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
- Database Connection Setup
- Database Creation
- Database Restore
- Transfer Settings from Database
- Connecting a Second Computer
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
- 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
- Chat with Support
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 2026-09-15
SAP_ZONE_PRICE_MARGIN_MASTER — Ace Zone Pricing File
What is this file?
The SAP_ZONE_PRICE_MARGIN_MASTER file contains the retail pricing for every Ace SKU, organized by pricing zone. Zone 99999 is the national default — every SKU has a zone 99999 price. Regional zones only contain SKUs whose pricing differs from the national default. This file is the source of all Ace retail and level pricing in Margin Master.
File Details
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| File pattern | SAP_ZONE_PRICE_MARGIN_MASTER*.out |
| Format | Pipe-delimited (\|) |
| Vendor | Ace Hardware |
| Frequency | Daily |
Raw File Fields
| Index | Raw Field | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Zone | int | Pricing zone number |
| 1 | SKU | string | Ace stock number |
| 2 | Retail | decimal | Suggested retail price |
| 3 | Level1 | decimal | Tier 1 price point |
| 4 | Level2 | decimal | Tier 2 price point |
| 5 | MSURetail | decimal | Minimum shelf unit retail |
How Margin Master Uses It
The zone 99999 (national) pricing fills the Retail, Level 1, Level 2 and MSU Retail columns in the main grid, and the date of the last price change. A missing price is shown as 0.
Zone Pricing Overrides
When a store has zone-specific pricing (via the SAP_STORE_DEPT_ZONE file), regional zone prices override the national defaults in these additional columns:
| Column | Source |
|---|---|
| Zone Retail | Regional zone Retail (if available) |
| Zone Level 1 | Regional zone Level1 (if available) |
| Zone Level 2 | Regional zone Level2 (if available) |
Zone 99999 is always processed first because it establishes the national baseline; regional zones only hold prices that differ from it.
