- 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
- A Tour of the Main Window
- The Menus
- The Button Row
- The Main Data Grid
- The Summary Section
- Banners and Badges
- 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
- 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
- Ace Hardware MAP & IMAP Pricing
- Ace Critical Retail Pricing
- True Value Price Levels
- True Value Store Assessment
- Importing from Excel
- Cost Break Analysis
- Cost Break Strategies
- Min/Max Strategies
- Strategy Backup & Restore
- Add Items from Catalog
- Store Grouping
On This Page
Import Stopped: SQL Server Ran Out of Memory or Space
What is this?
Margin Master stores your data in SQL Server, a database program that runs on your computer or on a server in your store. When you import your POS data, Margin Master hands SQL Server a large amount of data to save. If SQL Server runs out of memory or disk space partway through, it cannot save the rest.
When that happens, Margin Master stops the import and shows a message headed Your POS Data Could Not Be Imported. This page explains that message and what to do next.
Is my data safe?
Yes. Margin Master only replaces your items and prices once every item from the POS has been saved. An import that stops partway changes nothing:
- Your items, prices, strategies and exceptions are exactly as they were after your last successful import.
- Nothing from today's POS data is included until an import finishes.
- The downloaded POS file is kept, so Try Again does not have to download it again.
What the message tells you
The message names the most likely cause, based on what SQL Server reports about itself at the time of the failure:
| The message says | What it means |
|---|---|
| The computer it runs on is low on memory | Other programs are using the memory SQL Server needs. |
| It is set to use no more than N MB | SQL Server has been told to use very little memory. This is a setting, and support can change it. |
| The computer has N GB of memory, which is not enough | The computer does not have enough memory for your store's data. |
| SQL Server Express limits itself to a small amount of memory | The free edition of SQL Server caps its own memory, however much the computer has. See SQL Server 2025 Express vs. Full License. |
| The transaction log file is full | SQL Server's working file has filled up. |
| SQL Server could not make the Margin Master database any larger | The disk holding the database is full. |
| The database has reached the 10 GB size limit | Older versions of SQL Server Express cannot hold a database larger than 10 GB. |
| SQL Server ran out of memory while saving your data | Margin Master could not tell which of the above applies. |
Your options
The message has three buttons:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Try Again | Runs the import again, using the POS file already downloaded. |
| Contact Support | Opens a support request with the details already filled in: the cause, the error SQL Server reported, and how much memory it had. Add anything you noticed and send it. |
| Close | Closes the message. Your data stays as it was, and you can import again later. |
Read about this error opens this page.
What you can try yourself
Some causes you can clear on your own. The message tells you when that's the case:
- Close other programs on the computer that runs SQL Server, especially web browsers with many tabs, other database programs, and anything else that is slow or busy.
- If that does not help, restart that computer. A restart frees all memory held by other programs and by SQL Server itself.
- Open Margin Master and use Try Again, or import from the menu as usual.
- If the disk is full, free up space on the drive that holds SQL Server's data (commonly
C:), then try again.
If the message says the cause needs a change to how SQL Server is set up, the steps above may get one import through, but the problem will come back. Use Contact Support so it can be fixed properly.
Common Questions
Q: Why did this not happen before? A: Your store's data grows over time, and other programs on the same computer change. An import that fit comfortably a year ago can reach the limit today. It can also happen once after a Windows update or a long time without a restart, and then not again.
Q: Will I lose my pricing work? A: No. The stopped import did not change anything. Your pricing, strategies, exceptions and store data are exactly as they were.
Q: Can I keep using Margin Master? A: Yes. Everything works as normal. It is working from your last successful import, so today's changes in the POS (new items, new costs, sales since then) will not appear until an import finishes.
Q: Does the background service run into this too? A: It can. A scheduled import that stops changes nothing, the same as one you start yourself, and the failure is reported to Margin Master support automatically. Because nobody is at the screen during a scheduled run, no message appears; import from Margin Master yourself to see the cause and your options.
Q: I restarted and it happened again. A: Then the cause is a setting or the computer's capacity, not a one-off. Use Contact Support; the request carries everything support needs to see what SQL Server reported.
