How to Retrieve and Work From a PCS 7 V8.0 Multiproject Archive

Retrieve the archive to the destination directory you choose in SIMATIC Manager, then open the retrieved multiproject and confirm its name and location before engineering. The retrieved project is not automatically sent to a pre-existing project folder or controller. Compile and download only after verifying that the recovered project is the intended source and that its configuration, access rights and target-system context are correct.

What Retrieval Does

SIMATIC Manager's File > Retrieve operation expands an archived project or multiproject into a selected destination directory. PCS 7 V8.0 Service Support and Diagnostics documents this destination-selection step and gives the option to open the retrieved multiproject afterward. STEP 7 documentation also describes a retrieval setting that can use a chosen destination or the configured default project/library storage path. Retrieval restores engineering data; it is not itself an AS or OS download.

Procedure: Retrieve to a Separate Working Location

Preserve the archive and identify the intended engineering station and PCS 7 version. Ensure the archive utility used to create it is available; the PCS 7 V8.0 service manual lists PKZip as the default tool.
In SIMATIC Manager, select File > Retrieve and choose the archive file.
In Select Destination Directory, choose the separate working directory where the project or multiproject should be restored. Do not assume SIMATIC Manager will silently transfer it to an earlier project path.
Wait for retrieval to finish. For a multiproject, review the completion dialog and choose whether to open the retrieved project.
Confirm the multiproject/project identity and its location in SIMATIC Manager before editing. Keep other project copies distinct, and make sure the logged-on engineering software has the necessary read/write access to the selected folder.
If the engineering task requires downloading, first inspect the retrieved project's configuration and intended AS/OS targets. Use the version-matched PCS 7 engineering procedure and site change-control process; selecting a retrieved project does not prove it is the approved plant version.

Choosing the Retrieval Destination

PCS 7 V8.0 documents choosing the destination directory in the retrieval dialog. STEP 7's Options > Customize > Archive settings include Check target directory on retrieval; when that option is disabled, the configured project or library storage location is used as the retrieval destination. Therefore, inspect the actual dialog and settings rather than assuming a fixed default path. The path where the retrieved project is stored becomes its working location; preserve its identity when opening or managing several similarly named copies.

Downloading Is a Separate Operation

A retrieved archive is an offline engineering project. It does not have to be retrieved to a particular path simply to be opened, but a subsequent download is an independent operation that uses the project/configuration selected in the engineering environment and communicates with its configured targets. Before any download, distinguish the intended archive copy from the existing live multiproject, check the target CPU/OS, review the generated changes and confirm operational authorization. A project that can be retrieved or opened is not thereby verified as compatible with the online system.

Verification

After retrieval, confirm that SIMATIC Manager displays the expected multiproject and its contained projects, and verify the storage location selected. Open the intended project and confirm its project identity and configuration before compiling. If a download is required, verify the target identity in the separate download workflow and review its results; do not use a successful retrieval as evidence that a controller or OS was updated.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

The question reports PCS 7 V8.0 Update 1, while the cited PCS 7 retrieval instructions are from the V8.0 service manual and the archive target-setting details are from the STEP 7 Programming with STEP 7 manual (04/2017). The available sources explain archive retrieval and target selection; they do not establish a universal download recipe for every V8.0 Update 1 multiproject. Do not delete the existing project as a retrieval step. Use a preserved archive, separate working copy and version-matched procedures, especially before AS or OS downloads.

Engineer FAQ

Does retrieval have to use the original project path? The PCS 7 V8.0 procedure lets the engineer choose a destination directory. The configured default may be used depending on the SIMATIC Manager retrieval setting.

Does choosing a different directory change the archive itself? No; retrieval expands the archive into the selected working location. Keep the source archive intact as a recovery copy.

Will retrieval overwrite or deploy to the online AS? Retrieval is a local project-restoration operation. It does not by itself download to a controller.

Can the project be opened after retrieval? The V8.0 multiproject procedure presents a prompt after retrieval to open the restored project or close the session.

Which copy should be compiled? Confirm the intended retrieved project and its location in SIMATIC Manager, then compile that project only when it is the authorized engineering source.

Does SIMATIC Manager always use the default path? No. Its Archive settings can check/select a target directory; when that option is disabled, the configured project or library storage location is used.

Should the old project be deleted before retrieving? The cited PCS 7 retrieval procedure does not require deleting an existing project first. Retain existing copies unless a separate, approved cleanup plan calls for removal.

Can multiple copies of a project be loaded to a controller interchangeably? The source reply claims this, but it is not established by the cited archive documentation. Verify project identity, hardware configuration and target state for each download.

What must be checked before an AS download? Confirm the selected project's configuration, CPU identity, resulting changes and authorization under the site's change-control process. Retrieval alone does not demonstrate that a download is safe.

What does a successful retrieval prove? It proves the archive was expanded to the selected location. It does not prove the project is complete, compatible with the station, or correctly downloaded to an AS or OS.

Technical References

Siemens, Service Support and Diagnostics (V8.0), section 3.2.2.3–3.2.2.4, pp. 18–20 (retrieve a project or multiproject and choose the destination directory): https://cache.industry.siemens.com/dl/files/456/61187456/att_41317/v1/ps7slf_b_en-US.pdf
Siemens, Programming with STEP 7, manual 04/2017, document A5E41552389-AA, section 24.2.4, pp. 518–519 (retrieval and target-directory settings): https://cache.industry.siemens.com/dl/files/825/109751825/att_933142/v1/STEP_7_-_Programming_with_STEP_7.pdf

Related Tags

SIMATIC PCS 7
SIMATIC Manager
Multiproject
Project archive

How to Retrieve and Work From a PCS 7 V8.0 Multiproject Archive