FactoryTalk View to Ignition migration: step by step
Moving a Rockwell FactoryTalk View SE or ME application to Ignition keeps your Logix controllers and changes the layer operators see. This is how to plan it.
Migrate FactoryTalk View to Ignition in five steps: inventory the displays, tags, alarms and VBA; connect Ignition to the existing Logix controllers; migrate the tags and build UDTs for your common objects; rebuild the displays and alarms in Ignition and test them side by side; then cut over area by area. There is no official converter for FactoryTalk View displays; tags can be migrated with tools such as the open-source Ellis project. Common triggers are Windows deadlines: Rockwell blocks installing its software on a Windows version six months after Microsoft retires it, which for Windows 10 meant from 1 May 2026.
Why plants move from FactoryTalk View
- Licensing and access: Ignition is licensed per server with unlimited clients, tags and connections, and Perspective runs in any browser.
- Windows: Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025. Under Rockwell's policy, its software can no longer be installed on a Windows version from six months after Microsoft's retirement date: 1 May 2026 for Windows 10 and 1 August 2027 for Windows Server 2016.
- Hardware: older PanelView Plus 6 terminals are discontinued, for example logic module 2711P-RP8D since 30 September 2023.
Staying is also an option: FactoryTalk View SE is still developed (version 16 is listed by Rockwell). The decision is about cost of ownership and where you want to go.
What moves where
| FactoryTalk View | Ignition | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| HMI tags and direct references to Logix tags | Ignition tags on an Allen-Bradley Logix connection, grouped in UDTs | Prefer UDTs that mirror your AOIs and UDTs in the controller |
| Displays and global objects | Perspective views or Vision windows, with templates | No direct import; rebuild from templates |
| Alarm and event setup | Alarms on tags, alarm pipelines and journal | Review priorities and texts |
| Data logs / historian | Ignition tag history | Keep old data read-only or backfill |
| VBA code | Ignition Python (Jython) scripting | Rewrite, do not translate line by line |
| Security (FactoryTalk Security) | Ignition user sources and roles | Map roles, not individual users |
The five steps
- Inventory. Export the application and count displays, tags, alarms, data logs and VBA. Mark what is no longer used.
- Connect. Connect an Ignition development gateway to the existing controllers, read-only at first.
- Tags and UDTs. Migrate the tag database and build UDTs for motors, valves and other repeated objects.
- Rebuild and test. Rebuild displays from templates, run both systems side by side and agree which one is in control.
- Cut over. Area by area, with FactoryTalk View kept as a fallback until the operators sign off.
Where AI helps
AI can read exported display and tag files, propose the UDT structure, draft Perspective views from the old displays and list every VBA routine with what it does. An engineer finishes and tests each screen. See our AI toolkit and the overview of SCADA to Ignition conversion tools.
Questions we get
Can we keep our ControlLogix and CompactLogix controllers?
Yes. The migration changes the SCADA/HMI layer; Ignition connects to the existing Logix controllers.
Is there a tool that converts FactoryTalk View displays?
Not an official one. Displays are rebuilt, ideally from templates; AI can draft them for an engineer to finish. Tags can be migrated with tools such as Ellis.
Do we have to replace our PanelViews?
Not necessarily. Panels can stay where they work; Ignition Perspective can also run on industrial panel PCs and tablets.
Sources
- Rockwell Automation: software installation policy on retired Windows versions (Nov 2024)
- Rockwell Automation: FactoryTalk View Site Edition
- Rockwell Automation: 2711P-RP8D product status
- Microsoft: Windows 10 lifecycle
- Inductive Automation forum: FactoryTalk View global objects to Ignition templates (8 Nov 2022)
- Inductive Automation forum: Introducing Ellis, a Rockwell to Ignition tag migration tool (1 May 2026)
- Inductive Automation: Ignition unlimited licensing
A new line, an upgrade, or AI for your plant?
Tell us about your project and we will set up a technical call.
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