	Applies To
	Products:	RAM SBeam; RAM Structural System
	Versions:	Various
	Environment:	N/A
	Area:	Export
	Issue #:	1098404

Description

Here are some warning messages involving design tables that users might see when exporting from RAM Steel Beam to RAM SBeam. It is important to know that RAM Structural System and RAM SBeam do not share a Tables folder. They each have their own copy of tables which can be different.

Missing Beam and Master Tables:

You will see this message if the tables selected in RAM Structural System are not available in the RAM SBeam tables folder. The most likely scenarios is that you are using custom tables in RAM Structural System; however, it can also occur if the corresponding tables in the RAM SBeam tables folder have been renamed or removed.

RAM SBeam’s attempted correction: When tables are not found, RAM SBeam will select the default tables rather than force the user to make a new table selection. By doing so, you can proceed with designing the beam. Even so, you need to be aware that it is possible/likely that RAMSBeam will be using a different set of shapes than those in RAM Structural System.

To eliminate the warning: Copy the custom tables from the RAM Structural System tables folder to the RAM SBeam tables folder. By doing this, you will ensure that both programs are using the same set of shapes for design.

Missing Deck Table:

This is the same issue but related to the deck table. This impacts composite beam design.

RAM SBeam’s attempted correction: When the deck table is not found, RAM SBeam will select the default table rather than force the user to make a new table selection. By doing so, you can proceed with designing the beam. Even so, you need to be aware that it is possible/likely that RAMSBeam will be using a different set of decks and deck properties than RAM Structural System.

To ensure accurate designs: When you see this message, you should go to Beam – Composite Info and check that the default selection is appropriate for your design. Exit the dialog with the OK button.

More about Missing Tables:

Note that just one message is given regardless of the number of tables that are not found.

If neither the table used by RAM Structural System nor the default table is found, another table will be selected. If no tables are found, RAM SBeam will still open but a design cannot be performed.

The Selected Deck is not in the Table:

As mentioned previously, the RAM Structural System and RAM SBeam have their own tables folders with their own copies of the tables. Even when the same tables are installed in both folder, It is possible, over time, for the contents of these tables to diverge.

If the contents of the deck file used by RAM Structural System differs from the table of the same name used by RAM SBeam, it is possible for the wrong deck to be selected after the import into RAM SBeam.

RAM SBeam’s attempted correction: When RAM SBeam opens, the contents of the deck tables are compared. If the contents are not the same, RAM SBeam attempts to find the deck with the same name even if it is in different position in the two files. If it finds the deck, no warning is given.

If it cannot find the deck of the same name, it will select the first deck in the list as the deck to use and warning that the composite data has changed.

To eliminate the warning: RAM Structural System retains a copy of the tables it uses with each model. These tables are the version of the tables available at the time the model was created, unless you have explicitly had RAM Structural System update them to newer tables. When you see the warning above, it is likely that the contents of the table in the RAM Structural System tables directory has diverged from the copy of the table saved with the model. The first step in this solution is to resynchronize these tables.

Step 1:

Go to RAM Manager and open the Criteria – Master Steel Table dialog. If the contents of the table in the tables folder and that of the table saved with the model differ, you will be asked to update the table saved with the model.
Do this for Criteria – Steel Design Tables as well.

Step 2:

Now that your RAM Structural System tables are in synch, copy the tables from the RAM Structural System tables folder to the RAM SBeam folder.

*** Warning*** In version 7.00 of SBeam, there is a workflow that can result in a deck selection changing without a warning given. It is rare but the user should take time to verify that the deck selection on the design reports is the deck that was intended.

Solution

The errors will be corrected with the next version, version 2024. If the deck table is not found the program will revert to non-composite deck.