

The migration utility copies graphics, tag connections, alarm classes, and most faceplate references automatically. Scripts written in C-Script or VB-Script are converted only when the destination runtime supports them: panels accept VB scripts but not C scripts; PC runtime accepts both.

Step-by-Step: WinCC Flexible 2008 → TIA Portal

1. Confirm source build. WinCC flexible 2008 SP2, SP3, SP4, and SP5 migrate cleanly. Earlier SP1 builds should be updated to SP2 first, since the SP1 migration path has known gaps.
2. Open TIA Portal (V13 SP1 minimum, V16/V17/V18/V20 recommended for current hardware).
3. Project → Migrate project. The wizard lists compatible source files. Select the WinCC flexible *.hmi and any accompanying STEP 7 *.s7p.
4. Choose target device. Map the original MP/MP277 device to a Comfort Panel (MTP/Comfort) or to a PC Runtime. The wizard will create a new device entry with the migrated HMI tags.
5. Run migration and inspect the migration log. TIA Portal emits a per-object status: Converted, Converted with restrictions, Not converted.
6. Open the migrated project, verify tags, compile, and download to the target device.

The TIA Portal migration is a one-way conversion. The original WinCC flexible project remains untouched on disk; the TIA project is a sibling.

Hardware Migration: PC Box 620 to MP277 14" Touch

A common migration scenario is replacing an aging PC Box 620 with a multi-panel MP277 14" Touch (6AV6 643-0CD01-1AX1 or successor 6AV6 643-0DD01-1AX1 depending on firmware). The functional parity between a PC-based runtime and a panel is partial; plan for the differences before quoting the migration to the customer.

If the source WinCC V6.2 project depends on C scripting, custom DLLs, OPC aggregations, or large SQL archives, do not migrate directly to MP277. Choose the PC Runtime target inside WinCC flexible 2008 or plan to migrate further into TIA Portal with a Comfort Panel IPC (e.g., SIMATIC IPC227G / IPC277G) instead.

Known Migration Limits and Manual Fixes

The migrator does not produce a 1:1 equivalent in every case. The most frequently reported non-conversions from a WinCC V6.x → WinCC flexible 2008 migration are summarised below.

After migration, always open the project in the offline compiler and review the warnings tab. Each warning includes a project navigation hyperlink to the offending object.

Functionality Parity: PC Runtime vs Panel Target

The original poster asked whether the same function can be achieved on MP277 Touch as on the PC Box 620. The honest answer is "only if the original WinCC project is simple." Parity depends on the original feature footprint.

• Visualisation parity. Screens are migrated screen-for-screen. Font metrics shift between the PC runtime and the MP277 16:9 display, so re-align text fields and checkboxes.
• Control parity. Discrete and analog I/O fields, bar graphs, trend views, and recipe views are converted. Sliders, picture-in-picture, and OLE objects require re-implementation.
• Logic parity. VBScript modules and global actions are converted where the API maps directly. The legacy HMIRuntime tree in WinCC 6.2 is replaced by the SmartTags tree in flexible.
• Connectivity parity. S7 connections (MPI / PROFIBUS / TCP) are preserved. OPC client connectivity on a panel is limited to read-only tags via the WinCC flexible OPC server; the high-performance OPC DA channel of the original PC runtime is not available.
• Data exchange parity. Archive storage changes: the panel cannot host a relational database. Recipe data must be stored in CSV on the panel's internal flash or on an external SD card.

Migration Flowchart

Verification Checklist

Run these checks after the migration utility reports success. A "green" compile is necessary but not sufficient for runtime equivalence.

1. Offline compile in WinCC flexible 2008 with zero errors and zero warnings.
2. Cross-reference audit. In Project > Cross Reference, ensure every tag still resolves to a real PLC symbol. Lost connections often show as warning Tag "xyz" has no address.
3. Screen walk-through using the WinCC flexible simulator (RT-simulation). Confirm font rendering, screen navigation, and alarms behave identically to the source.
4. Recipe round-trip in the simulator: write a recipe, change screen, return, verify data was retained.
5. User administration smoke test. Log in and out of each role, verifying group-based authorisation still hides the correct screens.
6. Alarm line text check: deliberately trigger the most critical alarm on the test bench and confirm the message and trigger tag render correctly.
7. Download to target panel and exercise the project for at least one full shift, watching for missing tags, lost scripts, or panel freeze conditions.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Coexistence on One Engineering Station

Both WinCC V6.2 and WinCC flexible 2008 can be installed on the same PC if the version compatibility matrix is respected. WinCC flexible 2008 SP3 requires WinCC V6.2 SP3 to be at the same service pack level when the WinCC flexible project is intended to be opened by WinCC V6.x tools as a check. In practice, use separate local accounts so each product runs against its own user profile and registry hive. Do not attempt to run both WinCC Explorer and WinCC flexible simultaneously; close one before opening the other to avoid collisions on the shared CCAgent service.

FAQ