Transferring WinCC Tag Configuration from PCS 7 ES/OS to Server

Transferring WinCC Tag Configuration from PCS 7 ES/OS to Server

This reference targets engineers maintaining Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 V7.0 SP1 multiprojects where the engineering station (ES) and operator station (OS) sit on one machine and one or more WinCC Server/Client OS pairs must log the same 300+ tags. It maps the procedures for replicating both tag definitions and TagLogging archive configuration between WinCC projects, and remedies the Excel "Runtime Error 91" typically raised by the WinCC Configuration Tools add-in.

1. Problem Context and Decision Path

In a PCS 7 V7.0 SP1 multiproject the typical set-up is:

• 1 x ES / OS (single machine running both WinCC Explorer and the S7 ES)
• 1 x OS Server (redundant or standalone) hosting TagLogging / AlarmLogging runtime archives
• 1 to N x OS Clients (visualisation only)

The PCS 7 OS compile normally generates tags automatically on the destination OS when the AS / S7 program compiles and pushes them to the configured OS target. If 355 tags were added manually on the ES/OS WinCC Explorer (for example external tags pointing to a Modbus / Profibus / OPC source), they will not exist on the Server until a deliberate replication step is taken. The intent is to replicate both:

1. Tag definition - name, type, address, limits, scaling, substitution.
2. TagLogging archive configuration - archive name, tag assignment, acquisition cycle, storage location, retention.

Three decision points drive the method selection:

1. Is the destination OS part of the same PCS 7 multiproject? → OS Download (Method 1).
2. Do you need only tag definitions (no archives)? → Tag Import/Export (Method 2) or Copy/Paste (Method 3).
3. Do you also need the TagLogging archive configuration replicated? → Excel-based WinCC Configuration Tools (Method 4).

2. Comparison of Transfer Methods

3. Prerequisites

• Administrative account on both ES/OS and OS Server with identical WinCC project directory paths.
• Same WinCC version installed on both machines. Mismatched releases (for example V7.0 SP1 source against V7.0 SP2 destination) generate "Import file does not match project version" errors and require manual remapping.
• WinCC project opened in Configuration mode on the source ES before any export. Runtime mode locks the editor surface and rejects Tag Import/Export calls.
• If Excel-based archive transfer is required: install WinCC Configuration Tools from the PCS 7 / WinCC installation medium (custom install) and use Excel 2003 (32-bit). Excel 2007 and later are not officially supported by the V7.0 SP1 toolset and trigger object-binding failures.
• Same Windows user logged on both machines for the duration of the operation - DCOM launch rights and project folder ACLs are evaluated against the caller's token.
• For multiproject Method 1: both ES and OS Server reachable on the terminal bus and present in the same PCS 7 project (.s7p).
• Backup of the destination WinCC project before starting any import or download.

4. Method 1 - OS Download via SIMATIC Manager (Recommended for Multiproject)

This is the canonical PCS 7 procedure and is the safest when the target OS Server sits inside the same multiproject. The OS Server receives every configured tag, every archive, and every faceplate structure consistent with the ES compile output. See the SIMATIC PCS 7 Operator Station manual on the Siemens Industry Online Support portal for the canonical procedure and licensing notes.

4.1 Procedure

1. Open SIMATIC Manager and load the PCS 7 multiproject (.s7p) containing the ES and the destination OS Server.
2. Select the OS Server station in the component view project tree.
3. Right-click and choose PLC → Download (in some language releases the menu item is OS → Download). Confirm the target access point.
4. In the "Download OS" dialog select the relevant options. Default: full OS download with the OS project closed on the Server.
5. Start the transfer. SIMATIC Manager performs an OS compile delta and pushes the affected objects to the runtime archives.
6. After completion the OS Server holds the same tag and archive configuration as ES/OS.

4.2 Verification

• WinCC Explorer on the Server: Tag Management → [connection] lists all 355 tags.
• TagLogging → [archive name] shows the same tag count and matches the ES archive wizard output.
• Start Runtime, toggle a binary tag from the AS, confirm that the Server's TagLogging database captures the change within one acquisition cycle.
• Cross-check with Tools → Tag Consistency Check to obtain a positive delta list.

5. Method 2 - WinCC Tag Import/Export Tool

Use this when the destination OS is not in the same multiproject, or when manual tags exist that the OS compile did not generate. The procedure is documented in the WinCC Information System shipped with the WinCC installation, available under Options → Tag Import / Export on the SIMATIC WinCC product page.

5.1 Installing the Tool

1. Insert the PCS 7 installation DVD or the dedicated WinCC sub-DVD.
2. Run Setup.exe from the WinCC folder.
3. Select Custom Installation.
4. Enable WinCC Configuration Tools. This set includes Tag Export Import and the WinCC Archive Excel add-in.
5. Complete the installation. The Start menu now exposes SIMATIC → WinCC → Tools → Tag Export Import.

5.2 Export from Source ES

1. Open the source project on the ES/OS machine with WinCC Explorer in Configuration mode.
2. Launch Tag Export Import.
3. Connect to the running WinCC project (a project credential dialog appears; same Windows user required).
4. Select the connection (e.g. AS1, Internal, or an external driver like Modbus TCP/IP).
5. Filter to the desired 355 tags using the Selection tab or the wildcard pattern.
6. Choose an output file with extension .xls (Excel 2003) or .csv.
7. Click Export. Inspect the resulting file structure: tag name, data type, address, length, scaling, limit values, substitution value.

5.3 Import to Destination Server

1. Copy the exported file to the Server machine.
2. Open the destination WinCC project in Configuration mode.
3. Start Tag Export Import on the Server.
4. Connect to the destination project.
5. Browse to the source file, configure the import behaviour (overwrite duplicates, update process values, create missing connections).
6. Execute the import.
7. Confirm in WinCC Explorer → Tag Management that the 355 tags are listed under the same connection as on the ES.

