The stockpile thing is awesome. If you have a MASTER-IN pile, Make it a large and thick ring around the QS cart (or 3 of them, linked to the one receiver (give each one the QS- prefix to know their role, if you have other minecart systems for other purposes); depending on the inflow (rocks, wood, trade goods)), and linked from there, spread it exclusively from the M-IN pile to the other IN piles assigned to specific shops, unless you want to further filter out by type (especially relevant for specific wood and stone types; mass production or specific crafting). With the stone, due to their weight, and sometimes needing a wheelbarrow: I suggest making a separate M-IN pile for those, unless you don't mind waiting for stone to arrive.
How I would setup (usually a good few years in to update hauling and etc.):
| | /→ | WOOD | → | Specifics (if you can sort them out; if you're picky (Stonesense reasons)) |
MASTER-IN | | → | Finished-Goods / Furniture | → | Quality or types (mass barrel/bin storage) |
| | \→ | STONE | → | Specific Stones (Color/Eco/Non-Eco/Ore) |
You can also change that up to be a Master Food IN pile, which splits into drinks, prepared, unprepared fish, seeds, and so on, and divide the unprepared stuff (cookable foods, brewables, and etc, to their respective processing centers (link only for all). Similar with a Master Refuse IN pile, and sort out the bones, while keeping the miasma contained in a minimal space, or if you get alot of corpses quickly, a pre-loading IN pile, and then link that to the condensed processing pile (get bones and leather out of it).
The food one is really helpful, especially seed storage. I've never seen my farms run so smoothly after doing that; and reserving a whole room to store seeds (with it's own QS-system) makes everyone with hauling tasks make good use of it. Keeps your fort nice and clean and seed-free; and the farmers go nuts keeping your food/drink stocks full.
If you have any mega-constructions you are working on, make another QS-Minecart to act as a MASTER-IN (usually central to the project), and sub-piles around the perimeter, depending on bar/block type you want to use. Being picky seems easier when it comes to constructions, at least, so divisions from the Bar/Block QS-pile would help a crap-ton. I intend to do that for any future projects.
To keep your shops working at full-efficiency (minimal, to no clutter (CLT)), I suggest a form of MASTER-OUT pile (similar properties as the MASTER-IN) that all shops export to (set as LINK ONLY), and link that to the other piles the Master-IN would normally link to; especially if it's closer/more efficient; then otherwise, if it's in the path, link it to the MASTER-IN instead, and let that take care of things from there.
With all these M-IN piles, not a single peasant and soapmaker will be idle. An ideal fort.
EDIT:
Just got struck with some brilliance. I suggest that you make the Master-IN pile, respectably large, surround your primary Trade Depot. Easy-(M-)IN, Easy-(M-)OUT. Nothing but short trips. I gotta try this out. Another reason to make it so big is so you can line the perimeter of the M-IN (From everywhere, No Links)/M-OUT (from depot, Set to TAKE FROM only, and give to the rest, if needed (unless the QS-MC system is streamlined enough)) with the filtering system I described above, and then link those specified plots (which are expandable from there, even as separate rooms; Set as LINKS ONLY as to not keep circulating the system)), and you have yourself a reasonably large room/central storage room made, with sub-stations for raw materials, and QS-piles to stock them, and store other stuff that don't need to be separated like the raw materials. It should keep everything absolutely minimized for maximum efficiency.
I'll draw a diagram or blueprint to show what I mean. I think the image below is rather self-explanatory, especially after everything I explained above. I nickname it the Trade Depot Stockpile Microchip/CPU/Processor Mega-Filter (single-stage; can sub-divide into other/more stages (Stone, Quality Goods, Ingredients, etc.).
You can always set this in the open, or have the minecarts link into separate store rooms, or build hallways between or over the minecarts; or have a staircase run through it. This setup should make the Master-IN and -OUT rather well-centralized and short-distance every trade season that passes. Distance should be rendered rather trivial once this is complete with it's processing. Set wheelbarrows if you want to cut down the worker amounts, or if you have a bunch of heavy stuff, then set to maximum WBs.
Here's how to go about the next stages, or at least, an example (using stone only in this case) how the filter should work out from there onwards. You can think of the other stone colors as other variables for other stocks being sorted out (By-Quality, and etc. for example, for the trade depot to deal with). Alternatively, you can always exclude the minecarts, and make large spaces to store instead (save time and (H)auling screen space.). Workshops are included if you're raw-material processing:
NOTE: Just remember to link the specific cart/pile to the specific shop, and make sure they're LINK ONLY (and recycle products back to the Master-IN as LINK ONLY (M-IN takes from ALL shops that make final products); just so you don't have cross-processing. That's also why they're divided by 1 tile going outward, and not so much upwards.
GREATER NOTE: Concerning how I have the setup made, in case you're confused why I have it arranged as such: The MASTER-IN, as shown, has 3 WBs assigned to it, and always has 3 dwarves hauling into it maximum (due to using max. WBs). It's MASTER-OUT is then sorted, by hand, by every other available hauler. In theory, this is probably the most efficient setup to use, and all workshops can use their own specific stone-type/color. Excellent for those megaprojects that are quite diverse in color schemes and etc.. Also helpful for smelting things.
Oh, and if you're wondering, I used
ASCII-Paint to draw them.
EDIT EDIT:
Illustration included above. Testing things out, it's not necessary to have 3 carts dumping into the same pile. The rate isn't that much quicker overall, it seems.
EDIT EDIT EDIT:
Personally, I think these systems, and illustrations (as I also described them), should be easy enough to understand to include it on the Wiki. Feel free to include it if you want, and to summarize it further as you see fit. I mean, with the MASTER-Stockpile as large as it is (IN for Depot, OUT for everything else), your entire fortress can spend no more than a season, or a week even (depending on numbers), sorting all their crap out. Can be established at any time; I suggest as early as possible, especially after the first migrant wave, as to keep your fort in action the rest of the time. Prioritize by taking out hauling tasks for your dedicated workers.
And before I forget, please allow the MASTER-IN to accept everything EXCEPT Refuse. We don't want that crap to discourage trade. Plus, Refuse is it's own sorting system, same with Stone.