WinCC OA Extended Services

All kind of analysis/troubleshooting for older WinCC OA versions than our current mainline

Maintaining older WinCC OA versions involves ensuring that legacy systems continue to operate correctly, securely and efficiently over time. Since older software is often built on outdated technology or frameworks, maintenance typically involves several key tasks.

Possible Tasks:

Finding workarounds: Identifying and correcting any errors, glitches or vulnerabilities that may arise. This may include fixing compatibility issues with modern hardware or software environments.
Security Updates: As vulnerabilities in older software become more evident over time, regular patches and security updates are essential to protect against threats such as malware, exploits, or unauthorized access.
Performance Optimization: Over time, newer technologies and tools may offer more efficient solutions. Maintenance can involve optimizing the software to run faster, handle larger datasets, or function more smoothly on newer hardware.
Compatibility Updates: Ensuring the software continues to work with modern operating systems, databases, or other technologies. This may involve updating system libraries, drivers, or APIs that the software relies on.
User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Improvements: While older software may have functional value, the user interface may feel outdated or unintuitive. Sometimes, maintaining older software includes small updates to improve usability, although large UI redesigns might not be practical.

Project startup workshop

The Workshop is designed to assist WinCC OA integrators in efficiently launching their projects.

Guided by a WinCC OA expert, participants learn to set up basic configurations and adopt best practices, ensuring a secure and confident start to their project.

This workshop provides hands-on assistance and guidance for setting up a WinCC OA project, focusing on the essential procedures and configurations needed for a successful launch.
Participants receive personalized guidance from a WinCC OA expert, covering key areas such as selecting the correct project structure, configuring system parameters, and using core tools effectively and efficiently.
The workshop emphasizes building confidence in using WinCC OA while addressing project-specific requirements.
Optional features include tailored advice for advanced configurations or addressing unique project challenges.
By the end of the workshop, participants are equipped with the knowledge to proceed independently.

Architecture definition

The WinCC OA Architecture Definition Service is designed to assist customers in defining the optimal system architecture tailored to their specific project requirements and objectives.

Through a thorough analysis of the project scope, requirements, technical specifications & constraints, we work closely with stakeholders to ensure that every aspect of the project is considered.

Requirements to define the architecture:

Project Scope and Goals: A clear understanding of the project’s objectives, expected outcomes and use cases.
System Requirements: Functional, performance and non-functional requirements, scalability, and availability needs.
Technical Specifications: Information on hardware, software, network infrastructure and communication protocols.
Integration Needs: Details about existing systems, third-party integrations or other dependencies.
Operational Constraints: Budget limitations, timelines, geographical distribution, and compliance with industry standards or regulations.

Project engineering assistance with dedicated contact person

This service provides specialized support to enhance the engineering process and ensure the successful implementation of the customer projects. A dedicated WinCC OA Expert is assigned to the project, offering direct access to expert guidance and assistance tailored to the specific requirements and challenges of the project.

To provide effective support, the following inputs are required:

Project Details: A clear description of the project scope, objectives and key deliverables.
System Specifications: Documentation of the system’s hardware, software and integration needs.
Engineering Plans: Access to existing engineering project, documentation and configurations.
Project or Task Timeline: Defined milestones and deadlines for the project or task.

Special project developments (special requirements, web widgets, gateways, etc.)

This service provides full implementation or implementation assistance for specific project needs. It covers the entire WinCC OA spectrum, including development of WinCC OA projects/subprojects, CTRL scripting, CTRL classes, panels & dashboard widgets.

Examples of this are Data Gateways (Protocol Converters) or specialized widgets for the WinCC OA dashboard.

Tasks can be an encapsulated (scope-defined) or unencapsulated requirements, either in collaboration with the customer or independently.
A clear definition of requirements and tasks, particularly within an encapsulated scope, is mandatory.

WinCC OA library development assistance

This service supports the creation of WinCC OA packages to accelerate implementation, increase reusability, and reduce development and maintenance efforts.

The service helps designing WinCC OA objects and add-on libraries in the form of subprojects and demonstrates how the following advantages can be achieved:

Reduce time to market
Collaborative work and development
High level of reusability
Reducing upgrade efforts
Organizing code
Update strategies
Reduction of maintenance efforts
Licensing

Project or architecture reviews with report

The WinCC OA project or architecture review aims to analyze a project that is already in operation, in the final phase of development or has partially implemented components.

The goal is to identify potential problems that could influence or disrupt the operation of system. The audit also recommends improvements that will benefit the project's performance, quality, stability and/or security.

The result is an audit report with details of the individual findings.

Possible tasks include:

Reviewing of the project configuration and architecture
Throughput measurements, performance measures and memory consumptions
Analyzing log files, general code reviews of application relevant scripts, libraries and panels
Checking Driver configurations as well as their communication to peripherals,checking historical databases
Reviewing application-specific API managers
Further tasks may be defined in accordance with the customer

The audit report written in English, German or French describes the analysis, results and recommendations by category.