6. Method 3 - Copy/Paste Inside WinCC Explorer

Acceptable for tens of tags, not for 355. Listed for completeness because it requires no additional install and is useful when the projects share the same file storage.

1. On the ES, open WinCC Explorer → Tag Management → expand the connection (e.g. Internal, Modbus TCP).
2. Select all tags using Ctrl + A.
3. Right-click and choose Copy.
4. Close the WinCC project on the ES - do not close the WinCC Explorer application itself.
5. Open the destination project on the Server (which must be the same project or share the same project root) and right-click the destination connection → Paste.

This method does not support cross-machine transfer; both WinCC Explorer instances must point at the same project storage (e.g. an SMB share mapped identically on both machines).

7. Method 4 - WinCC Archive Configuration via Excel

Use this when the Server's TagLogging archive must log the same 355 tags with identical acquisition cycles and archive names as the ES/OS. The procedure is documented in the WinCC Information System under WinCC Archive Import/Export.

7.1 Toolchain

• Excel 2003 (32-bit, SP3). This is the only Excel release officially supported by the WinCC Configuration Tools in V7.0 SP1.
• WinCC Configuration Tools installed (the same step as Method 2.1).
• The destination project containing all 355 tag definitions after Methods 1, 2 or 3.

7.2 Export Archive Configuration From ES

1. On the ES, open the WinCC project in Configuration mode.
2. Start Excel 2003.
3. From the WinCC add-in menu (added by WinCC Configuration Tools) select Create Project Folder.
4. Then choose Establish Connection to Existing Project and pick the source WinCC project.
5. Browse to TagLogging and/or AlarmLogging in the WinCC sub-menu.
6. Use Export to save each archive to .xls.

7.3 Import to Destination Server

1. Install WinCC Configuration Tools + Excel 2003 on the Server.
2. Open Excel 2003, select WinCC → Establish Connection to Existing Project, and bind to the destination WinCC project.
3. Import the saved archive file using WinCC → Import.
4. Verify that time base, acquisition cycles, and the tag list match the source exactly.
5. Re-archive any in-flight segment already stored on the ES if continuity is required.

8. Troubleshooting Runtime Error 91

"Runtime error 91: Object variable or With block variable not set" appears when the Excel add-in cannot find the WinCC project reference object. The fault arises in the COM binding layer between Excel and the WinCC Configuration Tools.

9. After-Copy Verification Checklist

1. Tag Management on the Server shows the same count (355) and naming convention as the ES.
2. TagLogging on the Server shows the same archive name, the same selection of tags, and the same time range / cycle as the ES.
3. Activate Runtime on the Server in test mode and toggle a binary tag from the AS; verify it appears in the archive with the correct timestamp within one cycle.
4. AlarmLogging on the Server shows the same event-tag assignments as on the ES.
5. Run Tools → Tag Consistency Check for a delta list; a 0-line delta confirms parity.
6. Confirm licence counts (counted tags) on the Server remain below the WinCC Runtime licence limit - the import must not push the Server's tag count past its PowerTags allowance.
7. Verify that the archive storage path exists and has read/write permission for the WinCC service account.

10. CSV vs XLS Format Notes

Tag Import/Export supports both formats with different constraints:

• .xls (Excel 2003) preserves numeric datatype formatting and can be re-opened by the WinCC add-in for re-import.
• .csv is portable but drops the WinCC-specific column formatting and requires manual handling of the locale decimal separator (comma in DE, dot in EN).
• For re-import on a Server with a different OS language, prefer .xls generated by the same language version of WinCC.
• Large exports (> 10,000 tags) perform noticeably faster in CSV; for 355 tags either format works.

11. Process-Critical Considerations

• Always back up the destination WinCC project before importing. A failed mid-import run can leave a partial archive configuration that Runtime will reject on start.
• Tag addresses on PCS 7-generated tags are written by the OS compile. Manually imported tags that overlap with compiled tags will be overwritten on the next OS download.
• Stop Runtime on both machines before Method 1 OS Download and before any Excel-based archive import.
• For a redundant Server/Server pair, repeat the procedure on the standby server before failover, then restart the WinCC Redundancy service so the archive replica catches up.
• The PCS 7 OS compile retains tag name length limits (32 characters) and address-length limits driven by the underlying AS / coupling driver. Importing tags with longer names fails silently and writes nothing to the database - always review the import log.
• TagLogging archive retention should be evaluated against storage: a 1-second 355-tag archive at the standard 16-byte/value yields roughly 488 kB per minute; design retention accordingly.

12. Alternative: Project Duplicator

If the entire Server must mirror the ES/OS (not just tags and archives), PCS 7 V7.0 SP1 ships a Project Duplicator that produces a byte-identical copy of the WinCC project on the destination machine. The Duplicator is faster than the method chain above but produces a full clone, which is overkill when only tags and archive configuration differ.

Reserve Project Duplicator for:

• Initial commissioning of an OS Server from a known-good ES image.
• Disaster-recovery rebuilds where archive retention state must also be transferred.

Use the methods in this article for incremental updates once the Server is live.

13. Licensing and PowerTags

WinCC Runtime licences are sold in counts of "PowerTags". The 355 externally imported tags count against the Server licence just as on the ES/OS. Confirm before the import:

• Current Server PowerTag count: Help → About WinCC → Runtime in WinCC Explorer shows the active usage.
• Spare capacity above 355 tags in the active licence, plus margin for AS-generated tags arriving later via OS Download.

If the Server licence is short, tags still import but the Runtime logs a "Licence exceeded" event at start and refuses to acquire values for tags past the licensed count.

14. Frequently Asked Questions