Resolving TIA Portal WinCC Flexible 2008 SP2 Migration Error

Problem Overview

When migrating a legacy SIMATIC project to TIA Portal, engineers frequently encounter the following error when attempting to import the HMI portion of a WinCC flexible 2008 SP2 or SP3 project:

The expected sql instance TECLA-PC\WINCCPLUSMIG is not available. The migration option for V 11.0 or WinCCflexible 2008 SP2/SP3 is not installed.

This error blocks the HMI migration while the PLC part of the same project imports cleanly. The message identifies two distinct root causes that must be addressed independently: a missing named SQL Server instance and a missing TIA Portal installation component. Both must be corrected for the import to proceed.

The error typically appears in environments with the following software stack:

• STEP 7 V5.4 or V5.5 for the PLC program
• WinCC flexible 2008 SP2 or SP3 for the HMI program
• TIA Portal V11 SP2 (or V12/V13 with matching migration option) installed with default options
• Optional: ProTool project that was previously converted to WinCC flexible 2007 or 2008

The migration sequence should normally convert the PLC program directly, then migrate the WinCC flexible HMI project into the TIA Portal HMI component. When the migration component is absent from the TIA Portal installation, the import halts before any data conversion takes place and the migration tool cannot initialize the temporary SQL store.

Error Message Decoded

The error string contains two failure conditions stacked together. Understanding them is required to apply the correct fix without a full reinstall.

Root Cause Analysis

The error contains two failure modes that must be resolved in sequence.

Cause 1: Missing SQL Server Instance

The TIA Portal migration tool uses a named SQL Server instance to temporarily hold project data during the import process. The instance name follows the pattern <COMPUTERNAME>\WINCCPLUSMIG. If SQL Server is not installed, the instance was never created, the SQL Server service is stopped, or the SQL Browser service is disabled, the migration tool cannot find the data store it expects and aborts before the project is read.

Cause 2: Missing Migration Installation Option

The TIA Portal setup program offers optional components in a tree structure. The WinCC flexible 2008 SP2/SP3 migration option is not selected by default. If the user accepts the default installation, this option is unchecked, the migration DLLs are not copied to disk, and the migration wizard reports the option as missing on the next launch.

This is a common oversight because:

• The TIA Portal setup does not highlight this option as required for users migrating legacy projects
• The default Typical install path skips it entirely
• The Custom install path shows the option but does not enable it unless manually checked
• The setup readme lists it as optional, which many users read as "not needed"

Prerequisites Check

Before attempting the fix, verify the following system conditions. Mismatched prerequisites are a common secondary cause of migration failure that persists even after the migration option is installed.

Verify the existing SQL instance state before reinstalling. Open SQL Server Configuration Manager and check for the WINCCPLUSMIG named instance under SQL Server Services. If the service is stopped, start it and retry the migration. If the instance does not exist at all, the SQL Server installation is missing or was removed, and a repair of the TIA Portal installation is required.

Solution: Install the Missing Migration Option

The primary fix is a modification of the existing TIA Portal installation to enable the WinCC flexible 2008 SP2/SP3 migration option. A full uninstall is not required and risks destabilizing the working STEP 7 V5.5 and WinCC flexible installations.

1. Close TIA Portal, WinCC flexible ES, and SIMATIC Manager to release file locks.
2. Insert or mount the original TIA Portal installation media (DVD, ISO, or downloaded setup folder).
3. Browse to the Setup directory on the installation media and double-click Start.exe.
4. The TIA Portal setup detects the existing installation and offers a maintenance mode. Select Modify or Custom Installation.
5. In the component tree, expand the following nodes (exact labels vary by TIA Portal version):
   • SIMATIC TIA Portal
   • Options / Optional Components
   • Migration
   • WinCC flexible Migration
6. Check the option labeled WinCC flexible 2008 SP2/SP3 Migration. In TIA V11 SP2 this is a single checkbox; in TIA V13 and later it is found under Options → Migration → WinCC flexible 2008.
7. Optionally enable other missing migration packages: STEP 7 V5.x migration, ProTool to WinCC flexible migration, WinCC Migration Tool.
8. Click Next through the license agreement screens. The setup re-evaluates the SQL Server instance and creates the WINCCPLUSMIG named instance if it is missing.
9. Click Install and wait for completion. Setup configures SQL Server, creates the instance, registers the migration DLLs, and copies the ProTool converter binaries.
10. Reboot the PC when prompted. The reboot is required to release the SQL Server service locks.

