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
Prerequisites
What is this?
A checklist of what a computer needs before Margin Master is installed. Most stores need nothing beyond a current Windows PC with an internet connection - Margin Master installs its own SQL Server for you - but reading this first avoids the two most common first-day problems: an unsupported SQL Server and a firewall that blocks the cloud.
The computer
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 or later, 64-bit (Windows 11 recommended) |
| Runtime | .NET 10 Desktop Runtime. The installer adds it when it is missing; if it is later damaged, see Install or Repair .NET |
| Display | 1280 x 800 minimum; the main window is a wide data grid, so more width helps |
| Disk | A few GB free for the database and its backups. SQL Server Express plus SSMS need about 4 GB during installation |
| Rights | Installing Margin Master, SQL Server or SSMS asks for an administrator (UAC) prompt. Day-to-day use does not |
SQL Server
Margin Master keeps your data in a Microsoft SQL Server database on this computer (or on another computer on your store network).
- Supported: SQL Server 2022 or 2025, Express or Standard edition.
- Nothing installed? Margin Master installs SQL Server 2025 Express for you, as its own
instance named
MARGINMASTER, from SQL Server Tools. No separate download is needed. - Already have SQL Server? If it is 2022 or 2025 and belongs to Margin Master, it is upgraded
in place. If it belongs to another program - a point-of-sale system's
SQLEXPRESS, for example - it is never touched: Margin Master installs its own instance alongside it. - Older versions (2019 and earlier) are not supported. Support follows Microsoft's SQL Server support lifecycle: once Microsoft ends support for a version, so does Margin Master.
Express or a full license? Express is free and is the right choice for almost every store. Its 10 GB database limit and lack of scheduled maintenance only matter for very large multi-store databases - see SQL Server 2025 Express vs. Full License.
Some newer NVMe drives need a one-time Windows registry setting before SQL Server 2025 will install; SQL Server Tools detects this and asks before applying it. Details: Large Sector Drive Compatibility.
Internet and network
An internet connection is required for:
- license validation at startup,
- cloud vendor data sync (catalog and pricing),
- automatic updates,
- support issue submission.
Firewalls and content filters must allow Margin Master to reach marginmaster.com and its
download and cloud endpoints over HTTPS. The complete list of addresses and ports is in
Network & Firewall Requirements.
If another computer on the store network will open the same database, the SQL Server host also needs remote access enabled - see Enable Remote (LAN) SQL Access.
Your store details
Have these ready for the first launch:
- your vendor store number (Ace Hardware, True Value or Do it Best member number),
- your point-of-sale system and how it exports data or connects (covered per system in Part III),
- the Margin Master license registered to your store - Margin Master validates it online the first time it starts.
Common Questions
Q: Do I need to buy or download SQL Server myself? A: No. Margin Master installs SQL Server 2025 Express for you the first time it cannot find a supported instance.
Q: My point-of-sale system already installed SQL Server. Can Margin Master share it?
A: It will not. Margin Master never modifies a SQL Server it cannot prove is its own; it installs a separate MARGINMASTER instance beside it, which keeps the two products from interfering with each other.
Q: Can the database live on a different computer?
A: Yes. Install SQL Server on the host, enable remote access, and point Margin Master at HOSTNAME\MARGINMASTER in Database Connection Setup.
Q: Will Margin Master work offline? A: Day-to-day pricing work does not need the internet. Startup license validation, vendor data sync and updates do.
