Upgrading from Margin Master Classic

What is this?

Margin Master Classic (version 3) is the previous generation of Margin Master. It has not been updated in several years and has now been retired: it no longer receives pricing data, and a computer still running it stops with "Application Licensing Error" and "License Expired". That message is the retirement, not a problem with your license.

The current Margin Master is a free upgrade for every licensed store, and it has many enhancements Classic never received, including:

• Vendor pricing data delivered from the cloud automatically, with no files to download by hand
• Automatic updates, so you are always on the latest version without reinstalling
• Future pricing, to see and plan price changes before they take effect
• Guided lessons and Training Mode, which walk you through tasks inside the program
• Chat with Support and issue tracking from the Help menu
• Strategy backups stored safely in the cloud
• SQL Server Tools, which installs and upgrades SQL Server for you

This guide walks you through the whole upgrade: installing the current version, keeping your data, removing Classic, and bringing SQL Server Express and SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) up to date.

Two ways to upgrade

Let us do it with you (easiest). The Margin Master support team is happy to do the whole upgrade for you or alongside you, including installation and configuration. We connect to your computer remotely while you watch. Schedule a support session at a time that suits you, or start a Live Support chat during business hours.

Do it yourself. You are just as welcome to follow the steps below. No technical knowledge is needed beyond downloading a file and clicking through a few screens.

If you are unsure at any point, stop and reach out: Live Support or schedule a support session. Stopping halfway is completely fine. We can pick up from wherever you are.

Before you start

• Use the right computer first. Start with the computer where Margin Master was originally installed, usually the back-office PC, because that is normally where your data lives. If you are not sure which one that is, Live Support can tell you in a minute.
• Allow about an hour for that first computer. Most of the time is waiting while SQL Server downloads and installs. Other computers take about 10 minutes each.
• Keep the computer on and connected to the internet the whole time, and do not let it go to sleep.
• Expect Windows to ask permission. Several times you will see a window titled User Account Control asking "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?" Click Yes. If it asks for a password instead, the computer needs an administrator to sign in; contact support or whoever manages your computers.
• Close Margin Master Classic on every computer at the store (click the X in its top-right corner) and leave it closed. If it is showing "License Expired", simply close it.

Back up your data (recommended)

The upgrade keeps your data where it is, so a backup is not required. It is still a good idea if it is easy for you:

• If Classic still opens: choose Backup/Restore > Database > Backup to Local File and wait until it says it has finished.
• If Classic has already stopped with "License Expired", skip this and carry on. Later, when SQL Server is upgraded in Step 4, Margin Master backs up every database automatically.

Step 1: Install the current Margin Master

1. Open your web browser and go to www.marginmaster.com/downloads.
2. Click Download Now. The file, MarginMaster-Setup.exe, goes to your Downloads folder.
3. Open it: click it in the browser's download list, or open File Explorer > Downloads and double-click it.
4. If your browser warns that the file "isn't commonly downloaded", or Windows says it protected your PC, see Microsoft Edge Download Block for how to allow it, or contact support.
5. Click Yes on the User Account Control window. Margin Master installs in a few minutes and puts a Margin Master icon on your desktop and in the Start menu.

More about the installer is in Installation and First Launch.

Step 2: First launch picks up your existing data

Double-click the new Margin Master icon on your desktop. On a computer that ran Classic it normally finds your existing database on its own, then shows "Checking database schema..." and "Updating database schema..." while it brings the database up to date. Your products, prices and settings stay where they are.

• If it opens to the main window with your store, the data step is done.
• If it shows a Database Connection Setup window instead, it could not find your data. This is the most likely place to want help: Live Support can connect it for you in a few minutes. If you are comfortable, Database Connection Setup explains the window.

Once the current version has opened your database, never open it with Classic again. Classic cannot read the updated database and would damage it, which is why Margin Master blocks Classic on that computer from then on.

Step 3: Remove Margin Master Classic

After the main window loads, Margin Master notices Classic is still installed and asks:

Old Margin Master Version Detected - An old version of Margin Master has been detected on this system... Would you like to uninstall it now?

Choose Yes. Margin Master removes Classic and its old desktop and Start menu shortcuts, then confirms it was uninstalled.

If you chose No, the question comes back at every start. You can also remove Classic later with Help > Uninstall Old MM, or from Windows Settings > Apps if the automatic removal does not finish.

Step 4: Upgrade SQL Server Express

Classic installed an older SQL Server Express, usually 2014, 2016 or 2019. Current Margin Master supports only SQL Server 2022 or 2025, so the old one needs upgrading. If yours is out of date, Margin Master shows the notification "Old version of SQL Server Detected".

1. In the main window open File > Utilities > SQL Server Tools.
2. The window checks the computer and lists its plan, normally Upgrade SQL Server (or Install SQL Server for a separate new instance when your SQL Server belongs to another program such as a point-of-sale system - that one is never touched).
3. Press Start, then click Yes on the User Account Control window. Every database is backed up first, automatically, before the upgrade touches it.
4. Wait for "Setup completed successfully"; each step typically takes 5-15 minutes. If it asks for a restart, restart the computer, open Margin Master and SQL Server Tools again; it finishes whatever is left.

Every screen and question in this window is explained in Install or Upgrade SQL Server Express.

If any step fails, press View Log and reach out to Live Support before trying anything else. Your pre-upgrade backups are kept on disk.

Step 5: Upgrade SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

SSMS is the free Microsoft tool support uses when helping with your database. Margin Master does not need it to run, but every store should have a current copy so support can help without a second visit. Classic-era computers usually have SSMS 18 or older.

The same SQL Server Tools window handles it: when SSMS is missing or old, its plan includes an Install SSMS or Upgrade SSMS step, run by the same Start button (often in the same pass as SQL Server). The download is about 1 GB. When it is done, SQL Server Management Studio 22 is in the Start menu.

Details are in Install or Upgrade SQL Server Management Studio.

Step 6: Your other computers

On every other computer that ran Classic, repeat Step 1 (install), Step 2 (first launch) and Step 3 (remove Classic). SQL Server and SSMS only need upgrading on the computer that holds the database, so skip Steps 4 and 5 there.

Because the data lives on the first computer, the first launch on another computer may show the Database Connection Setup window. That is expected: Live Support can connect it for you in a few minutes, or see Connecting a Second Computer.

You are done when

• Margin Master opens to the main window showing your store and products
• Margin Master Classic is gone from the desktop and Start menu
• File > Utilities > SQL Server Tools says "Nothing needs to be installed"
• Every computer that used Classic now opens the new Margin Master

If any of these is not true, Live Support will finish it with you.

Tips

Do the computer that holds the database first. The others only need Margin Master itself and a connection to it.

Stuck, or something looks different from this guide? Stop and reach out rather than guessing: Live Support or schedule a support session. An upgrade paused halfway is easy for us to finish; one pushed past an error is harder to untangle.

Common Questions

Q: Is the upgrade free? A: Yes. The current Margin Master is included with your license.

Q: Will I lose my products, prices or settings? A: No. The current version updates your existing database in place, and SQL Server Tools backs every database up before it upgrades SQL Server.

Q: Can I keep Classic on one computer? A: No. Classic is retired and no longer licenses, and it would damage a database the current version has updated.

Q: Do I have to do this myself? A: Not at all. Support will happily do it with you or for you. Schedule a support session or start a Live Support chat.

Q: Classic says "License Expired" but we pay for Margin Master. A: That is the retirement, not your license. Your license carries over to the current version unchanged. Follow this guide, or contact support, and you will be running again.