If the original installation media is unavailable, download the same TIA Portal version from the Siemens Industry Online Support portal using your Siemens customer account. The setup program verifies the existing installation automatically and runs in Modify mode without re-requesting the license key from the server.

SQL Server Configuration

After the modified install completes, verify the SQL instance exists and is running before launching any migration.

1. Open SQL Server Configuration Manager (Start → Programs → Microsoft SQL Server → Configuration Tools).
2. Select SQL Server Services in the left pane.
3. Confirm a service named SQL Server (WINCCPLUSMIG) is present and in the Running state. The service account is typically NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM or NT Service\MSSQL$WINCCPLUSMIG.
4. If stopped, right-click and select Start. Set the Start Mode property to Automatic for persistence across reboots.
5. Confirm SQL Server Browser is also running. The browser resolves the named instance to a TCP port.
6. Open SQL Server Management Studio (if installed) and connect to TECLA-PC\WINCCPLUSMIG using Windows Authentication to confirm end-to-end connectivity.

The instance uses dynamic TCP port allocation by default. If Windows Firewall is enabled, the SQL Browser service must be running to allow the migration tool to resolve the instance name to a port. The TIA Portal setup normally configures the firewall exception automatically, but third-party firewalls (Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro) may block the traffic silently and require a manual rule for sqlservr.exe and UDP port 1434.

Migration Workflow

With the migration option installed and the SQL instance running, perform the legacy-to-TIA conversion in the correct order. The PLC part must be converted first because the TIA Portal migration tool creates device references that the HMI import reuses.

1. Open the original STEP 7 V5.5 project in SIMATIC Manager and save a versioned backup copy of the .s7p file and project folder.
2. Recompile the STEP 7 program (Blocks → Compile All) to surface any pre-existing errors that the migration tool may misreport.
3. Launch TIA Portal and select Project → Open existing project → Migrate STEP 7 project.
4. Navigate to the STEP 7 V5.5 project file (.s7p or .s7f) and click Open.
5. The migration wizard analyzes the project, lists convertible components, and warns about unsupported features (e.g., GRAPH v5.0 source code, non-DB STL programming, certain SFC constructs).
6. After PLC conversion completes, the wizard offers to migrate the associated WinCC flexible HMI project. Select the .hmi file or the WinCC flexible 2008 project folder.
7. The WinCC flexible import reads the HMI tags, screens, alarms, recipes, and scripts. The SQL instance WINCCPLUSMIG is used as temporary storage during this process.
8. Review the migration log for warnings. Common warnings include unsupported VB scripts, custom controls, and obsolete HMI tags.
9. Save the resulting TIA Portal project. Compile both the PLC and HMI to surface any post-migration issues that the wizard may have skipped.

Compatibility Matrix

TIA Portal V16 and later versions dropped support for the WinCC flexible 2008 SP2/SP3 migration option. Projects targeting these versions must first be migrated to an intermediate TIA Portal version (V15.1 with the SP2/SP3 option) and then saved forward. The SP4/SP5 migration option remains in V16 for SP4/SP5 source projects only.

Common Pitfalls and Workarounds

Migration Option Greyed Out

If the WinCC flexible migration checkbox is greyed out in the setup, the installed WinCC flexible ES version does not match what the TIA Portal setup expects. Verify the installed WinCC flexible version matches the supported pair list in the TIA Portal setup readme. For example, TIA V11 SP2 supports WinCC flexible 2008 SP2 only; attempting to install the SP2/SP3 migration option requires WinCC flexible 2008 SP2 or SP3 already present on the PC.

