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
Strategy Backup & Restore
What is this?
Strategy Backup & Restore saves all of your critical Margin Master configuration — pricing strategies, strategy rules, rounding schemes, custom groups, SKU-level exceptions, views, application settings, and more — to a single file. You can then restore it to any Margin Master database.
Walk through it in the app: guide 2014 — Moving strategies to another computer. Margin Master can walk you through these steps live: turn on Training / Guide Mode from the Help menu, then type 2014 into the Lessons & Guides box — or ask Margin Master support to run it with you.
This is useful for:
- Transferring your setup to a new computer or database
- Creating a safety snapshot before making major strategy changes
- Recovering configuration after a database issue
- Replicating a known-good setup to another location
The current backup format is V3, which saves your configuration as a JSON file (optionally ZIP-compressed) and organizes components into a tree-based selection UI. The system also supports restoring older V1 and V2 backup files — these are automatically detected and converted on load.
Backups can be saved locally to disk and optionally uploaded to the cloud (Azure Blob Storage) for remote access and redundancy.
What gets backed up
The following is a complete inventory of what a full V3 strategy backup includes:
| Component | Source |
|---|---|
| Pricing Strategies — all strategies, not just the active one | GlobalFileConfig (Section = STRATEGIES) |
| Strategy Rules (Steps) — the steps within each strategy | GlobalFileConfig (Section = STRATEGIES, per strategy) |
| Custom Groups — group definitions and their filter rules | CustomGroups table |
| Custom Group SKUs — the SKU list for each custom group | CustomGroupSkus table |
| SKU-Level Exceptions — per-SKU pricing rule overrides | SkuExceptions table (active exceptions only — see Limitations) |
| Rounding Schemes — all rounding configurations | GlobalFileConfig (Section = ROUNDING) |
| Cost Breaks — cost-based pricing tiers with ranges | CostBreaks + CostBreakDetails tables |
| Min/Max Strategies — minimum and maximum price rules | GlobalFileConfig (Section = MINMAXSTRATEGIES) |
| Minimum Margins — SKU-level minimum margin floors | MinimumMargins table |
| Selection Box Views — saved views for the selection box | GlobalFileConfig (Section = FIELDVIEW) |
| Column Views — saved column layout configurations | GlobalFileConfig (Section = VIEWMANAGER) |
| Custom Field Names — renamed field labels | GlobalFileConfig (Section = VIEWMANAGER / NAMEMAPPINGS) |
| Custom Sort Orders — preset sort sequence slots (7 total) | ApplicationSettings (PresetSortSequence*) |
| Application Settings — store name, vendor type, active strategy, and other database settings | ApplicationSettings table (sensitive keys excluded) |
| Store Match-Up Configurations — vendor-to-POS store number mappings | GlobalFileConfig (Section = SETTINGS / STOREMATCHUP) |
| Store Groups — store grouping definitions and members | StoreGroups + StoreGroupDetail tables |
| Global File Configs (misc) — remaining configuration entries | GlobalFileConfig (all remaining sections) |
What is not backed up
| Component | Why |
|---|---|
Main pricing data (Store, MMVendorData, main tables) |
Rebuilt locally from vendor sync — too large, not config |
Vendor catalog data (AceCatalogRecords, DIBCatalogRecords, etc.) |
Sourced from cloud sync |
| Price history and audit trails | Not part of strategy configuration |
| Import processing history | Available as an optional section; excluded from automatic backup |
| Startup checks configuration | Available as an optional section; excluded from automatic backup |
| Database connection info | Available as an optional section; excluded from automatic backup |
| Inactive SKU exceptions (disabled in the UI) | See Limitations below |
Limitations
Inactive SKU exceptions are not backed up. The backup only includes SKU-level exceptions that are currently enabled (Active = 1). If you have disabled exceptions in your SKU Exceptions list, they will not appear in the backup file and will not be restored. Disabled exceptions are typically those you've turned off but not yet deleted — if any of these should be preserved, re-enable them before running a backup.
Rounding schemes in old V3 backups. V3 backup files created before April 23, 2026 (prior to fix/MM-1168) do not include rounding schemes due to a bug that has since been fixed. If you restore one of these older files and rounding schemes are missing afterward, use a V1 .json backup file from the same time period to restore rounding, or re-enter your rounding schemes manually.
The active strategy setting is preserved. The currently selected pricing strategy is stored in Application Settings and is included in every backup. When you restore a backup, the active strategy will be switched to whatever was active when the backup was created.
Who is this for?
- Store owners and managers — back up before making major strategy changes, or transfer a working setup to a new machine.
- Support staff — recover a misconfigured database or migrate settings between environments.
- Multi-store operators — replicate a known-good setup across locations.
How to Access
File > Strategy > Backup — create a backup (a local file, plus the cloud when Upload to Cloud is ticked).
File > Strategy > Restore — restore from a previously saved backup, local or cloud.
Upload to Cloud (ticked by default in the backup options) — also saves the backup to the Margin Master cloud.
Backup Sections (V3 Tree UI)
The backup and restore dialog shows a tree with four groups. Each group and individual item can be checked or unchecked independently:
Pricing Strategies
Each strategy is listed with a summary of its step count, custom group count, and SKU exception count. Check individual strategies to include only specific ones. Checking a strategy includes all its rules (steps), custom groups, and SKU-level exceptions.
Rounding & Pricing Rules
| Item | Contents |
|---|---|
| Rounding Schemes | All rounding configurations (right rules, left rules, increment rules, range rules, etc.) |
| Cost Breaks | Cost-based pricing tiers with detail ranges |
| Min/Max Strategies | Minimum and maximum price strategies |
| Minimum Margins (SKU-level) | Per-SKU margin floor settings |
Views & Layout
| Item | Contents |
|---|---|
| Selection Box Views | Saved filter views for the selection panel |
| Column Views | Saved column layout presets |
| Custom Field Names | Renamed field labels in the grid |
| Custom Sort Orders | Preset sort sequence assignments (slots 1–7) |
Configuration
| Item | Contents |
|---|---|
| Application Settings | Database settings (store name, vendor type, active strategy, etc.) |
| Store Match-Up Configurations | Vendor-to-POS store number pairings |
| Store Groups | Store grouping definitions and members |
| Global File Configs (misc) | All remaining configuration not covered by the above sections |
Items shown in grey with "NA" in the restore dialog are not present in the backup file — either the section was not selected when the backup was created, or the database had no data for that section.
File Storage
Default path: {DefaultExportPath}/StrategyBackups/
Naming convention: StrategyBackup_{Vendor}_{StoreNumber}_{yyyy-MM-dd}.json and .zip
Retention: Today's JSON file is kept; older JSON files are removed. ZIP files are kept on a rolling schedule — one per day for recent files, one per month for files older than one month, one per year for files older than one year.
Cloud container: strategybackups/ within the store's Azure Blob container.
Format History
| Version | When Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| V3 (current) | Late 2025 onward | Tree-based UI, all components, rounding schemes fixed (post-April 2026) |
| V2 | Early 2025 | Flat checkbox UI, full entity-based strategies, no cost breaks or min/max |
| V1 (legacy) | Before 2025 | Flat lists with StrategyName field; automatically converted on restore |
All three formats are supported on restore. V1 and V2 files are automatically detected and converted to V3 in memory before the restore dialog is shown. The dialog title shows "(Legacy V1)" or "(Legacy V2)" when an older file is loaded.
