Margin Master Handbook

Introduction

How Margin Master Thinks

Part I · Installing

Part II · Introducing the Main Window

Part III · Initial Configuration

Store Manager: The Hub of Data Processing

Part IV · Customizing the Workspace

Part V · Basic Application Functionality

Rounding Schemes

Part VI · Learning Margin Master

Future Pricing

Part VII · Advanced Topics

Part VIII · Updates, Troubleshooting & Help

Miscellaneous

What is this?

The Miscellaneous tab (Tools > Options > General Settings > Miscellaneous) holds the settings that do not belong to a vendor or a point of sale: where import and export files live, automatic strategy backups, how the grid behaves, cost handling across stores, the data-aging warning thresholds and how many rows the grid loads. Every setting saves as soon as you change it.

The Miscellaneous tab

Import/Export Paths

Field	Meaning	Default
Margin Master Folder	Where Margin Master keeps its own files: exports, strategy backups, saved maps, rounding schemes and history	`C:\MarginMaster`
Import Path	The folder Margin Master reads point-of-sale export files from (Data > Get POS Data)	the Margin Master Folder
Export Path	The folder price-change exports and reports are written to	the Margin Master Folder
Network Import Root	Bistrack only: an optional share whose per-branch sub-folders are scanned for exports	blank

Use the folder button to browse. An orange or red note under the field - Directory does not exist, Folder is not writable — choose a different location, Folder not found or unreachable - means the path must be fixed before it will work.

For RockSolid stores the Import Path must point at the point of sale's own program folder, because the import reads the live .RS file in place. Margin Master never deletes or renames files in a folder it does not own; only its own NAME[ext].BAK backups inside the Margin Master Folder are cleaned up.

Moving the Margin Master Folder (OneDrive, another drive, or a network folder)

The Margin Master Folder can be anywhere this computer can write to: a folder inside OneDrive so it is backed up, a second drive, or a network folder shared by several computers. Choose a folder of its own, for example OneDrive\MarginMaster or \\server\share\MarginMaster. A whole drive, the top of a network share, or a program folder is refused.

When you pick a new folder and leave the field, Margin Master saves it straight away. From then on everything it writes goes into the new folder, and each subfolder (strategy backups, exports, maps) is created the first time it is needed. Nothing is copied or moved: the files already in the old folder stay where they are, so copy any you want to keep. An Import Path or Export Path that was the old default folder follows the new one; a path you chose yourself, such as a RockSolid program folder or a mapped drive, is left alone.

Database backups stay on this computer. SQL Server writes database backups under its own account, and that account usually cannot write to a network folder. To keep a copy of a database backup in OneDrive, back up as usual (File > Backup Database) and copy the zip file into OneDrive afterwards. Never let OneDrive sync SQL Server's own data files.

If the network folder cannot be reached when Margin Master starts (a laptop away from the office, a server that is down), Margin Master uses C:\MarginMaster for that session and goes back to the network folder once it can reach it again. The orange note under the field says when that is happening.

Auto Strategy Backup

Setting	Meaning	Default
Enable Auto Backup	Back your pricing strategies up automatically	on
Local Backup	Keep the backup on this computer	on
Cloud Backup	Also send it to the Margin Master cloud, keyed to your store, so it can be restored on another computer	on

Manual backup and restore live under File > Strategy - see Strategy Backup & Restore.

Grid Edit Options

Setting	Meaning
Enable EDIT Future Price in Grid	Lets you type a future price straight into the grid's green column. Off by default so every price comes from a strategy or the Future Price panel and can be reproduced
Set FuturePrice On Click	Sets the future price when a row is clicked
Show Strategy Execution Summary after a run	Shows the report when a strategy finishes. Turning it off does not change what the run does or logs; runs that finish with errors always show the summary. On by default

Uniform Cost

Use Same Cost For All Stores prices every store from one cost instead of each store's own. When it is on, choose which cost: Vendor Cost or Store N Cost for one of your stores. Useful for multi-store businesses that want identical pricing regardless of what each store paid.

Data Aging (days before the title-bar warning appears)

Setting	Meaning	Default
Vendor Data	Days since the last vendor sync before the Data Aging badge appears	1
POS Data	Days since the last point-of-sale import before the badge appears	5

Both accept 0-90. See Data Aging and Freshness Warnings.

Grid Loading

Maximum Records caps how many rows the grid loads at once, in steps of 25,000 up to 500,000, or Unlimited. The default of 100,000 keeps the grid quick on most computers; raise it only if a selection you need is being cut off, and expect slower refreshes above 250,000.

Tips

Keep the Import and Export paths on a local drive. A network path that drops out mid-import is the most common cause of a half-finished import.

The two data-aging numbers are the only settings here most stores ever change - set them to match how often you actually sync and import.

Common Questions

Q: I changed the Import Path but Get POS Data still says No Files Found. A: Check the note under the field and the file name pattern for your point of sale (its guide in Part III). Margin Master reads the folder itself, not sub-folders.

Q: What does Unlimited do to a large database? A: Every selected row is loaded. On a multi-store database that can be several hundred thousand rows and a long wait; prefer narrowing the selection.

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