Troubleshooting
The fastest way to the cause is always the calculation log: every calculation — including every one that did not happen — sits there with result and reason.
Symptoms and solutions
| Symptom | Likely cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| No prices at all | Engine disabled or no license | Open the setup card: check Enabled and the license FactBox. In a sandbox the engine runs without a license |
| A single item has no price | No cost basis | Read the log: No Offer names the cause per cost source — no supplier offer (within the vendor filter, possibly without stock), unit cost 0, no active purchase line, or excluded by the item filter |
| Price stands still despite new cost | Rejection, fix, hysteresis, or approval | Read the log — Rejected: check the limit · Fixed: a fix is active · Suppressed: change below the hysteresis threshold · Pending Approval: open the workbench |
| Error "no exchange rate" | Currency list without a current rate | Maintain the exchange rates in Business Central — the engine never guesses with stale rates |
| The margin "is wrong" | A category margin overrides | Open the price explanation — it shows the margin actually applied; check the hierarchy |
| Purchase line missing in the order | Purchase lists disabled or offer stale | Check Write Purchase Price Lists; align Stale Offer Days with the supplier's import rhythm |
| Queue grows, nothing happens | Job queue missing | Run Create Job Queue Entries; check the entries are in status "Ready" |
| Too many small price changes on the channel | Hysteresis not configured | Set Min. Price Change % (e.g. 1–2 %) plus Force Update After (Days) |
| Competitor strategy has no effect | Prices stale or wrong channel code | Check Competitor Max Age and Competitor Channel Code; the hub page Competitor Prices shows a timestamp per entry |
Frequently asked questions
Does the engine overwrite my manually maintained prices?
No. It only maintains the sales lists from the Price Calculation Setup and the MC-* purchase lists. Protect individual items additionally via Fix Price in the cockpit.
What happens on a supplier data error (cost 1.00 instead of 100.00)? The max change % limit rejects, the old price stays, the case shows red in the cockpit and counts on the Rejected Today tile.
What happens when the engine is disabled? It stops calculating and writing but keeps collecting the changed items. After re-enabling, the first run processes the backlog; existing prices remain untouched.
Does the engine work without a supplier connector? Yes — cost source Item Unit Cost or Purchase Price List in the Price Calculation Setup. Only the purchase-list mirroring and the list price cap require supplier data.
Support
ALTENBRAND Datentechnik GmbH — support@altenbrand.de — www.merchantcentral.de