WinCC Information Server 2014 SP1 Fixing Database and License

WinCC Information Server 2014 SP1: Fixing Database, License, and Project Container Errors

The WinCC Information Server 2014 / 2014 SP1 is the long-term reporting and analytics layer on top of a WinCC (TIA / V7) or PCS 7 runtime. When it fails to recognize installed licenses, returns "database not ready yet", or throws "project container not found on the temp data" during report configuration, the root cause is almost always one of four classes of problem: invalid license assignment, an uninitialized SQL archive, a corrupt project container, or a Windows hostname that violates the installer's parser rules. This article consolidates the field-proven corrective actions from the official Siemens installation manual, the PCS 7 Information Server application example, and the WinCC V7 Information Server system manual.

1. Problem Definition and Affected Versions

Reported failure modes against WinCC Information Server 2014 (and 2014 SP1 / Update 1):

• Installed licenses are visible in the SIMATIC Automation License Manager but the Information Server administration page reports "no valid license".
• The Information Server configuration console displays "database not ready yet" after fresh install or Update 1 upgrade.
• When adding a WinCC project to a report container, the dialog returns "project container not found on the temp data" and aborts.
• After install, the Information Server Web service starts but every login attempt returns "IS failure on not existing subscription".

Affected builds: WinCC Information Server 2014 (6.2.x), 2014 SP1 (6.2.x + SP1), and 2014 Update 1 (6.2.x + Upd1). The host OS list given by Siemens is Windows 7 SP1 / Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (IS 2014) and Windows 7 SP1 / Windows Server 2012 R2 (IS 2014 SP1). On Windows 10 / Server 2016 or later the installer may complete but the WinCC Information Web Service will not register with IIS, so this case must be remediated before troubleshooting the symptoms above.

2. Reference Documentation

Use the following official Siemens documents as the primary sources of truth:

• Siemens Support entry 66579062 — Installation, Operation and Maintenance of Process Historian / Information Server in a PCS 7 Environment
• Siemens Support entry 109475337 — Information Server 2014 SP1 Operating Instructions
• Siemens Support entry 109475336 — Information Server 2014 Operating Instructions
• SIMATIC WinCC Information Server V7.4 / V7.5 Readme on the installation DVD root (Readme\IS.htm) for the SP-level bug list.

Per Siemens, the Information Server settings are identical between PCS 7 and WinCC (factory automation) installations — only the project paths and archive connection strings differ.

3. Prerequisites

Before touching the Information Server, verify the following on the host machine:

1. Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 (or 4.6 for SP1) is installed and the ASP.NET role is enabled in IIS.
2. IIS is installed with the role services: Web Server > Common HTTP Features > Static Content, Default Document, HTTP Errors, HTTP Redirection; Application Development > ASP.NET 4.5, .NET Extensibility 4.5, ISAPI Extensions, ISAPI Filters; Management Tools > IIS Management Console and IIS 6 Management Compatibility.
3. SQL Server 2008 R2 SP2 (IS 2014) or SQL Server 2012 SP1 / 2014 (IS 2014 SP1) is installed with mixed-mode authentication and a fixed sa password. The Information Server installer must find this instance by name (local)\WinCC.
4. The Automation License Manager (ALM) is at least V6.1; the WinCC Information Server license is a single floating license and must be on the local dongle or license server.
5. Windows hostname contains only the characters A–Z, a–z, 0–9, and the hyphen — but the hyphen must not be the first or last character. Names like PM-PC are accepted by Windows but rejected by the Information Server setup parser.

4. Symptom Matrix

5. Root Cause Analysis

5.1 License Recognition Failure

The Information Server reads the license through the Automation License Manager (ALM) using the computer name that was active at install time. If the hostname was changed after install (e.g. from PC-WINCC to PM-PC), the key still targets the old SID and the Information Server License panel reports an empty license state even though ALM shows the key as valid on this computer.

The fix path is therefore:

1. Open ALM, locate the WinCC Information Server entry, click Transfer license, target the current host.
2. If ALM reports license invalid, return the key, then re-activate against the current hostname. Do not use borrowing on the Information Server license.
3. Restart the Siemens WinCC Information Web Service from services.msc so the service re-reads the license mapping.

5.2 "Database Not Ready Yet"

The Information Server stores its own metadata in the SQL instance (local)\WINCC under the database WinCCIS. The banner appears when:

• The SQL Server service is stopped.
• The Information Server installer crashed before the post-install configuration ran.
• The user is running ISConfiguration.exe without elevated rights and therefore cannot create the WinCCIS database.
• The system databases master, model, msdb are on a drive that is no longer present.

Verify the SQL instance first, then re-run configuration as Administrator.

5.3 "Project Container Not Found on the Temp Data"

The Information Server copies the WinCC project archive metadata to a temp data container on first add. Two path conditions trigger this error:

1. The resolved %TEMP% path is longer than 30 characters (for example C:\Users\long.user.account\AppData\Local\Temp\2\). The Information Server container builder truncates, then fails to write the archive reference.
2. The WinCC project path is on a UNC share but the Information Server host is not a member of the WinCC users group that has read access on that share.

