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
CTLD — Do It Best Catalog File
What is this file?
The CTLD file is the primary Do It Best catalog file. It is a fixed-width record format containing the complete product catalog for a single RSC (Retail Service Center), including product details, costs at multiple membership tiers (Classic, Vision, PAR), retail pricing, margins, and operational flags. This is the most field-rich import file in the pipeline with over 50 fields per record.
File Details
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| File pattern | CTLD*.out |
| Format | Fixed-width (450 characters per record) |
| Vendor | Do It Best |
| Frequency | Daily |
Raw File Fields
Identification
| Position | Length | Raw Field | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 3 | RecordID | string | Record type identifier |
| 3 | 6 | MemberNum | string | Member number |
| 9 | 2 | RSC | string | Retail service center |
| 11 | 6 | Sku | string | Do It Best SKU |
| 17 | 9 | PersonalSku | string | Personal SKU variant |
| 26 | 14 | GTIN | string | Global Trade Item Number |
| 40 | 24 | MfgPartNum | string | Manufacturer part number |
Dates
| Position | Length | Raw Field | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 14 | CreateTimeStamp | datetime | Record creation timestamp |
| 78 | 8 | LoadDate | datetime | File load date (YYYYMMDD) |
Product Attributes
| Position | Length | Raw Field | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | 30 | Description | string | Product description |
| 116 | 4 | VendorNum | string | Vendor number |
| 120 | 20 | VendorName | string | Vendor name |
| 140 | 2 | Department | string | Department code |
| 142 | 4 | FineLineClassCode | string | Fine line class |
| 146 | 6 | CatalogPage | string | Catalog page reference |
| 395 | 4 | ProductClassificationDept | string | Classification department |
| 399 | 4 | ProductGroup | string | Product group |
Multipliers
| Position | Length | Raw Field | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 152 | 5 | Mult3 | int | Multiplier 3 |
| 157 | 5 | Mult2 | int | Multiplier 2 |
| 162 | 5 | Mult1 | int | Multiplier 1 |
| 167 | 1 | CaseMultCode | int | Case multiplier code |
| 168 | 1 | MbrCostoption | string | Member cost option |
Costs (divided by 1000)
All cost fields are stored in the file as integers that must be divided by 1000 to get the dollar amount.
| Position | Length | Raw Field | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 169 | 8 | Classic1Cost | money | Classic tier 1 cost |
| 177 | 8 | Classic2Cost | money | Classic tier 2 cost |
| 185 | 8 | Classic3Cost | money | Classic tier 3 cost |
| 193 | 8 | Vision3Cost | money | Vision tier 3 cost |
| 201 | 8 | Vision2Cost | money | Vision tier 2 cost |
| 209 | 8 | Vision1Cost | money | Vision tier 1 cost |
| 217 | 8 | PAR3Cost | money | PAR tier 3 cost |
| 225 | 8 | PAR2Cost | money | PAR tier 2 cost |
| 233 | 8 | PAR1Cost | money | PAR tier 1 cost |
| 241 | 8 | DropShipCost | money | Drop ship cost |
Pricing (divided by 100)
Pricing fields are stored as integers divided by 100.
