During a PROFIBUS to PROFINET migration, existing GSD files must be replaced by their GSDML equivalents (the PROFINET XML format); some migration tools can generate an approximate GSDML from a GSD, but new device certifications require a native vendor GSDML.

GSD (PROFIBUS, ASCII) and GSDML (PROFINET, XML) are not interchangeable, and there is no reliable 1:1 automatic conversion because the underlying structures differ. If the device itself is migrated (PROFIBUS DP to PROFINET via a firmware upgrade), the vendor supplies a fresh GSDML. If the legacy device is kept behind an IE/PB Link proxy, only the GSDML of the proxy is needed (the underlying PROFIBUS slaves are invisible on the PROFINET side). The migration plan must always validate the GSDML files supplied by the vendor before cutover.

Reject any "auto-converted" GSDML during migration: insist on the vendor's official GSDML, otherwise diagnostic and parameter mapping will eventually drift from reality.