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
AppendixUpdated 2026-03-24
MARGIN_MASTER — Ace Catalog File
What is this file?
The MARGIN_MASTER file is the primary Ace Hardware catalog file. It contains the core product attributes for every SKU in the Ace catalog — descriptions, departments, vendor information, and pricing strategy codes. This file is the foundation of the Ace data pipeline; zone pricing and other supplemental files reference the SKUs established here.
File Details
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| File pattern | MARGIN_MASTER*.out |
| Format | Pipe-delimited (\|) |
| Vendor | Ace Hardware |
| Frequency | Daily |
| Cloud table | AceCatalogRecords |
Raw File Fields
| Index | Raw Field | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | SKU | string | Ace stock number |
| 1 | Description | string | Product description |
| 2 | MC | string | Merchandise class |
| 3 | PG | string | Product group |
| 4 | PS | string | Pricing strategy code |
| 5 | VendorNumber | string | Vendor number |
| 6 | VendorName | string | Vendor name |
| 7 | RDOM | string | Ratio of dealer to manufacturer |
| 8 | DOM | string | Dealer original markup |
| 9 | VC | string | Velocity code |
| 10 | Conv | string | Conversion factor |
| 11 | Nbr | string | Number factor |
| 12 | Sup | string | Supplier factor |
| 13 | Ult | string | Ultimate factor |
| 14 | ParentRSC | string | Parent retail support center |
| 15 | Dept | string | Department code |
Cloud Table Mapping
Each raw field maps directly to a column in the AceCatalogRecords table:
| Raw Field | Cloud Column | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SKU | Sku | Primary key |
| Description | Description | |
| MC | MC | Merchandise class |
| PG | PG | Product group |
| PS | PS | Normalized: first char, uppercase; NULL/empty defaults to X |
| VendorNumber | VendorNumber | |
| VendorName | VendorName | |
| RDOM | RDOM | Parsed as float |
| DOM | DOM | Parsed as float |
| VC | VC | Velocity code |
| Conv | Conv | |
| Nbr | Nbr | |
| Sup | Sup | |
| Ult | Ult | |
| ParentRSC | ParentRSC | |
| Dept | Dept |
Main Table Mapping
The following main table columns are populated from this file. The Ace_Current view joins AceCatalogRecords with AceZoneRecords (zone 99999), but the columns below come specifically from the catalog record.
| Cloud Column | Main Table Column | Transformation |
|---|---|---|
| Dept | Dept2 | Direct |
| MC | Class2 | Direct |
| PG | ProductGroup2 | Direct |
| PS | PricingStrategy | First character; NULL/empty defaults to X |
| VendorNumber | VendorNumber | Direct |
| VendorName | VendorName | Direct |
| DOM | DOM | Cast to float |
| RDOM | RDOM | Cast to float |
| VC | VelocityCode | NULL defaults to X |
| Conv | Ace_Conv | Direct |
| Conv | DiscoveryC | Same value as Ace_Conv |
| Nbr | Ace_Nbr | Direct |
| Nbr | DiscoveryN | Same value as Ace_Nbr |
| Sup | Ace_Sup | Direct |
| Sup | DiscoveryS | Same value as Ace_Sup |
| Ult | Ace_Ult | Direct |
| Ult | DiscoveryU | Same value as Ace_Ult |
| CreateDate | CreateDate | Cast to date; falls back to existing value or 2019-01-01 |
| (SKU match) | VendorOwned | Set to VEND if SKU exists in catalog; otherwise NON |
Business Rules
- Pricing Strategy normalization: If PS is longer than 1 character, only the first character is used. If PS is NULL or empty, it defaults to
X. - Duplicate SKUs: If the source file contains duplicate SKUs, only the first occurrence is kept.
- Soft deletes: Removed SKUs are marked with a
DeleteDateandIsDeletedflag rather than being physically deleted.