Project-specific problem or performance analysis

This service provides a WinCC OA project specific problem or performance analysis.

The goal is to identify and resolve issues related to operation and optimization of a WinCC OA project.

A WinCC OA problem analysis by an expert ensures quick identification of issues, precise troubleshooting and effective solutions, minimizing downtime and optimizing system performance.
A WinCC OA performance analysis involves assessing how well a software system operates in terms of speed, efficiency, resource usage, and overall responsiveness. It typically includes monitoring various metrics to identify areas for optimization or improvement.
By thoroughly analyzing & understanding performance metrics, developers can improve software performance, ensuring it works efficiently under various conditions & scales effectively with user demand.

Project upgrade (analysis with report, assistance during upgrade, etc.)

The scope of this service is to deliver an analysis of the feasibility and the possible restrictions for the upgrade of the existing WinCC OA application to a newer supported WinCC OA version.

The update analysis is strictly limited to the WinCC OA application and its history.

External application(s) and project specific development(s) are not part of this service.

The following checks are performed:

WinCC OA project configuration and architecture
System software and the hardware can be used for the update
Interfaces to the devices (PLC, ...)
Currently used WinCC OA Add Ons & Features (e.g., WebUI & Mobile UI)
WinCC OA Historical database
Project specific developments or extensions etc.
Upgrade prerequisites

The result is a report in English, German or French showing details of the findings. This contains a step-by-step guidance how to perform the upgrade as well as a list of identified problems and required actions.

Optionally, the customer may request further consultancy on-site for additional support & guidance.

Assistance for complex error reproduction scenarios

This refers to the process of consistently recreating an error or bug in a WinCC OA system, application or codebase under specific conditions that are often intricate or multifaceted. These types of errors are typically harder to reproduce than simple ones because they may depend on a combination of variables, configurations or actions that are not immediately obvious. To reproduce a complex error, the following details are needed.

WinCC OA version, log files, operating system, copy of the WinCC OA project, etc.
A detailed error description as well as information of the system architecture
If available, a ready-to-use VM-Ware image can be provided
In very complex systems, remote analysis could be necessary

On-site assistance for any tasks related to WinCC OA and their components

The goal of this service is to support the customer on-site for installation/configuration or implementation of WinCC OA projects, databases, troubleshooting and maintenance.

The list of tasks must be defined in advance.
The result is a report in English, German or French which provides a comprehensive overview of the work which was done on-site. Containing a list of detected problems and their categorization and required actions and recommendations.

24/7 on-duty assistance or priority callback for certain time range

24/7 duty assistance refers to a service or support system that is always available, every day of the week, including weekends and holidays. Especially for help during an upgrade or update of a running WinCC OA system.

The goal of 24/7 duty assistance is to provide immediate help, response, or guidance whenever needed, regardless of the time. It often includes:

Round-the-Clock Availability: Assistance is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Emergency Support: In many cases, this service is crucial for handling urgent or unforeseen issues, such as medical emergencies, technical support, or critical business needs.
Multiple Channels: The assistance may be available through various communication channels, such as phone, email, chat, or online platforms.
Global or Regional Coverage: Depending on the provider, it could be available internationally or in specific regions, adapting to different time zones.

Note: This service is available for a limited duration, with a maximum coverage of two weeks.

Database support Oracle^®, InfluxDB^®, PostgreSQL^® and MS SQL^®

Utilizing this service helps the customer to choose the best archiving method for their WinCC OA project. Assistance is given to the customer from planning the database environment to final installation and administration in the production environment.

This service can cover the following points:

Provide recommendations in sizing and architecture.
Help during installation, setup, migration and administration.
Create custom database solutions for clients via ODBC and WinCC OA.
Do Performance analysis → provide recommendations based on the output of the analysis.
Analyze issues during each phase.
Do regular maintenance of the databases and their servers.
Optimize queries.

Possible database services are installation, setup, migration, analysis, update, administration and custom solutions for Oracle^®, InfluxDB^®, PostgreSQL^® and MS SQL^®.

Raima/HDB to SQLite/NGA migration

The goal is to find the best migration strategy for their WinCC OA project as well as to assist during the migration process. Furthermore the identification and mitigation of possible obstacles, depending on the WinCC OA source version (e.g., ISO to UTF8), plays a major role.

This service can cover the following points:

Analyze the current project structure regarding archiving technology.
Provide recommendations of future archiving technology (NGA – PostgreSQL^®, MS SQL^®, InfluxDB^®).
Define structure of new NGA archive groups.
Performing a test migration of the projects and historical data in-house.
On-site support during the migration process.

