Propello POS Integration Guide

What is this?

Propello is a point-of-sale system Margin Master works with for both Ace Hardware and Do it Best stores. It is file-based: you run the inventory export in Propello and Margin Master reads that file, then Margin Master writes your new retails to a CSV that you import back into Propello.

Walk through it in the app: guide 4005 — Importing your Propello data. Margin Master can walk you through these steps live: turn on Training / Guide Mode from the Help menu, then type 4005 into the Lessons & Guides box — or ask Margin Master support to run it with you.

This guide walks through the three things a Propello store does with Margin Master, in order:

1. Options settings requirements — set the POS type to Propello and check the import and export folders.
2. Importing point-of-sale data — Data > Import Propello Data loads your items from the Propello export file.
3. Exporting price changes back to Propello — Print/Export writes a CSV you import in Propello.

1. Options settings requirements

Set the POS System Type to Propello

Open Tools > Options, and on the Store Information tab (under General Settings) set POS System Type to Propello.

Import / Export paths

Tools > Options > General Settings > Miscellaneous, group Import/Export Paths:

• Import Path — where Margin Master picks up the Propello .xlsx you exported.
• Export Path — where the price-change CSV is written.

Check both folders before your first import so you know where to save the export and where to find the price-change file.

2. Importing point-of-sale data

Data > Import Propello Data (Ctrl+I)

For a Propello store the Data menu's POS-import item reads Import Propello Data (other guides call the same item Get POS Data). Press Ctrl+I or click it:

Exporting your items from Propello

Margin Master needs Propello's product list with every column. You set up a saved view once, then export from it each time.

One-time setup — the Margin Master view

1. Sign in to Propello and open Products > Products.
2. Switch to Table View with the grid icon in the upper right.
3. Open Actions (top right) > Views.
4. Add every column to the view with Select All.
5. Save the view and give it a name you will recognise, such as Margin Master Export.

Each time you export

1. In Products > Products (Table View), open Actions > Views and load your Margin Master Export view.
2. Click Search to load all items into the grid. This can take several minutes.
3. Tick the checkbox in the top-left corner of the grid to select every row.
4. Click the Excel icon. Propello builds the report; download it when it is ready.
5. Move the previous export out of your Import Path, then copy the new .xlsx from your Downloads folder into it. Margin Master reads exactly one Propello file from that folder.

A partial export — the Inventory Viewer screen export, for instance — does not carry enough columns and is rejected.

Importing the file into Margin Master

With the single .xlsx in your Import Path, choose Data > Import Propello Data.

Margin Master looks in the Import Path for exactly one .xlsx, loads it, shows Successfully Imported N Records, and then runs the normal post-import processing (main table rebuild, selection lists).

If the file is rejected

Margin Master checks the file's column headings against Propello's full inventory export before loading it, so a partial export is turned away rather than half-imported. It keeps a record of which columns were missing each time — if a file you believe is complete is rejected, contact Margin Master support with the file and they can tell you exactly what was missing.

3. Exporting price changes back to Propello

After running a strategy and reviewing future prices, click Print (or File > Print) to open Print/Export:

1. Send to: Propello Import CSV File — writes NewRetails.csv for you to import in Propello.
2. The Send to Propello Import CSV File button writes the file. Excel File and Label Master work as for any other POS.

All Records or Range of Records, and the Future Price = $0.00 choices, work exactly as for any file export. Only items with a future price are written.

Send to Propello Import CSV File

Margin Master writes NewRetails.csv into your Export Path (an existing file is replaced) and reports Exported N Propello Price Changes records to .

Importing NewRetails.csv into Propello

1. In Propello, go to Utilities > Imports, select Product Price Changes, and click Start Import (top left).
2. Click the Upload icon (upper left) and choose your NewRetails.csv from the Export Path.
3. On the upload screen, leave File Contains Headers turned on — the first row of the file holds the column names — and click Upload.
4. Click Finalize, then Finalize again in the pop-up. Progress appears on the Alerts page.

The file uses the column names from Propello's own Price Change Import template, so its columns line up without building a mapping:

The Export Options tab in Tools > Options does not affect this file; its layout is fixed.

Older instructions: if you saved an import mapping for an earlier Margin Master file with File Contains Headers turned off, do not use it — the file now has a header row and an Effective Date column first.

Making the new prices live (Price Review)

Importing the file stages the changes; nothing changes at the register yet.

1. In Propello, go to Products > Pricing > Price Review and click Search (upper right). Your new prices are listed.
2. Tick the checkbox in the top-left corner of the list to select everything, and click Finalize.
3. Choose what you want to update, click OK, then Finalize again on the second screen. The new retails are now live.

Print tags before the prices go live. In Price Review, select the items (or all of them) and click the tag button next to the calculator. Once the tags are up, return to Price Review, select the items you tagged, and finalize them.

Margin Master never finalizes price changes itself — prices do not change in the store until you finalize them in Propello.

Tips

• Always run the full inventory export (all columns). Most import failures are a partial export.
• Remove the previous export from the Import Path before saving a new one, so only one .xlsx is there.
• If a file is rejected, contact support: Margin Master keeps a record of which columns were missing.

Common Questions

Q: Which Propello export do I use? A: The full inventory export with all columns, saved as .xlsx into the Import Path.

Q: The prices I exported are not in the store yet. A: Import NewRetails.csv in Propello (Utilities > Imports > Product Price Changes), then finalize the changes in Products > Pricing > Price Review — see Making the new prices live.

Q: Where is the export file? A: NewRetails.csv in the Export Path (Tools > Options > Miscellaneous). If you need a copy of an earlier export, contact Margin Master support.