ISM is not intended to store all of the information that all of its client applications contain. Rather, it is intended to store and communicate a consensus view of data that is common to two or more of its client applications, such as RAM Structural System.

RAM Structural System continues to hold and maintain its own private copy of project data. Some of the application data will duplicate that of the associated ISM repository. The application data may even conflict with that in the ISM repository. RAM Structural System (or the user) may decide that a conflict gives the best data for the different uses in RAM Structural System versus ISM.