diff --git a/common-tools/clas-detector/src/main/java/org/jlab/detector/calib/utils/ConstantsManager.java b/common-tools/clas-detector/src/main/java/org/jlab/detector/calib/utils/ConstantsManager.java
index abf3d20e30..e8e55a5031 100644
--- a/common-tools/clas-detector/src/main/java/org/jlab/detector/calib/utils/ConstantsManager.java
+++ b/common-tools/clas-detector/src/main/java/org/jlab/detector/calib/utils/ConstantsManager.java
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.logging.Level;
 import java.util.logging.Logger;
+import org.jlab.ccdb.Assignment;
 
 import org.jlab.utils.groups.IndexedTable;
 
@@ -25,6 +26,8 @@ public class ConstantsManager {
     private volatile Map<Integer, DatabaseConstantsDescriptor> runConstants = new LinkedHashMap<Integer, DatabaseConstantsDescriptor>();
     private volatile Map<Integer, Integer> runConstantRequestHistory = new LinkedHashMap<Integer, Integer>();
     private static volatile Map<Integer, RCDBConstants> rcdbConstants = new LinkedHashMap<Integer, RCDBConstants>();
+    private static volatile List<String> stringTables = new ArrayList();
+    private static volatile Map<Integer, Map<String,StringIndexedTable>> stringConstants = new LinkedHashMap();
 
     private String databaseVariation = "default";
     private String timeStamp = "";
@@ -58,7 +61,11 @@ public synchronized void init(String... tables) {
     public synchronized void init(List<String> tables) {
         this.defaultDescriptor.addTables(tables);
     }
-    
+
+    public synchronized void addStringTable(String... tables) {
+        for (String s : tables) stringTables.add(s);
+    }
+
     /**
      * use a map just to avoid name clash
      * @param tables map of table_name to #indices 
@@ -97,6 +104,13 @@ public RCDBConstants getRcdbConstants(int run) {
         return this.rcdbConstants.get(run);
     }
 
+    public StringIndexedTable getStringConstants(int run, String table) {
+        if (!stringConstants.containsKey(run)) {
+            this.loadConstantsForRun(run);
+        }
+        return stringConstants.get(run).get(table);
+    }
+
     public RCDBConstants.RCDBConstant getRcdbConstant(int run, String name) {
         return getRcdbConstants(run).get(name);
     }
@@ -139,6 +153,15 @@ private synchronized void loadConstantsForRun(int run) {
                 requestStatus = -1;
             }
         }
+
+        if (!stringConstants.containsKey(run)) {
+            Map<String,StringIndexedTable> s = new HashMap();
+            for (String table : stringTables)
+                s.put(table, new StringIndexedTable(provider.getAssignment(table)));
+            stringConstants.put(run,s);
+            //System.out.println(stringConstants.get(run).get("/runcontrol/beam").getValueFloat("beam_energy","value"));
+        }
+
         provider.disconnect();
         this.runConstants.put(run, desc);
 
@@ -181,11 +204,11 @@ public static class DatabaseConstantsDescriptor {
         Set<String>    tableNames  = new LinkedHashSet<String>();
         Set<String>    mapKeys     = new LinkedHashSet<String>();
         Map<String,IndexedTable>  hashTables = new LinkedHashMap<String,IndexedTable>();
-        
+
         public DatabaseConstantsDescriptor(){
             
         }
-       
+
         public void addTable(String table, int indices) {
             if (tableNames.add(table)) {
                 mapKeys.add(table);
diff --git a/common-tools/clas-detector/src/main/java/org/jlab/detector/calib/utils/DatabaseConstantProvider.java b/common-tools/clas-detector/src/main/java/org/jlab/detector/calib/utils/DatabaseConstantProvider.java
index d61aeb78e5..d6062009a0 100644
--- a/common-tools/clas-detector/src/main/java/org/jlab/detector/calib/utils/DatabaseConstantProvider.java
+++ b/common-tools/clas-detector/src/main/java/org/jlab/detector/calib/utils/DatabaseConstantProvider.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 import org.jlab.ccdb.CCDB;
 import javax.swing.JFrame;
 import org.jlab.ccdb.Assignment;
+import org.jlab.ccdb.TypeTable;
 
 import org.jlab.ccdb.TypeTableColumn;
 import org.rcdb.RCDB;
@@ -92,6 +93,14 @@ public Set<String> getEntrySet(){
         }
         return entries;
     }
+   
+    public Assignment getAssignment(String table) {
+        return provider.getData(table);
+    }
+
+    public TypeTable getTypeTable(String table) {
+        return provider.getTypeTable(table);
+    }
     
     private String getEnvironment(){
         
diff --git a/common-tools/clas-detector/src/main/java/org/jlab/detector/calib/utils/StringIndexedTable.java b/common-tools/clas-detector/src/main/java/org/jlab/detector/calib/utils/StringIndexedTable.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dad844aa1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common-tools/clas-detector/src/main/java/org/jlab/detector/calib/utils/StringIndexedTable.java
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+package org.jlab.detector.calib.utils;
+
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
+import org.jlab.ccdb.Assignment;
+import org.jlab.ccdb.TypeTableColumn;
+import javax.swing.table.DefaultTableModel;
+
+public class StringIndexedTable extends DefaultTableModel {
+
+    private final Map<String, Integer> keyrows = new LinkedHashMap<>();
+    private Assignment assignment = null;
+
+    public StringIndexedTable(Assignment a) {
+        List<TypeTableColumn> t = a.getTypeTable().getColumns();
+        for (int i=0; i<a.getRowCount(); ++i)
+            keyrows.put(a.getColumnValuesString(t.get(0).getName()).get(i), i);
+        assignment = a;
+    }
+
+    public String getValueString(String key, String varname) {
+        return assignment.getColumnValuesString(varname).get(keyrows.get(key));
+    }
+
+    public float getValueFloat(String key, String varname) {
+        return Float.parseFloat(getValueString(key, varname));
+    }
+
+    public int getValueInt(String key, String varname) {
+        return Integer.parseInt(getValueString(key, varname));
+    }
+
+    public static void main(String args[]) {
+        ConstantsManager c = new ConstantsManager();
+        c.addStringTable("/runcontrol/beam");
+        StringIndexedTable s = c.getStringConstants(11, "/runcontrol/beam");
+        System.out.println("SIT:  "+s.getValueFloat("polarization", "value"));
+    }
+}