Margin Master Handbook
- Prerequisites
- Firewall and Network Requirements
- Microsoft Edge Download Block
- SQL Server Authentication Setup for IT Administrators
- Antivirus and Endpoint Security Exclusions
- SQL Server Tools
- Install or Upgrade SQL Server Express
- Install or Upgrade SQL Server Management Studio
- A Tour of the Main Window
- The Menus
- The Button Row
- The Main Data Grid
- The Summary Section
- Banners and Badges
- The Options Window
- Store Configuration
- Miscellaneous
- Export Options
- Vendor Settings
- POS / Connections Tabs
- Background Service
- AI Assistant (Experimental)
- How POS Import Works
- Supported Point-of-Sale Systems
- Data Import Workflows
- RockSolid POS Import
- Epicor Eagle FTP Import
- Epicor MySQL Compass Import
- Transact POS Import
- Paladin POS Import
- Falcon POS Import
- Spruce POS Import
- Bistrack POS Import
- RockSolid Max POS Import
- ECS POS Import
- Prosperity POS Import
- Catalyst POS Import
- Westlake POS Import
- MI9 POS Import
- AS/400 POS Import
- CounterWorks POS Import
- Dimension POS Import
- PacSoft POS Import
- ProStix POS Import
- Sympac POS Import
- Propello POS Import
- EagleVision POS Import
- MySQL/Compass Connection Configuration
- ECI VPN Requirement (Spruce, RockSolid MAX)
- Propello POS Integration Guide
- MI9 Data Pipeline — Import to Main Table
- Troubleshooting: Epicor Import Brought In 0 SKUs
- PACE POS Import
- Advantage POS Import
- General Store POS Import
- J-3 POS Import
- KeyStroke POS Import
- AutBusSystem POS Import
- Tomax POS Import
- Enterprise POS Import
- Computakey POS Import
- Redisell POS Import
- DART POS Import
- MIB POS Import
- Substruct POS Import
- DMAS POS Import
- RODS POS Import
- Procom POS Import
- Agility POS Import
- Acumen POS Import
- Cruise POS Import
- LSandE POS Import
- Retalix POS Import
- DIBCorp POS Import
- GMROI POS Import
- ECi Advantage POS Import
- Sunray POS Import
- ActivantAutomotive POS Import
- IBS POS Import
- Versys POS Import
- RMS POS Import
- TAMS POS Import
- Integrasoft POS Import
- Dynamic POS Import
- Microsoft ARS POS Import
- CDS POS Import
- Spartan POS Import
- Nitterhouse POS Import
- Jeds POS Import
- Theisens POS Import
- Emery Jensen POS Import
- SMS Pro POS Import
- Burdens POS Import
- Intact POS Import
- Bloom Retail POS Import
- NCR Counterpoint POS Import
- Horizon POS Import
- Cloud Vendor Data Sync
- Data Aging and Freshness Warnings
- Resetting Vendor and POS Data
- Rebuild Data and Rebuild Selection Lists
- Troubleshooting Vendor Sync
- Understanding the Strategy Hierarchy
- Pricing Strategies
- Creating a Strategy Step
- Updating and Deleting Steps
- Reviewing a Strategy and Running It
- Shared (Premade) Strategies
- SKU-Level Exceptions
- Manage Custom Groups
- Strategy Execution Cloud Tracking
- Importing from Excel
- Cost Break Analysis
- Cost Break Strategies
- Min/Max Strategies
- Strategy Backup & Restore
- Add Items from Catalog
- Store Grouping
- Data Diagnostics and Missing Index Recommendations
- System Diagnostics
- Margin Master Cannot Save Settings
- SQL Server 2025 Express vs. Full License
- Support Issue Management
- Catalog Lookup
- What's New After an Update
- Version History
- Documentation and the Help Buttons
- CTLD — Do It Best Catalog File
- MARGIN_MASTER — Ace Catalog File
- PCDITEMXREF — Do It Best SKU Classification File
- SAP_ZONE_PRICE_MARGIN_MASTER — Ace Zone Pricing File
- PCDPRODCLASS — Do It Best Product Classification Hierarchy File
- SAP_STORE_DEPT_ZONE_MARGIN_MASTER — Ace Store Zone Assignment File
- Taxonomy — Ace Product Classification File
- Mapp_Pricing — Ace MAP & IMAP Pricing File
- margin_mstr_plano — Ace Planogram File
On This Page
Install or Upgrade SQL Server Express
What is this?
