Troubleshoot Missing Alarms in a Duplicated PCS 7 Process Picture

Do not move tags or charts merely because alarms are missing from a duplicated picture. First identify whether the missing indication is a message-list entry filtered by OS area or a Group Display in the process picture. PCS 7 V9.0 documentation treats these separately: message visibility depends on the message area and list configuration, while Group Display forwarding depends on the configured picture hierarchy. The ticket omits the installed version and project details, so the exact cause remains unconfirmed.

Scope: Message Lists and Group Displays

First determine what “alarms do not come into the second picture” means. A PCS 7 message list filtered by OS area and a group display embedded in a process picture are different displays. Siemens documents OS-area filtering for messages and separate hierarchy-based forwarding by group displays. The ticket gives no PCS 7 release, picture-tree configuration, alarm source, or display object, so those facts must be established before changing the project.

The ticket reports a duplicated picture and says the tags are in the same hierarchy folder. That observation alone does not establish why messages are absent. Do not cut or paste tags or charts as a first fix.

How PCS 7 Associates Messages with Areas

In the PCS 7 V9.0 Operator Station Configuration Manual, the OS area identifier is associated with the plant hierarchy. During OS compilation, areas are written to the Alarm Logging “Area” user-text field and entered in the Picture Tree Manager. In process mode, area-oriented message display shows messages relating to the selected OS area. A message-list filter or an incorrect area assignment can therefore make an alarm absent from a particular list.

This area assignment is not the same as group-display propagation between pictures. Siemens describes the group display hierarchy as dependent on the picture hierarchy: a group display in a higher-level picture can forward information from a lower-level picture when the pictures are arranged appropriately.

Diagnostic Procedure

Record the exact PCS 7 release and update, the OS server/client involved, the alarm source block or message, and whether the missing indication is in a message list or a Group Display object.
In process mode, compare the same alarm in a standard message list while selecting each relevant OS area. Note the alarm's displayed Area and whether the list is filtered. If it is absent, inspect the message's area assignment and the affected station's message-display settings before changing hierarchy folders.
If the problem is a Group Display in the duplicated picture, inspect the picture hierarchy mapped into the OS and confirm that the source and parent pictures have the intended parent/child relationship. Siemens states that group displays receive and forward messages only when the pictures are appropriately arranged in that hierarchy.
For a PCS 7 V9.0 project whose picture hierarchy is derived from the plant hierarchy, inspect Options > Plant Hierarchy > Settings in SIMATIC Manager. Confirm the “Derive picture hierarchy from plant hierarchy” setting. Siemens documents that the hierarchy is transferred to the Picture Tree Manager when the OS is compiled and that direct Picture Tree Manager changes are overwritten by a later compilation.
In WinCC Explorer, inspect the Group Display object in each relevant picture. The V9.0 manual documents linking an object with the “Link group display with picture” Dynamic Wizard, and it documents automatic creation through the OS Project Editor's “Create/update group displays” option on the “Message display” tab. Use the method appropriate to the existing project design; do not apply both blindly.
Compare the result after the project's normal controlled OS compile and deployment process. An engineering compile or accepted configuration change alone does not prove that runtime alarm routing and display behavior are correct.

When Moving an Object Is Appropriate

Move a process picture, hierarchy folder, or engineering object only when the intended plant/picture hierarchy is actually wrong and the project design calls for that change. First determine which hierarchy supplies the OS picture tree and OS area identifiers, and review affected picture assignments, group displays, access rights, and OS server assignments. The ticket does not identify any of these conditions, so it does not support a universal “cut and paste the tags” remedy.

Verification

Trigger or locate a known test alarm under an approved test condition. Confirm that its message appears in the intended message list when the matching OS area and filter are selected. Separately confirm that the parent-picture Group Display reflects the lower-level message and that its navigation action reaches the intended source picture. Record the observed Area and picture path. Use the site's approved change, compile, download, and rollback controls; no test result is claimed here.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

The source does not name a PCS 7 version, OS topology, alarm block, message-list filter, Group Display object, or actual plant/picture hierarchy. The procedure above uses the PCS 7 V9.0 documentation and must be checked against the installed release. Changing hierarchy can affect OS areas, message filtering, navigation, authorization, and compilation output. Back up the project and review downstream effects before engineering changes; schedule compile or download activity under the site's change-control and operating procedures.

Engineer FAQ

Should I move the tags into the second picture's folder? Not on the available evidence. First distinguish an area-filtered message list from a picture Group Display and inspect the message Area and picture-tree relationship.

Why can alarms be visible in one display but absent in another? The displays may apply different OS-area filters or the Group Display hierarchy may not connect the source and parent pictures.

Does duplicating a process picture duplicate its alarm routing? The ticket does not establish that. Confirm the duplicate's hierarchy, object configuration, and any display filters in the target PCS 7 version.

Technical References

Siemens, Operator Station (V9.0), Configuration Manual, sections 6.3.2 “Using the OS area identifier,” 6.3.6.2 “How to define how the picture hierarchy is applied,” and 9.14 “Configuring a group display.” https://cache.industry.siemens.com/dl/files/516/109746516/att_923912/v1/ps7phosb_en-US.pdf
Siemens, Operator Station (V9.0 SP1), Configuration Manual, section 7.4 “Working with the OS Project Editor,” including message display settings. https://cache.industry.siemens.com/dl/files/982/109754982/att_939410/v1/ps7phosb_en-US.pdf

Related Tags

PCS 7, WinCC, OS areas, Alarm Logging, Group Display, Picture Tree Manager

Troubleshoot Missing Alarms in a Duplicated PCS 7 Process Picture