SQL Instance Created But Empty

If WINCCPLUSMIG exists but contains no databases, the migration tool may still fail with a different error. Run the migration tool's database initialization manually:

1. Open a command prompt as Administrator.
2. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\Migrate (path varies by TIA version).
3. Execute MigrateDB.exe /init /instance WINCCPLUSMIG.

Partial Project Migration

If the PLC part migrates but the HMI part fails repeatedly, check for corrupt WinCC flexible project files. Open the original WinCC flexible project in WinCC flexible ES, recompile it, save, and retry. Corrupt HMI tags or screens are a frequent source of silent migration failure.

License Conflict

WinCC flexible 2008 SP2 and SP3 cannot coexist on the same PC. Attempting to install both will fail or roll back the SP2 install. The TIA Portal setup checks for this condition and refuses to install the migration option if a version conflict is detected.

User Account Control (UAC)

The migration tool writes to %ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation and to the SQL Server data directory. UAC redirection can cause silent write failures. Always run the migration with elevated rights (right-click → Run as administrator) on Windows 7 / Server 2008 R2 systems. On Windows 10, run the TIA Portal from an elevated shortcut.

Antivirus Interference

Real-time antivirus scanners (Windows Defender, Kaspersky, ESET) can lock .dll files during the setup and prevent the migration DLLs from registering. Temporarily disable real-time scanning during the Modify install and the first migration attempt.

Verification Steps

After the modified install completes, validate the migration is fully functional before committing the original project to a one-way conversion.

1. Open TIA Portal and create a blank test project with one HMI device (e.g., KTP700 Basic).
2. Use the migration wizard to import a small WinCC flexible 2008 SP2/SP3 test project (a single screen with one tag is sufficient).
3. Confirm the HMI part imports without error and the imported tag is visible in the HMI tag table.
4. Open the migrated TIA project, compile the HMI, and download to a test panel (or simulate via PLCSIM and the TIA HMI Runtime).
5. Check the migration log at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\Log\Migrate.log for warnings. The presence of the file confirms the migration DLLs are registered correctly.
6. Run a full migration on a production project. Save the original .s7p and WinCC flexible project files in a versioned backup directory named with the date stamp (e.g., Project_Backup_2025-01-15).

A successful first import typically takes 5–20 minutes for a project with 50 HMI tags and 20 screens. Larger projects (500+ tags, 100+ screens) can take 30–90 minutes depending on disk I/O performance and SQL Server throughput.

Advanced: Manual Component Registration

If the modified install completes but the migration wizard still reports the option as missing, manually re-register the migration DLLs and verify Visual C++ runtime dependencies.

1. Open an elevated command prompt.
2. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\Migrate\Bin (path varies by TIA version).
3. Run regsvr32 /u *.dll to unregister, then regsvr32 *.dll to re-register.
4. Verify the Visual C++ runtimes are present with where /R "C:\Windows\WinSxS" vcruntime140.dll. Missing runtimes must be installed from the TIA Portal setup media under Support\VcRedist.
5. Reboot and retry the migration.

Check the Windows Event Viewer under Application for source Siemens Migration events that may indicate the specific DLL that failed to load. Common offenders are missing Visual C++ runtime libraries. The TIA Portal setup includes the correct versions of the 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2017 runtimes; if the install was performed without administrator rights, the runtimes may not have been installed.

Siemens Official References

For the authoritative migration procedure and a full list of supported source projects per TIA Portal version, consult the Siemens Industry Online Support entries below:

• Siemens Support Entry 58857225 — Migrating STEP 7 / WinCC flexible Projects to TIA Portal
• Siemens Support Entry 62100731 — STEP 7 V5 Project Migration FAQ (German)
• TIA Portal Installation Guide — Setup Options and Migration Components

Frequently Asked Questions