Restoring Missing Plant View and Process Object View in SIMATIC Manager PCS 7

In SIMATIC Manager PCS 7 V9.0, the absence of the Plant View (Technologische Sicht) and Process Object View (Prozessobjektsicht) from the View menu and toolbar occurs when the active project was opened as a standalone STEP 7 project rather than a PCS 7 Multiproject, or when the Technological Hierarchy (TH) and Process Object View (POV) engineering options are uninstalled or unlicensed. Plant View and Process Object View are exclusive to PCS 7 multiprojects and require the installation of the Technological Hierarchy and Process Object View engineering packages along with a valid Engineering Process Object View floating license in Automation License Manager.

PCS 7 Engineering Views: Component, Plant, and Process Object Views

SIMATIC Manager in PCS 7 differs fundamentally from standard STEP 7 by offering three distinct technological perspectives tailored for process control engineering:

Component View (Komponentensicht): The hardware-centric perspective inherited from STEP 7. It displays physical stations (AS, OS, ES), CPU programs, and system block folders.
Plant View (Technologische Sicht / Plant Hierarchy): The functional process perspective structured according to ISA-88 / ISA-106 plant hierarchies (Enterprise -> Plant -> Unit -> Function -> Equipment). In Plant View, engineers manage CFC charts, SFC types, OS process graphics, and report templates grouped by physical process areas.
Process Object View (Prozessobjektsicht - POV): The tabular bulk engineering editor. It displays all technological objects across the entire plant in an Excel-like grid, enabling mass parameterization of setpoints, signal interconnections, alarm limits, archive cycles, and I/O channel assignments without opening individual CFC charts.

Root Causes of Missing Plant and Process Object Views

When an engineer launches SIMATIC Manager and finds only Component View available (with the View menu lacking Plant View and Process Object View entries), technical analysis reveals three distinct bottlenecks:

Project Container Opened as Standard Project (.s7p) Instead of Multiproject (.s7m): Plant View and POV are strictly bound to PCS 7 Multiprojects. If an engineer browses to a subfolder and directly opens a single AS or OS project file (.s7p), SIMATIC Manager reverts to classic STEP 7 mode, suppressing the Plant and Process Object views.
Missing Engineering Software Packages (TH & POV): During customized setup of PCS 7, if the user unchecked Technological Hierarchy (TH) or Process Object View (POV), the underlying ActiveX and COM services (s7thapp.exe, s7povapp.exe) are not installed on the operating system.
Missing or Expired License in Automation License Manager (ALM): While Component View operates under standard STEP 7 licenses, Process Object View requires an explicit engineering license: SIMATIC PCS 7 Engineering Process Object View (6ES7658-1EX58-0YA5). If this license is missing or expired, SIMATIC Manager suppresses the POV tab.

Engineering View Prerequisites and Software License Matrix

The following table summarizes software components, licensing keys, and project requirements for PCS 7 views:

Engineering ViewRequired Software PackageLicense Key in ALMContainer RequirementComponent ViewBase STEP 7 V5.6STEP 7 Professional or PCS 7 ESSingle Project (.s7p) or MultiprojectPlant ViewTechnological Hierarchy (TH) V9.0Included in PCS 7 Engineering licenseMust be a Multiproject (.s7m)Process Object ViewProcess Object View (POV) V9.0PCS 7 Eng Process Object View (6ES7658-1EX...)Must be a Multiproject (.s7m)Process Device Plant ViewSIMATIC PDM IntegratedSIMATIC PDM Integration in PCS 7Plant Hierarchy enabled

Step-by-Step Procedure to Restore Plant and Process Object Views

To restore Plant View and Process Object View in SIMATIC Manager:

Verify Project Structure (Open Multiproject Container):
- In SIMATIC Manager, select File -> Open.
- In the Open Project dialog, click the Multiproject tab (do not select the User Projects tab).
- Select the master multiproject file (which carries the icon of multiple stacked binders and ends in .s7m).
- Once opened, verify whether the three view tabs (Component View, Plant View, Process Object View) appear in the lower-left toolbar.
Verify Installed Software Packages:
- In SIMATIC Manager, select Help -> About -> Installed Software.
- Inspect the component list for:
- Technological Hierarchy (TH)
- Process Object View (POV)
- If these packages are absent, insert the PCS 7 V9.0 installation media, run Setup.exe, select Package Installation, and install the Engineering System (ES) packages.
Check Licensing in Automation License Manager (ALM):
- Launch Automation License Manager (ALM).
- Confirm that drive C: contains active floating licenses for:
- SIMATIC PCS 7 Engineering V9.0
- SIMATIC PCS 7 Engineering Process Object View V9.0
- If missing, transfer the required license keys from the Siemens license USB drive.
Activate Plant Hierarchy on Legacy Projects:
- If working on a project converted from classic STEP 7, right-click the project folder in SIMATIC Manager.
- Select Insert New Object -> Plant Hierarchy.
- This initializes the TH database and enables the Plant View tab.

Verification

Verify view availability and functionality:
1. In SIMATIC Manager, select View -> Plant View (or press Ctrl+Shift+P); confirm that the plant hierarchy tree displays plant areas, units, and folders.
2. Select View -> Process Object View (or press Ctrl+Shift+O); confirm that the tabular POV grid opens displaying tabs for Signals, Parameters, Messages, and Picture Hierarchy.
3. Edit a parameter setpoint in the POV grid; confirm that the change propagates immediately to the corresponding CFC chart block.
4. Check View -> Component View; confirm seamless toggling between all three engineering perspectives.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

Standalone Project Limitation: Standalone STEP 7 projects cannot display Process Object View unless formally incorporated into a Multiproject (File -> Multiproject -> Create New Multiproject -> Add to Multiproject).
Commercial Accuracy Notice: Sizing Process Object View licenses (6ES7658-1EX58-0YA5) should follow official Siemens PCS 7 Engineering ordering data.
Registry Permissions: Installing TH or POV requires local Windows administrator privileges to register COM interfaces in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.

Engineer FAQ

Why can't I switch to Plant View in SIMATIC Manager?

You likely opened a standalone project file (.s7p) instead of the master Multiproject file (.s7m), or the Technological Hierarchy (TH) package is not installed.