WinCC V7.3 Batch Report Configuration: PDF by Batch ID

1. Overview

Batch-oriented reporting is a regulatory expectation in pharmaceutical, food & beverage, and specialty chemical plants. Unlike time-windowed reports where the operator picks BeginTime and EndTime arbitrarily, a batch report is anchored to a single production unit: the batch. Every value, every trend curve, and every alarm message rendered in the PDF must trace back to the same BatchID that the system generated when the batch started and closed when the batch ended.

This article covers the end-to-end configuration of three report layouts in SIMATIC WinCC V7.3 (SP3 minimum, SP4 recommended for PDF print stability):

1. Process value batch report (snapshot + statistical summary per batch)
2. Trend batch report (WinCC Online Trend Control bound to the batch window)
3. Alarm batch report (WinCC Alarm Control filtered by the batch window)

All three layouts are rendered as PDF files on the engineering station at batch end, while an identical hardcopy is simultaneously routed to the line printer.

2. Prerequisites

Reference: Siemens FAQ 2463816 – Reducing C code in scripts for accessing User Archives. The VBScript patterns in this article are derived from that FAQ and adapted for WinCC V7.3.

3. Architecture & Data Flow

The batch report engine has three live data sources plus one configuration source:

The control plane is a single VBScript fired by the Batch End event. It queries the User Archive for the chosen BatchID, copies the StartTime and EndTime into internal tags, and triggers the three Report Designer PrintJobs.

4. Storing Batch Context in User Archives

Create a User Archive named UA_BatchMaster with the schema below. One row per batch. The BatchEnd action in the PLC is responsible for the final UPDATE that closes the row with EndTime and BatchStatus = "Closed".

5. Declaring the Batch Selection Tags

Internal tags live in the WinCC Tag Management and act as the dynamic parameter interface between the VBScript controller and the layouts. Create the following structure under Internal Tags > BatchReport:

Define the linear limits only if you need to enforce ranges in the face field. Date/Time tags default to 0 (1970) when uninitialized, which WinCC treats as a valid display but not a valid archive filter; the script in Section 9 must therefore write the tags before the PrintJob is fired.

6. Building the Process Value Report Layout

Open Report Designer > Page Layouts and create @Report_PV_Batch.rpl. Use the static page header for batch identification and the table body for process value snapshots:

1. Insert a Static Text field with the project name. Tie a Dynamic Text field next to it to BatchReport.ProductCode using the formula ' & BatchReport.ProductCode & '.
2. Add a row of header tags: BatchID, OperatorID, StartTime, EndTime, Duration. Use the Excel-style @BatchReport.StartTime syntax for direct tag output.
3. Insert a Dynamic Table with one column per process value: ReactorTemperature, AgitatorRPM, pH, Conductivity. Each cell uses the formula = BatchReport.PV_<TagName>.
4. For statistical summary use the Report Designer built-in functions:
   = Min("TagLoggingFast:ReactorTemperature", BatchReport.StartTime, BatchReport.EndTime)
= Max("TagLoggingFast:ReactorTemperature", BatchReport.StartTime, BatchReport.EndTime)
= Average("TagLoggingFast:ReactorTemperature", BatchReport.StartTime, BatchReport.EndTime)
5. Add a formula column for yield deviation: = BatchReport.ActualYield - BatchReport.TargetYield.
6. Set the page footer to = "Page " & PageNumber & " of " & TotalPages.

7. Building the Trend Report Layout

The trend report embeds the WinCC Online Trend Control so the curves are filtered by the batch window, not by a hardcoded calendar day.

1. In a new layout @Report_Trend_Batch.rpl, insert the OCX CCAxOnlineTrendControl.Picture from the object palette.
2. Open its Configuration Dialog; add curves for ReactorTemperature, AgitatorRPM, pH, and Conductivity. Each curve uses the WinCC Tag Logging archive that already collects the values.
3. Switch to the Properties tab and convert the following properties to dynamic parameters, each pointing at the corresponding internal tag:
   • BeginTime → BatchReport.StartTime
   • EndTime → BatchReport.EndTime
   • TimeAxisRange → calculated once EndTime - StartTime
4. Set the Y-axis to Auto so an uninitialized layout does not crop small excursions. Lock it to a fixed range once you have the validated SOP window.
5. Add a static header above the OCX showing BatchID and ProductCode, identical to the PV layout, so the printed trend is self-identifying.
6. Insert a legend under the OCX using the CCAxOnlineTrendControl’s built-in legend object.

