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 Management Studio
What is this?
SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is Microsoft's free tool for looking directly at a SQL Server database. Margin Master does not need it to run, but support relies on it when they help you with a database question, so it is installed alongside SQL Server as part of the standard setup.
Margin Master installs and upgrades SSMS for you from the same SQL Server Tools window that installs SQL Server. You do not download anything from Microsoft yourself.
Do I need it?
- Every store: yes, installed once, so support can assist without a second visit. It takes no part in daily use and does not run in the background.
- Users who like to look under the hood: SSMS lets you open the Margin Master database, run queries and take manual backups. Nothing in this handbook requires it.
The version Margin Master installs is SSMS 22. Older versions (18, 19, 20) are upgraded.
Installing or upgrading
- Open File > Utilities > SQL Server Tools in the main window (on a brand-new computer the Database Setup window offers the same SQL Server Tools... button).
- The window checks the computer and lists what it will do. When SSMS is missing or out of date, the plan includes an Install SSMS or Upgrade SSMS step next to any SQL Server step.
- Press Start. Windows shows an administrator (UAC) prompt for the step. The download is about 1 GB and installation typically takes 5-15 minutes; progress is shown live.
- When the step reports done, SSMS appears in the Start menu as SQL Server Management Studio 22.
Full details of the window - including the checks it runs and the questions it can ask - are in SQL Server Tools.
What an upgrade keeps
When an older SSMS is replaced, Margin Master backs up and restores your SSMS settings - registered servers, query templates, code snippets and editor preferences - so the new version opens the way the old one did.
Connecting to the Margin Master database in SSMS
When you open SSMS, connect to the instance Margin Master uses. For a standard installation that is:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Server type | Database Engine |
| Server name | .\MARGINMASTER (this computer) or HOSTNAME\MARGINMASTER (another computer) |
| Authentication | Windows Authentication |
The database name is the one shown in Margin Master's title bar and in Database Connection Setup.
Tips
Leave SSMS installed even if you never open it. A support session that needs it is far quicker when it is already there.
If the SQL Server Tools window says "Nothing needs to be installed", SSMS 22 is already current.
Common Questions
Q: Can I install SSMS from Microsoft's site instead? A: Yes, any SSMS 22 works. Margin Master's installer is simply the quickest way and keeps your settings across an upgrade.
Q: Does SSMS slow the computer down? A: No. It only runs when you open it.
Q: The step failed. What now? A: Press View Log in SQL Server Tools and send the log to Margin Master support through Help > Support Issues. Support staff can also run the underlying script directly - see Install SSMS (script).
