Margin Master Handbook
Introduction
Part I · Installing
- 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
Part II · Introducing the Main Window
- A Tour of the Main Window
- The Menus
- The Button Row
- The Main Data Grid
- The Summary Section
- Banners and Badges
Part III · Initial Configuration
- 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
Part IV · Customizing the Workspace
Part V · Basic Application Functionality
Part VI · Learning Margin Master
- 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
Part VII · Advanced Topics
- Importing from Excel
- Cost Break Analysis
- Cost Break Strategies
- Min/Max Strategies
- Strategy Backup & Restore
- Add Items from Catalog
- Store Grouping
Part VIII · Updates, Troubleshooting & Help
- 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
Appendix
- 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
Part III · Chapter 9 — Vendor Data: Configure and SyncUpdated 2026-08-28
Troubleshooting Vendor Sync
What is this?
What to check when Data > Update Vendor Data does not do what you expect. Work down the table; most problems are one of the first three.
Walk through it in the app: lesson 3001 — Why prices don't match after an import. Margin Master can walk you through these steps live: turn on Training / Guide Mode from the Help menu, then type 3001 into the Lessons & Guides box — or ask Margin Master support to run it with you.
Symptoms and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The sync stops at once with a connection error | No route to the Margin Master cloud - no internet, a firewall or content filter, or a proxy that needs configuring | Open https://www.marginmaster.com in a browser on the same computer. If it does not load, see Network & Firewall Requirements |
| "data was already updated today" and the sync ends | Vendor catalogs are published once a day; today's data is already in place | Nothing is wrong. Answer Yes only if support asked you to re-sync |
| The sync runs but the grid does not change | The rebuild that follows the sync was postponed to keep the window responsive | Click the Click to update data badge, or Data > Rebuild Data - see Rebuild Data |
| Vendor prices are missing for one store | The store is not matched to a vendor store number, or its RSC is blank | Open the Store Manager; a store that "needs setup" imports at the national zone without store-specific prices |
| Zone prices are missing (no Z icons, zone column empty) | Ace only: the store's zone was not assigned, or the zone tables have not synced yet | In the Store Manager use Options > Refresh Ace Zones, then sync again |
| The Data Aging badge stays on after a sync | The sync did not complete, or the threshold on Miscellaneous is 0 | Check the sync history in Data Aging View; set Vendor Data days to at least 1 on Miscellaneous |
| The sync takes far longer than usual | The first sync after a long gap, after a reset, or after 30 days downloads whole tables instead of changes | Let it finish; the next sync is incremental again |
| A license error appears during sync | The store's license could not be validated | File > Reconfigure Store... to re-validate; contact Margin Master support if the renewal has not been processed |
| Data looks corrupt or the sync fails every time on the same table | A damaged local copy of a vendor table | File > Utilities > Reset Vendor Data, then sync: this re-downloads the vendor tables in full. See Resetting Vendor and POS Data |
Reading the sync log
Every sync writes to the application log under File > Utilities > Show Log Files - the day's
MarginMaster-YYYYMMDD.log. Search for the vendor's table names (for Ace: AceCatalogRecords,
AceZoneRecords) to find where it stopped, and attach the file to a support issue.
Common Questions
Q: Can I sync while a strategy is running? A: No - wait for the run to finish. Margin Master queues the heavy steps so they do not collide.
Q: How do I know the sync worked? A: The Data Aging badge clears, the Data Aging View shows today's date for vendor data, and the record count refreshes when the rebuild completes.