| Position | Length | Raw Field | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 249 | 7 | RetailMember | money | Retail member price |
| 256 | 7 | SuggestedRetail | money | Suggested retail price |
| 273 | 7 | SuggAuxRetail | money | Per-unit auxiliary retail price |
Unit of Measure
| Position | Length | Raw Field | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 263 | 2 | Unit | string | Unit of measure |
| 265 | 1 | IMCSAuxRetailSwitch | string | Auxiliary retail switch flag |
| 266 | 2 | AuxUnit | string | Auxiliary unit of measure |
| 268 | 5 | AuxQty | int | Auxiliary quantity per package |
Margins (divided by 10)
| Position | Length | Raw Field | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 280 | 4 | GrossMargin | money | Gross margin (÷100) |
| 284 | 3 | SuggAuxMargin | money | Suggested auxiliary margin |
| 287 | 3 | MCSMarginCode | string | MCS margin code |
| 290 | 3 | SuggClassicMargin | money | Suggested Classic margin |
| 293 | 3 | SuggVisionMargin | money | Suggested Vision margin |
| 296 | 3 | SuggPARMargin | money | Suggested PAR margin |
Physical Attributes
| Position | Length | Raw Field | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 299 | 7 | UnitCube | decimal | Unit cube (÷10000) |
| 306 | 7 | UnitWeight | decimal | Unit weight (÷1000) |
Operational Flags
| Position | Length | Raw Field | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 313 | 6 | SubstituteItem | string | Substitute SKU |
| 319 | 6 | Substitute2 | string | Second substitute SKU |
| 325 | 1 | ItemType | string | Item type switch |
| 326 | 1 | NewItemIndicator | string | New item flag |
| 327 | 1 | StatusCode | string | Item status code |
| 328 | 1 | PromoStatusCode | string | Promotional status |
| 329 | 1 | KeyItemCode | string | Key item flag |
| 330 | 1 | IMCSDBLVCode | string | IMCS DBLC code |
| 331 | 1 | GTINBarCodePkgSwitch | string | Barcode package switch |
| 332 | 3 | CountryOfOrigin | string | Country of origin |
| 335 | 1 | ReturnGoodsCode | string | Return goods code |
| 336 | 5 | IMCSOrderPoint | int | IMCS order point |
| 341 | 5 | IMCSOrderQty | int | IMCS order quantity |
| 346 | 1 | MbrSlowMovingItem | string | Slow-moving item flag |
| 347 | 1 | UPSSwitch | string | UPS shipping switch |
| 348 | 1 | CentralStockSwitch | string | Central stock flag |
| 349 | 2 | CSPrimaryRSC | string | Central stock primary RSC |
| 351 | 2 | CSSecondaryRSC | string | Central stock secondary RSC |
| 353 | 7 | ExceptionQty | int | Exception quantity |
| 360 | 7 | MaximumQty | int | Maximum quantity |
| 367 | 1 | MaxQtySwitch | string | Maximum quantity switch |
Private Label & Misc
| Position | Length | Raw Field | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 368 | 1 | PrivateLabel | string | Private label flag |
| 369 | 25 | PrivateLabelDesc | string | Private label description |
| 394 | 1 | PriceCode | string | Price code |
| 403 | 1 | DIB404 | string | Reserved field |
| 404 | 1 | DIB405 | string | Reserved field |
How Margin Master Uses It
- One file per RSC: each RSC receives its own catalog, so Margin Master always uses the catalog for your store's RSC.
- Suggested retail required: items with no suggested retail (blank or zero) are left out and do not reach the main grid.
- Cost: the item's cost is the highest of its three Classic costs.
- Retail: the suggested retail price.
- Level 1 through Level 5: derived from the Do it Best price-level rounding scheme, not read directly from the file. Level 1 and Level 2 are rounded price points below retail; Level 3 to Level 5 are the next three rounded prices above retail.
- Pricing strategy code: the first character of the price code; a blank price code defaults to
X. - Order multiples: the three multipliers are shown together as
Mult3|Mult2|Mult1. - Taxonomy: the four Do it Best taxonomy levels come from the PCDITEMXREF and PCDPRODCLASS files.
Unit of measure adjustment
Some products are sold per sub-unit but packaged in larger units — wire sold per foot but packaged per roll, for example. For these, SuggAuxRetail holds the per-unit price.
Before applying prices, Margin Master checks whether your POS sells the item per unit or per package by comparing your current price with the per-unit price and with the package retail. If your current price is closer to the per-unit price, every price and cost from the catalog is multiplied by the ratio of the per-unit price to the package retail, so the vendor prices line up with how you sell the item. Otherwise no adjustment is made. Suggested margins are never scaled.