Setup and consulting for WinCC OA Add-ons e.g., APM, AMS, DRS, …

This service offers comprehensive assistance for WinCC OA Add-ons such as AMS, APM, DRS, BACnet, Communication Center and SmartSCADA.

These Add-ons enhance WinCC OA by providing additional and advanced functionalities.

The assistance includes setup, configuration, customization and adaptations through consultation, collaboration or implementation.
The goal is to integrate the add on into the existing WinCC OA project.
The specific core elements and tasks are determined after ordering and depend on the particular Add-on.

WinCC OA Security services (as per the WinCC OA Security Guideline, NIS2)

This security service focuses on evaluation of security functionalities for the dedicated part of the WinCC OA system. It should be ensured that the existing system complies with the recommendations of the WinCC OA Security Guideline.

The scope of this service includes a comprehensive review of the security concept, architecture, processes like reporting of security incidents, etc.

The result is a report in English or German of the findings and will be presented in a final meeting.

The report includes:

An executive summary
Explanation how this security study was conducted
Errors found and evaluation of their criticality
Gap analysis compared to the WinCC OA Security Guideline
Recommendations for improvement measures

Tests on unsupported platforms (e.g., unsupported OS)

The service enables customers to evaluate the performance and compatibility of WinCC OA in unsupported environments or operating systems. It ensures critical features (like Distributed Systems and Redundancy) work reliable and provide detailed insights to help with decision making.

Possible tasks are:

Testing of targets platforms such as legacy systems (e.g., Windows XP) or custom Linux distributions
Adapting automated tests for compatibility verification.
Feature-specific testing, such as drivers or third-party integrations, ensures thorough assessment.
Testing includes manual checks for general functionalities like Distributed Systems and Redundancy.

Customers must provide access to the target platform, meet baseline specifications and supply a reference environment.

Optionally, this service includes compatibility reports, recommendations for supported platforms or identification of risks and suggestions of fallback strategies to minimize disruptions.

Individual Workshops (driver workshop, UI workshop, business logic, etc.)

This service offers comprehensive assistance for getting started with WinCC OA and addresses detailed questions and scenarios related to WinCC OA. It covers a wide range of specific functionalities, such as dedicated drivers, the development of UI elements and business logic or the configuration of WinCC OA.

Special workshops could cover one of multiple topics of:

Library development
Integration of source code repository (e.g., GIT) and collaboration methods
Object oriented development (CTRL++ and OOP)
NGA and history database setup and configuration
Configuration of specific drivers and mass configuration
Building interfaces to external application

Optional this service includes a detailed analysis of use cases and the design of methods to address and resolve them. Additionally potential bottlenecks can be identified, with solutions offered to overcome them. Another goal could be to demonstrate how to minimize configuration efforts while achieving maximum flexibility.

Prerequisites of this workshop have to be defined individually in advance.

Factory Acceptance Test (FAT)/Site Acceptance Test (SAT) assistance

This service provides a WinCC OA expert support during the FAT and SAT phases.

Preferably the service should be carried out on site to achieve the best result.

Our on-site support service ensures seamless assistance during the customer testing phases. The WinCC OA expert will have a thorough understanding of the test list, which must either be provided by the customer or reviewed in detail beforehand. With deep knowledge of WinCC OA features (like Distributed Systems or Redundancy), the expert is equipped to answer any detailed questions regarding functionality and behavior.
The primary advantage of having an WinCC OA expert on-site is that all questions and uncertainties regarding the software can be addressed in real-time. Whether it’s assisting the customer directly during the testing or clarifying any doubts, the WinCC OA expert ensures that no questions remain unanswered and that any ambiguities are resolved.

This level of support helps ensure that the testing process is smooth, efficient, and thorough, offering customers complete confidence in the software's performance.

Creating of prototypes, proof of concepts, demos, etc.

Creating demos or proofs of concepts (PoCs) involve building a preliminary version of WinCC OA solution to demonstrate its feasibility, test important functions and validate assumptions. Such solutions should be developed within a certain time and budget frame.

The process of creating such implementations generally follows these steps:

Definition of requirements and use cases
Design the solution
Develop the PoC
Test the PoC
Present the PoC to Stakeholders

Project tender analysis and evaluation of projects

A project tender analysis is the process of reviewing and evaluating submitted tenders or bids for a project based on a set of pre-established criteria. It involves detailed assessments of the technical capability of WinCC OA according to the given requirements.

Every single requirement will be analyzed and verified to be realized with WinCC OA according to standard functionalities and even possible extra implementations. This service applies to system architecture, operating systems, WinCC OA drivers and dedicated features.

Outcome is a list with all requirements categorized by following criteria:

Works out of the box with WinCC OA
Not a standard WinCC OA feature, but can be implemented
Not possible with WinCC OA

WinCC OA Extended Services

All kind of analysis/troubleshooting for older WinCC OA versions than our current mainline​