Because BeginTime and EndTime are dynamic, the same layout renders correctly for any BatchID. Do not hardcode times into the layout — the layout is a template, the script is the parameter source.

8. Building the Alarm Report Layout

The alarm report mirrors the trend report pattern but uses the WinCC Alarm Control OCX:

1. Create @Report_Alarm_Batch.rpl.
2. Insert CCAxAlarmControl.Picture.
3. In the Properties dialog, set:
   • TimeFilter.StartTime → dynamic → BatchReport.StartTime
   • TimeFilter.EndTime → dynamic → BatchReport.EndTime
4. Add visible columns: Date, Time, Status, Priority, Message Number, Message Text, Point of Error, Acknowledgement. Hide server/operator column clutter via ColumnVisible properties if the SOP calls for it.
5. Set SortColumn to Time ascending and RowCount to 0 (all rows).
6. At the bottom of the layout, add a count field using the formula
   = CountMessages(BatchReport.StartTime, BatchReport.EndTime)
   so the QA reviewer immediately sees “23 alarms during B-2024-04571”.

9. VBScript: Reading User Archive by Batch ID

Place this routine in the global script library under Project Functions > Reports. It is called by the print button and by the Batch End event.

' --- Reports_GetBatch.bas ---
Option Explicit

Function Reports_PopulateBatchTags(ByVal sBatchID)
    Dim oUaCon, oUaRst, oFields, sSql
    Dim sProd, sOp, dStart, dEnd, dDur
    Dim HMIRuntime
    Set HMIRuntime = CreateObject("HMIRuntime.HMIRuntime")

    Set oUaCon = CreateObject("UserArchive.CDBCONN")
    oUaCon.UserArchive = "UA_BatchMaster"

    ' SQL against the User Archive; BatchID is text so quote it.
    sSql = "SELECT BatchID, ProductCode, OperatorID, StartTime, EndTime, ActualYield " & _
           "FROM UA_BatchMaster WHERE BatchID = '" & _
           Replace(sBatchID, "'", "''") & "' AND BatchStatus = 'Closed'"

    Set oUaRst = oUaCon.Read(sSql)
    If oUaRst Is Nothing Then
        Reports_PopulateBatchTags = False
        Exit Function
    End If

    If oUaRst.RecordCount = 0 Then
        HMIRuntime.Trace "Batch " & sBatchID & " not found or not Closed."
        Reports_PopulateBatchTags = False
        Exit Function
    End If

    oUaRst.MoveFirst
    sProd   = oUaRst.Fields("ProductCode").Value
    sOp     = oUaRst.Fields("OperatorID").Value
    dStart  = oUaRst.Fields("StartTime").Value
    dEnd    = oUaRst.Fields("EndTime").Value

    HMIRuntime.Tags("BatchReport.SelectedBatchID").Write sBatchID
    HMIRuntime.Tags("BatchReport.ProductCode").Write sProd
    HMIRuntime.Tags("BatchReport.OperatorID").Write sOp
    HMIRuntime.Tags("BatchReport.StartTime").Write dStart
    HMIRuntime.Tags("BatchReport.EndTime").Write dEnd

    dDur = DateDiff("s", CDate(dStart), CDate(dEnd))
    HMIRuntime.Tags("BatchReport.BatchDuration_s").Write dDur

    ' Yield may be NULL while still in progress; guard it.
    If Not IsNull(oUaRst.Fields("ActualYield").Value) Then
        HMIRuntime.Tags("BatchReport.ActualYield").Write _
            CDbl(oUaRst.Fields("ActualYield").Value)
    End If

    oUaRst.Close
    Reports_PopulateBatchTags = True
End Function

The pattern is reusable: every parameter the layouts need is published through a tag. The script is the single point that converts raw UA rows into layout-ready values. For further reading on the UserArchive.CDBCONN object and SQL injection hygiene, see the Siemens FAQ referenced in Section 2.

