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
How Margin Master Updates
What is this?
Margin Master updates itself. There are four ways an update can reach a computer; they differ only in who decides when. This page puts them side by side so you can choose the one that fits each computer, and know what you will see when an update arrives.
Walk through it in the app: lesson 1018 — Beta and general release. Margin Master can walk you through these steps live: turn on Training / Guide Mode from the Help menu, then type 1018 into the Lessons & Guides box — or ask Margin Master support to run it with you.
Beta and general release
Margin Master ships two kinds of builds: general releases everyone receives, and beta builds that Margin Master support installs at a few stores early — usually to deliver a fix or a feature ahead of the general release. There is no beta setting to switch: you are on beta only because support installed a build newer than the current general release, and Help > Check for Updates shows the word BETA beside your version while that is true. Getting off is automatic — the next general release overtakes the beta build and the normal update returns you to the general line.
The four paths
| Path | Who decides | What you see | Set up where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic check with a prompt (default) | You, within limits | An Update Available badge and a notification with Update Now, Snooze (1 Hour / 1 Day / 1 Week) and Dismiss. Left idle, it installs by itself after the idle delay | Tools > Options > Auto Update: Automatically check for updates on |
| Update on Shutdown | Margin Master, when you close it | No prompt. A short notice says the update will apply on exit; the next start is the new version | Auto Update: Auto-update idle delay = Update on Shutdown |
| Manual only | You, every time | Nothing until you choose Help > Check for Updates | Auto Update: Automatically check for updates off, or Require approval before applying updates on |
| Background Service 🧪 | The service, on a schedule, while the app is closed | Nothing in the app; the next start is the new version | Tools > Options > Background Service: Install Margin Master updates automatically while the app is closed |
Whichever path is chosen, an update cannot be ignored for more than 7 days: once that window passes, the update installs on the next background check regardless of snooze or approval settings, so every installation is current at least weekly.
What the prompt does when left alone
With the default path, the notification waits for the idle delay (30 minutes by default; 1 Minute, 5 Minutes, 1 Hour or Never are the alternatives), then counts down 10 seconds - Updating automatically in N seconds... - and installs. Cancel snoozes for an hour. With Require approval before applying updates on, it never installs without a click.
Badges you will see
- Installing update… 42% (blue, pulsing) - the new version is downloading in the background. Keep working; it does not interrupt you and nothing restarts on its own at this point. A computer that has missed several releases has more to fetch, so this one can sit for a few minutes.
- Update Ready — Click to Restart (green) - the update downloaded and installed in the background; click to restart into it.
- Update Available (blue) - a version was found but could not be downloaded; click to retry.
These are described in Banners and Badges.
Checking by hand
Help > Check for Updates checks immediately, whatever the settings or snooze. If a version is available you are asked whether to install now; otherwise a message confirms you are current. Help > Version History shows what each version changed.
Going back to a previous version
Margin Master does not offer a downgrade button. If a version must be rolled back, contact Margin Master support - support can install a specific version and pause updates on that computer while the cause is fixed. Installing an old version over a new one by hand corrupts settings; do not.
When an update will not install
Occasionally an update downloads but cannot be applied - something is holding the program folder open (antivirus, or a second copy of Margin Master). Margin Master tells you rather than silently restarting on the old version; the details and the fix are in Automatic Updates & Snooze Options. A damaged .NET runtime shows its own red badge - see Install or Repair .NET.
Which path for which computer
- The pricing workstation someone uses daily: the default prompt, or Update on Shutdown if prompts are unwelcome.
- A back-office PC that runs imports unattended: Background Service, so updates happen while the app is closed and never interrupt an import.
- A computer where IT approves every change: manual only, with Require approval.
Common Questions
Q: Can I turn updates off entirely? A: Automatic checks can be disabled, but the 7-day rule still applies once an update is seen by a manual check. Keeping every store current is what lets support help quickly.
Q: Does an update change my data or strategies? A: No. Updates replace the program only; the database, strategies and settings are untouched (a database upgrade, when one is needed, happens on first start and is backed up first).
Q: How do I know which version I am on? A: Help > About Margin Master, or the top entry of Help > Version History.
