# Reading Siemens Tags **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Created:** [September 13, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/reading-siemens-tags/28254 "2019-09-13T15:29:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jdelgado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@jdelgado](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/jdelgado)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/reading-siemens-tags/28254/1 "2019-09-13T15:29:56Z")
Hi, This is my first time using Ignition SQLBridge with siemens typically I use AB drivers. I setup my devices, they show connected I am adding a tag just for testing and I am getting a results of bad. I setup the tag OPC Server as Ignition OPC UA Server and the OPC Item Path as [PLC10]DB4030.DBD16 where PLC10 is my device name. Am I doing something wrong. This application I am upgrading from FSQL which I used Kepware. Should I get the OPC Comms module and Kepware or should I feel ok that the Siemens OPC UA drivers will work. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 3:53pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/reading-siemens-tags/28254/2 "2019-09-13T15:53:22Z")
Have you followed all of the instructions [in the manual](https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC79/Siemens)? (DB4030.DBD16 isn’t valid syntax in the Ignition driver.) ---
**Author:** ![jdelgado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@jdelgado](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/jdelgado)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 11:05pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/reading-siemens-tags/28254/3 "2019-09-13T23:05:53Z")
> [@pturmel](#): > > DB4030.DBD16 Thanks pturmel the correct addressing will be DB4030.REAL16 strange that they will change how datatype from addressing signal DBD is a float datatype ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2019, 2:24pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/reading-siemens-tags/28254/4 "2019-09-14T14:24:18Z")
Also, be sure to use a comma after the DB number, not a period. ---
**Author:** ![jdelgado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@jdelgado](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/jdelgado)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2019, 3:33pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/reading-siemens-tags/28254/5 "2019-09-14T15:33:56Z")
Thanks Turmel yes I did. Looking at the table on the user manual trying to find the following data types my assumption is the following conversion. DB1001.DBX22.0 = DB1001,X22.0 DB20.DBW16 = DB20,W16 ---
**Author:** ![jdelgado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@jdelgado](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/jdelgado)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 5:15pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/reading-siemens-tags/28254/6 "2019-09-22T17:15:18Z")
Hi Guys, I am still working on this project since I am converting a FSQL with 1059 groups that was using Kepware to Ignition SQLBridge using the native driver after pturmel help I have converted a lot of the groups but I seems to have problems with converting this address to one supported by the Ignition UA drivers DB25.KT20 I have try [PLC52]DB25,T20 but I get an error " [null, Bad\_Stale, Wed Aug 28 00:14:20 EDT 2019 (1566965660122)" Any recommendation ? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![chi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/0ea827/32.png) [@chi](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/chi)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/reading-siemens-tags/28254/7 "2019-09-22T18:26:27Z")
Are you trying to read a S5Time? This datatype is not supported by Ignitions Siemens driver. There is a workaround [here](http://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/numeric-text-field/5583/6), but if you also have to connect to more modern Siemens plcs, an external OPC-UA server might be a better solution. ---
**Author:** ![jdelgado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@jdelgado](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/jdelgado)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 8:20pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/reading-siemens-tags/28254/8 "2019-09-22T20:20:08Z")
Thanks chi it is a S7-400 plc, I have no access to the PLC. The application have S7-300, S7-400 and S7-1500. So far all the other tags had work. Do you recommend a particular OPC-UA server. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![chi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/0ea827/32.png) [@chi](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/chi)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 8:39pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/reading-siemens-tags/28254/9 "2019-09-22T20:39:03Z")
You don’t need access to the Plc, the conversion of the S5Time type can be done in an expression in Ignition. You can access the data with datatype ‘word’ even when it’s defined as ‘KT’ in the plc. I have good experiences with the server from Tani ([https://www.tanindustrie.de/en/Opc.php](https://www.tanindustrie.de/en/Opc.php)) especially for S7-1500 with symbolic access. Due to a bug in that server it does not work with Ignition versions \> 8.0.4 rc, but I hope this will be fixed soon. ---
**Author:** ![jdelgado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@jdelgado](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/jdelgado)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/reading-siemens-tags/28254/10 "2019-09-22T21:12:35Z")
I have 8.03 so I might be ok, I will check your link to see if I can download the server and test it. I look at your link for the expression but it doesn’t show how to define that tag. ---
**Author:** ![jdelgado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@jdelgado](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/jdelgado)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 9:17pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/reading-siemens-tags/28254/11 "2019-09-22T21:17:58Z")
Never mind I saw where you mention to use Word datatype.