10. PrintJob Configuration for PDF Output

WinCC PrintJobs are configured under Report Designer > Print Jobs. Create one PrintJob per layout:

Configure the WinCC_PDF Windows printer with the following properties:

• Port: FILE:, output directory redirected via PrintJob at runtime.
• Default paper size: A4 portrait (use A3 for plants where SOPs require landscape trend capture).
• Disable “Allow scaling” so 1:1 page sizes are preserved; scale via the layout, not the driver.

To print both a PDF and a hardcopy, create two PrintJobs pointing at the same layout with different printers and call them in sequence from VBScript.

11. Triggering Reports on Batch End

Wire a button on the operator screen (or schedule a periodic VBS job that polls BatchReport.PrintTrigger) to:

' --- Reports_PrintByBatch.bas ---
Option Explicit

Sub Reports_PrintByBatchID_Clicked(ByVal sBatchID)
    Dim HMIRuntime
    Set HMIRuntime = CreateObject("HMIRuntime.HMIRuntime")

    HMIRuntime.Tags("BatchReport.PrintStatus").Write "Printing"

    If Not Reports_PopulateBatchTags(sBatchID) Then
        HMIRuntime.Tags("BatchReport.PrintStatus").Write _
            "Error: Batch not found"
        Exit Sub
    End If

    ' Force the layout to re-render the dynamic parameter binding.
    HMIRuntime.Tags("BatchReport.StartTime").Write _
        HMIRuntime.Tags("BatchReport.StartTime").Read

    On Error Resume Next
    HMIRuntime.PrintReport "PJ_PV_Batch"
    If Err.Number <> 0 Then
        HMIRuntime.Tags("BatchReport.PrintStatus").Write _
            "Error: PJ_PV_Batch " & Err.Description
        Exit Sub
    End If

    HMIRuntime.PrintReport "PJ_Trend_Batch"
    HMIRuntime.PrintReport "PJ_Alarm_Batch"
    On Error Goto 0

    HMIRuntime.Tags("BatchReport.PrintStatus").Write "OK"
End Sub

Bind the button to this routine. Set the operator authorization level on the button to Batch_Report_Print in the User Administrator. The routine is reentrant, so it can be triggered from an external scheduling tool as well as from the HMI.

12. Verification & Commissioning Checklist

1. Close a test batch in the PLC. Confirm that the Batch End action writes a new row into UA_BatchMaster with BatchStatus = 'Closed'.
2. On the operator screen, enter the test BatchID and click the print button.
3. Watch BatchReport.PrintStatus: it must transition Printing → OK within 5–20 s for short batches.
4. Open the three PDFs in C:\WinCC_Reports\<BatchID>\. Each must contain the same BatchID in its header.
5. Visually verify the trend curve covers exactly the batch window — the left edge should snap to StartTime, the right edge to EndTime.
6. Verify the alarm list does not include any message timestamped outside the batch window. A single stray message indicates the Alarm Control OCX is using a static filter instead of the dynamic property.
7. Sign and date the hardcopy per the plant’s SOP. The PDF must be moved to the validated archive directory by the end-of-shift procedure.
8. Repeat the full procedure with a deliberately long batch (> 24 h) to confirm the RowCountMax truncation rule on the alarm report.

13. Troubleshooting Matrix

14. Archival & Reprint Workflow

Once PDFs are generated, the SOP usually mandates a defined folder structure and a hash check. Recommended pattern:

• Keep C:\WinCC_Reports\<BatchID>\ as the staging area only.
• After PrintStatus = OK, an OS-level scheduled task moves the three PDFs into \\NAS\BatchReports\<YYYY>\<MM>\<BatchID>\ and computes SHA-256 hashes.
• Reprints are served from the NAS path. The print button should never directly reprint a closed batch; require operator re-entry of the BatchID so that every reprint is logged in the WinCC audit trail.

This keeps the runtime “original” separate from the “archive copy” and gives QA a single source of truth.