Migrate from Polarion: ReqIF cutover without the big bang

Leaving Siemens Polarion is usually less about rewriting every work item and more about where the system of record should live. Polarion is a capable, document-centric ALM — strongest when you are already on Siemens tooling. Teams move when they want native MBSE and SBOM in the same database, fewer ecosystem dependencies, or a lighter path to stand up and validate.

What to export from Polarion

1. Requirements and document structure — export ReqIF so hierarchy and attributes travel together.
2. Traceability relationships — confirm the export includes the link types you rely on (derive, satisfy, verify, mitigate, and any custom types you care about).
3. Baselines and signed evidence — archive per your QMS; do not assume the next system will reconstruct every historical baseline the same way.
4. Tests, risk, and attachments — if ReqIF does not carry them cleanly, export CSV/Excel for a second import pass.
5. Siemens-side links — inventory Teamcenter / Xcelerator integrations you will retire, replace, or keep as read-only context.

Import into traceunified

Polarion’s ReqIF lands in the same Import Center path used for any requirements exchange. Step-by-step UI detail lives in Import requirements and ReqIF & field mapping.

1. Start an import and upload the ReqIF file (or CSV / Excel / Word if that is what you exported).
2. Set the Import Destination — the folder where items should be created.
3. Open Field Mapping. For ReqIF, complete ReqIF Type Mapping so Polarion types align with your item types; for tabular files, map each column to a Target Field.
4. Enable Import Traceability Links and identify the link columns / relationships you need to preserve.
5. Open Preview — confirm items, attributes, and links — then commit.
6. Import remaining artifacts the same way: tests and risk via CSV/Excel when needed; SBOMs via CycloneDX or SPDX in SBOM import.

Imported records are full governed items (identity, fields, history) — not attached files. Reuse the same mapping on the next Polarion project so recurring imports stay consistent.

Cutover pattern

1. Start with one project or product line. Validate authoring, coverage, suspect-on-change, and a sample Part 11 path before you move the portfolio.
2. Decide what becomes native. If architecture lived in Cameo and SBOM in a scanner, decide whether those become first-class records or stay integrated.
3. Parallel run. Polarion stays read-only for in-flight baselines while new work is authored in traceunified.
4. Confirm exit. Export ReqIF/CSV from traceunified before you decommission Polarion — never lock yourself in. See Export.

Validation checklist after cutover

• Critical requirements present with correct IDs and attributes
• Trace links intact for a known subsystem
• Coverage / gap view matches the previous program’s understanding
• Audit trail and e-signature path exercised on a controlled change
• Outbound ReqIF/CSV export confirmed

When staying on Polarion is right

If you are standardized on Siemens Xcelerator, Polarion’s document model fits how you work, and Teamcenter integration is non-negotiable, staying can be the lower-risk call. Migration is for teams whose pain is ecosystem dependency or a thread that still spans separate modeling and SBOM tools.

Related reading

• Polarion and Codebeamer alternatives
• traceunified vs Siemens Polarion
• Siemens Polarion alternative
• Import requirements
• Choosing requirements and traceability software