Symptom 5.4 — IS failure on not existing subscription — is the same root cause family: an aborted read or write leaves a stale entry in SubscriptionCache, and the next login fails the consistency check.

5.4 Computer Name with Hyphen

Windows accepts PM-PC, but the Information Server setup parser uses a hostname regex identical to the older WinCC Project Migrator: ^[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9-]{0,13}[A-Za-z0-9]$. A hostname that ends with a hyphen fails this check; install completes but the Web.config URL rewrite points to a non-resolvable NetBIOS name, which is why every login fails with the subscription error. Rename the host before install.

6. Step-by-Step Diagnostic Procedure

1. Capture the host name:
   hostname → must contain only A–Z, a–z, 0–9, and inner hyphens. If invalid, rename and reboot before continuing.
2. Verify SQL instance state:
   sc query MSSQL$WINCC → expected RUNNING. If stopped, net start MSSQL$WINCC.
3. Confirm database existence:
   sqlcmd -S (local)\WINCC -E -Q "SELECT name FROM sys.databases WHERE name = 'WinCCIS'"
   If empty, run C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC Information Server\bin\ISConfiguration.exe as Administrator.
4. Inspect license in ALM: open ALM → right-click Information Server line → Check. The result column must show green check on the current hostname.
5. Check the Information Web Service:
   sc query "Siemens WinCC Information Web Service" → expected RUNNING. If not, restart: net start "Siemens WinCC Information Web Service".
6. Inspect the temp data folder:
   dir "%ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC Information Server\TempData" → must exist and be writable by the IIS application pool identity.
7. Check the subscription cache:
   dir "%ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC Information Server\SubscriptionCache" → if any file dated before today's session remains, the cache is poisoned.
8. Collect the diagnostic log:
   C:\ProgramData\Siemens\Automation\WinCC Information Server\Logs\ISLog_YYYYMMDD.txt

7. Step-by-Step Remediation

7.1 Fix License Recognition

1. Open Automation License Manager.
2. Locate the WinCC Information Server license, click Transfer, target the current host.
3. Restart the service:
   net stop "Siemens WinCC Information Web Service" && net start "Siemens WinCC Information Web Service"
4. Reload the Information Server administration page; the Licensing tab should display a green checkmark.

7.2 Fix "Database Not Ready Yet"

1. Start the SQL service if stopped:
   net start MSSQL$WINCC
2. Run the configuration tool as Administrator:
   "C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC Information Server\bin\ISConfiguration.exe"
3. Click Create database and wait for the success dialog.
4. Refresh the Information Server home page; the banner disappears.

7.3 Fix "Project Container Not Found on the Temp Data"

1. Set the user environment variable TEMP and TMP to a short path, e.g. C:\Temp (must exist).
2. Reboot, then re-launch the Information Server administration page.
3. Click Add Project, point to the WinCC project path (or UNC \host\project).
4. Verify the IIS application pool identity has Read on the project share.

7.4 Fix Subscription Cache Poisoning

1. Stop the Web service:
   net stop "Siemens WinCC Information Web Service"
2. Delete cache content:
   del /q "%ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC Information Server\SubscriptionCache\*.*"
3. Start the service:
   net start "Siemens WinCC Information Web Service"
4. Log in again; the not existing subscription error should be gone.

7.5 Nuclear Option: Clean Reinstall

If symptoms persist after the four targeted fixes above, perform a clean reinstall — this is the procedure Siemens support escalates to when ALM and SQL checks pass but the Information Server remains non-functional.

1. Backup the WinCC project and export all ALM keys to a safe location.
2. Remove the Information Server via Control Panel > Programs and Features.
3. Manually delete leftover folders:
   C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC Information Server
%ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC Information Server
4. Detach the Information Server database:
   sqlcmd -S (local)\WINCC -E -Q "DROP DATABASE WinCCIS"
5. Reinstall Information Server 2014 (matching SP/Update) as Administrator, then install Update 1 if you started from the base DVD.
6. Run ISConfiguration.exe to recreate the database.
7. Re-import ALM keys, restart the Web service, add the project again.

8. Verification Checklist

After remediation, run this end-to-end check before declaring the system healthy:

9. Configuration Parameters Reference

10. Common Field-Proven Pitfalls

• Hostname change after install. The license is bound to the install-time hostname; renaming the host without re-targeting the license causes no valid license even when ALM shows the key as valid on the host.
• Update 1 on a fresh install. Installing Update 1 before the base Information Server 2014 has ever completed ISConfiguration leaves an empty WinCCIS database and triggers the database not ready banner. Always run ISConfiguration on the base install first, then apply Update 1.
• Long %TEMP% paths. User profiles nested under Users\Firstname.Lastname.DOMAIN\ exceed the container builder's path budget; always set TEMP=C:\Temp for the service account.
• Trailing hyphen in hostname. PM-PC- passes Windows but fails the Information Server setup regex. Rename before install.
• OS version newer than supported. Installing on Windows 10 1809+ / Server 2019 leaves IIS app pool registration in a half-state; symptoms mimic the database error.

11. FAQ