What's New

Added comprehensive checks to prevent real store POS data from being accidentally included in demo databases, closing a security gap where actual store pricing, costs, and sales history could have been shared with all demo users.

Overhauls the demo database generation to produce realistic single-store pricing scenarios with believable revenue figures, fixes a datetime2 conversion bug that was discarding all Do-It-Best last-price-change dates, and establishes a maintenance runbook for keeping demo data credible after vendor syncs.

Fixed an issue where the Save button remained disabled after renaming a step in the Manage Pricing Strategies (V2) dialog, preventing users from saving their changes.

The Custom Group SKU import feature now accepts Excel workbooks (*.xlsx, *.xls) and CSV files in addition to plain text files, eliminating the need to convert spreadsheets before importing SKU lists into pricing groups.

Demo databases now suppress point-of-sale data aging indicators and warnings, since demo users cannot refresh POS data by running imports. Vendor catalog aging continues to function normally in demo mode, as users can still sync vendor data to see how freshness tracking works.

The custom group SKU import now validates that selected files are text or spreadsheets and that each SKU contains only valid characters. This prevents binary files from being accidentally imported and creating unmatchable SKU entries.

Demo databases now include a second store location with realistic pricing variations, and Ace Hardware demos are assigned to zone 6003 which covers 11% of the product assortment (versus the previous zone which covered only 0.2%). This makes zone pricing features visible and demonstrable during training and product demos.

Adds PowerShell scripts to safely transfer demo databases between machines using removable drives. Each database is verified as synthetic both before export and after import to prevent accidental transfer of real customer data.

Corrected a bug that prevented the Enter Demo Mode button from working when accessed through the startup "Use Demo Database" window. The feature now properly installs the selected demo database and launches the application.

Corrects a critical startup bug where 24 stamped installations (including Josephs' Hardware - Do it Best 4657) were incorrectly prompted to confirm their identity as "Beck Hardware - Ace 33859" after upgrading to the 9/14 build, with no option to proceed. The fix detects and repairs the stamp when found in the database's About table and prevents future occurrences by ensuring both identity fields are written together.

The SQL Server Tools window now shows all database management tasks as pages within one window instead of stacking multiple separate windows on top of each other. Users navigate between tasks using a unified banner with a Back button, and the window retains focus throughout the workflow.

The background service now automatically restarts if it ever stops unexpectedly, with Windows configured to retry after 1, 2, and 5 minutes. Additional safeguards prevent schedule migration failures from stopping the service entirely.

Fixed an issue where modal database setup dialogs (Create New, Restore, Demo) could hide behind the main window when other windows were activated, making the application appear frozen. These dialogs now properly own their parent windows to stay on top.

Fixed how Margin Master reports missing Cost Break models when loading saved pricing strategies. Previously, a deleted Cost Break model was incorrectly reported as a "selection box" error with confusing warnings about WHERE clauses. The validation now provides clear, accurate error messages explaining that the model no longer exists and how to resolve it.

When an Excel import failed before any steps could run, the error dialog showed an empty message that users couldn't act on. The dialog now displays the actual exception message explaining why the import failed.

When SQL Server is installed but not running, the Database Setup window now clearly identifies which service is stopped (e.g., "SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS)") and directs users to click the "Start SQL Server Service" button. Previously, users saw only a generic "network-related error" message. The Start button also now reliably enables after the initial scan completes.

Fixed a bug where typing a margin percentage into a SKU-level exception would not recalculate the retail price preview in real-time when store numbers differed between POS and vendor systems. The preview now correctly identifies matching stores and uses the same cost calculation as strategy runs.

The direct connection to Propello (Epicor Retail Cloud) has been removed at Epicor's request. Propello stores now use file-based workflows exclusively: import the inventory export .xlsx file from your import folder, and export price changes as a CSV file for the Price Change Import tool in Propello.

The Import BisTrack Data window now tells operators about waiting purchase orders when no new yard files are available, including whether each order is ready to apply or blocked because its yard has no data in Margin Master yet.

The "Chat with Support" feature now pre-fills your name and email from your store's primary contact when requesting human assistance, and the Stop button has been moved to prevent accidental double-clicks from interrupting responses.

Adds a new in-app support chat accessible from Help menu and a header pill. The assistant answers questions using documentation and guided lessons, can draft support issues, and offers hand-off to a live person when needed. The conversation persists for the session and requires AI services to be enabled.

Mi9 team assignments (Core, NonCore) are now managed in the Store Manager window alongside all other stores, using the same Store Groups system that Epicor uses. Team table rows now carry the team name (e.g., "Core") in the Store Number column instead of the legacy "G" marker, making reports and exports clearer.

The Strategy > Show Strategy Execution Summary menu item now stays enabled and displays an explanatory message when no strategy has been run yet, instead of being disabled. This resolves user confusion about why the menu item appeared unavailable.

Fixed a rare bug where stores with blank POS store numbers could disappear from the Store Manager grid when their internal row ID matched an actual POS store number. The blank-row partition key is now prefixed to prevent collisions.

The publish workflow now enumerates shipped pull requests once from git merge commits and feeds that single list to the release body, /whatsnew record, and publish digest. Release body links now open for anyone—phone, second browser, support analyst—without requiring GitHub sign-in, fixing the digest's previously empty "What Shipped" section.

The single main table option is now available for Epicor stores that import through the FTP/INFILE route. Like the MySQL/Compass route released earlier, this consolidates all store data into one table with one row per SKU per store, replacing the previous one-table-per-store approach.

Added a new RockSolid tab in Options that displays the status of the Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0 driver required for RockSolid imports and provides a one-click Install/Verify button. The startup check now uses a centralized service that properly detects the driver for 64-bit Margin Master.

Fixed a crash that occurred when loading a saved selection containing a single-date filter (Equal, Greater Than, or Less Than). The application was incorrectly expecting a date range for all date filters, causing the strategy step to fail for Berthoud Ace Hardware.

Summary being prepared.

Introduced a new single-table architecture option for Mi9 stores, consolidating all store data into one Mi9_mainTable instead of separate per-store or per-team tables. This reduces database complexity, improves query performance through better indexing, and simplifies multi-store operations while maintaining full backward compatibility with existing multi-table configurations.