Margin Master stores your data in Microsoft SQL Server. On a new computer, or one running an out-of-date SQL Server, Margin Master installs or upgrades SQL Server 2025 Express itself from the SQL Server Tools window - no technician, no separate download, no command line.
This page covers the install and upgrade cases. The window itself, its Tools menu and its utilities (instances, migrate, delete) are described in SQL Server Tools.
Before you start
- Windows will show an administrator (UAC) prompt for each step - be ready to approve it.
- Keep the computer on and connected to the internet; the SQL Server download is about 300 MB and each step typically takes 5-15 minutes.
- If Margin Master is already using a database, it is backed up first, automatically, before any upgrade touches it.
Opening SQL Server Tools
- Main window: File > Utilities > SQL Server Tools.
- Brand-new computer: the Database Setup window shows a SQL Server Tools... button when it cannot find a SQL Server.
- Tools menu
- Steps the window will run for this computer
- What the check found, with View Log
- Refresh / Try Again / Close
What the window decides
The window checks every SQL Server on the computer and works out the plan itself:
| It finds | It will |
|---|---|
| No SQL Server at all | Install SQL Server 2025 Express as a new instance named MARGINMASTER, and install SSMS |
| An older Margin Master SQL Express (2019 or earlier) and nothing else | Upgrade it in place - every database is backed up first |
A SQL Server that belongs to another program (a point-of-sale system's SQLEXPRESS, for example) |
Leave it completely alone and install a separate MARGINMASTER instance beside it |
| Everything current | Report "Nothing needs to be installed" |
The new instance is always named MARGINMASTER, so you connect to it as .\MARGINMASTER on this
computer (the dot means this computer - see Database Connection Setup).
Running the install or upgrade
- Read the plan on the left. Each line is one step: install SQL Server, upgrade SQL Server, install SSMS, upgrade SSMS.
- Press Start.
- Approve the administrator prompt for each step. The right side shows a plain-language progress headline; the raw installer output sits under Technical details (log) and opens by itself only if something goes wrong.
- On success a green panel reads "Setup completed successfully" and shows the server name to connect to. If a new instance was installed from the main window, Margin Master offers to set up your database on it straight away; from the Database Setup window you continue to Creating a New Database or Restoring a Backed-Up Database.
Questions the window may ask
| Question | When you see it | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Reuse existing pre-upgrade backups | An earlier upgrade attempt already made backups | Leave unchecked (default) for fresh backups unless support tells you otherwise |
| Apply the sector-size workaround | Some newer NVMe drives | Choose Apply and continue, then restart the computer and open SQL Server Tools again to finish. Details: Large Sector Drive Compatibility |
If a restart is required
Some installs end with "restart required". Reboot, then reopen SQL Server Tools - it re-checks the computer and runs only the steps that are still outstanding.
After the upgrade
- Margin Master reconnects to the upgraded or new instance automatically.
- The pre-upgrade backups stay on disk - the result panel and the log show where.
- A leftover empty instance from a previous version can be removed later from Tools > SQL Server Instances... (the Remove... button appears only for instances verified to hold zero databases).
Tips
The window never upgrades, modifies or removes a SQL Server it cannot prove belongs to Margin Master. If your point-of-sale system's SQL Server is on the same computer, it is safe.
A newly installed instance uses Windows Authentication only. That is right for a single-PC store; if a second PC must reach the database, see Enable Remote (LAN) SQL Access.
Common Questions
Q: Which version does it install - 2022 or 2025? A: SQL Server 2025 Express. Both 2022 and 2025 are supported if already present.
Q: My database is on SQL Server 2019. Do I have to upgrade? A: Yes - 2019 is out of Microsoft support and Margin Master no longer supports it. SQL Server Tools upgrades it in place after backing every database up.
Q: Can I move my database to the new instance instead of upgrading in place? A: Yes. Install the new instance, then use Tools > Migrate Database... in SQL Server Tools; it copies the database across and can switch Margin Master to it live.
Q: The step failed. A: Press View Log, then send the log to Margin Master support via Help > Support Issues. Support can also run the Install SQL Server 2025 Express or Upgrade SQL Server Express scripts directly.
