Aligning Plant Hierarchy and Picture Hierarchy in SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.0

In SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.0, aligning the Plant Hierarchy (Technological Hierarchy / TH) with the Picture Hierarchy (Bildhierarchie / BH) is the fundamental engineering standard for automated, ISA-88-compliant plant design. By configuring 'Derive picture hierarchy from the plant hierarchy' in Plant Hierarchy Settings, WinCC process screen navigation trees and overview area buttons are generated automatically from technological plant folders. This unlocks automated block icon creation (Create/Update Block Icons) and ensures standardized equipment tagging (AKZ). Decoupling BH from TH by editing Picture Tree Manager manually is a legacy, error-prone practice that creates massive engineering overhead.

Foundations of Technological Hierarchy (TH) vs Picture Hierarchy (BH)

In SIMATIC PCS 7, plant structures are organized into two closely related architectural concepts:

Plant Hierarchy / Technological Hierarchy (TH): Located in SIMATIC Manager Plant View. It structures the automation assets hierarchically into Plant Areas, Technological Units, and Equipment Modules according to ISA-88 / ISA-106 standards. CFC charts, SFC types, and OS pictures are embedded directly into these technological folders.
Picture Hierarchy (BH) / Picture Tree Manager (PTM): Located inside the WinCC Operator Station. It governs the visual navigation hierarchy (overview area buttons, area keys, screen hierarchy navigation bars) used by operators in runtime.

The Power of 'Derive Picture Hierarchy from Plant Hierarchy'

When an engineer configures Derive picture hierarchy from the plant hierarchy in Plant Hierarchy Settings, PCS 7 links the AS technological model directly to the WinCC visualization layer:

Automated Navigation Generation: Placing a WinCC graphic (*.pdl) into a TH folder automatically generates corresponding navigation buttons in the WinCC overview area without opening the WinCC Picture Tree Manager.
Automated Block Icon Placement (Create/Update Block Icons): SIMATIC Manager parses all CFC charts inside that TH folder, extracts technological blocks (MotL, VlvL, PIDConL), and automatically places and links corresponding block icons in the associated picture with correct plant tags (AKZ).
Alarm Area Filtering: WinCC Alarm Logging automatically inherits area definitions, ensuring operators only receive alarms for authorized plant sectors.

Consequences of Decoupled Hierarchy Engineering

In older legacy plants (often originating in PCS 7 V4 or V5), engineers frequently constructed arbitrary TH folders and manually engineered the Picture Tree inside WinCC Picture Tree Manager:

Enormous Manual Overhead: Every block icon must be copied and pasted manually onto pictures and interconnected using dynamic wizards. Modifying a block requires repeating manual edits across dozens of screens.
Overwriting Vulnerability: If someone subsequently selects 'Derive picture hierarchy from TH', the Picture Tree Manager is completely overwritten, erasing months of manual PTM engineering.
Modern Unit Templates Compliance: Modern PCS 7 engineering standards (such as Control Module Types - CMTs and PCS 7 Unit Templates, e.g. Stirred Tank Reactor) require full TH-BH alignment.

Comparison of Integrated vs Decoupled Hierarchy Approaches

The table below contrasts modern integrated hierarchy engineering against legacy decoupled practices.

Engineering DimensionModern Integrated Hierarchy (TH -> BH)Legacy Decoupled Practice (Manual PTM)Picture Tree GenerationAutomated from Plant Hierarchy foldersManually constructed in WinCC PTM editorBlock Icon CreationAutomated via Create/Update Block IconsManual copy/paste; manual dynamic wizard linkingEquipment Tagging (AKZ)Automatically prepended to technological tagsManually typed; prone to spelling/syntax errorsOS Area AlarmsAutomatically mapped to TH hierarchy levelsManually assigned in WinCC Alarm LoggingModernization & CMTsFully compatible with Control Module TypesBlocks automated bulk engineering toolsSiemens StandardOfficial Best Practice (Compendium Part A)Obsolete legacy technique; strictly discouraged

Step-by-Step Procedure to Align TH and Picture Hierarchy

Follow this procedure to transition a PCS 7 project toward standardized TH-BH alignment:

Configure Plant Hierarchy Settings:
- In SIMATIC Manager, right-click the multiproject root and select Plant Hierarchy -> Settings....
- Set the number of hierarchy levels (e.g., 3 to 5 levels).
- Check Derive picture hierarchy from the plant hierarchy.
- Designate which hierarchy levels form the technological tag identifier (AKZ).
Organize Technological Folders:
- Structure Plant View: create top-level folders for Areas, subfolders for Units, and lower folders for Equipment.
- Move CFC charts into their corresponding functional unit folders.
- Insert the target WinCC process pictures (*.pdl) into the respective unit folders.
Assign OS Target Station:
- In the object properties of the top-level area folders, select the target OS Server from the OS assignment dropdown.
Execute Create/Update Block Icons:
- Right-click the plant hierarchy root -> Plant Hierarchy -> Create/Update Block Icons.
- Confirm the update: SIMATIC Manager parses all charts, links block icons, and builds the Picture Tree automatically.

Verification

Verify hierarchy alignment through the following checks:
1. Open WinCC Explorer on the OS: open Picture Tree Manager and verify that the navigation tree mirrors the Plant Hierarchy folders.
2. Open a process graphic in Graphics Designer: confirm that technological block icons were created automatically with proper tags.
3. Launch WinCC Runtime: verify that overview area navigation buttons open corresponding plant screens cleanly.
4. Trigger a process alarm: verify that the alarm line displays the standardized plant hierarchy path in the Area column.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

When migrating an older project to an integrated Plant Hierarchy, moving existing charts into new hierarchy folders alters the full tag name (AKZ). If external systems (such as MES, Process Historian, or WinCC User Archives) query tags by their old paths, renaming TH folders will break external queries. Plan hierarchy restructuring during a scheduled plant overhaul, and consult the PCS 7 Unit Template: Stirred Tank Reactor with Kalman Filter for certified architectural patterns.

Engineer FAQ

What is the difference between Plant View and Component View?

Component View displays physical hardware and software containers (CPUs, CPs, S7 Programs). Plant View displays technological equipment hierarchy (Areas, Units, Equipment) regardless of which physical controller runs the code.