Chat with Copilot

Introduction

Introducing the new Chat with Copilot feature in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Available in Version 25.4 of Business Central, Chat with Copilot is an AI-powered assistant designed to help users boost productivity and creativity by answering questions and providing insights about company data using natural language. Users can:

• Find business data: Ask questions to locate and open data about entities or records related to business processes, such as customers, vendors, sales orders, and items.

• Get explanations and guidance: Request step-by-step instructions or explanations on various tasks and concepts within Business Central.

• Organise data: Use chat to group records, perform calculations, and generate analysis tabs displaying results.

We've compiled this informative article to assist you in getting started. Below, you'll find the necessary prerequisites for utilising the feature, along with Microsoft's launch video and helpful links for more detailed information. Additionally, we've included some business case examples to help you embark on your Copilot journey.

Prerequisites

The following must be considered for use of the Chat with Copilot feature. Check with your system administrator on the following or:

• Language Setting: Ensure that the display language in Business Central is set to English.

• Feature Activation: An administrator must enable the Chat with Copilot feature and activate the chat capability within Business Central.

• Geographical Availability: Users should verify their environment's Azure region to ensure compatibility.

🔷 Important

A reminder that to have access to this feature you must be operating on Business Central Version 25.4 or later.

By integrating Chat with Copilot, businesses can streamline workflows, reduce reliance on traditional navigation, and access contextual assistance directly within their operational environment.

Practical Use Case Examples

The questions you ask Copilot will depend on your role, current task, your organisation's processes, and how you phrase your queries. Below are some examples, showcasing different ways as a park or marina operator you might ask questions in the chat pane, which may inspire you to craft your own, based on your specific situation.

🔷 Important

When using Copilot, there may be some fields within Elite that currently Copilot is not able to use within its summarising. This is currently being worked on to expand the functional use for Copilot within EliteParks and EliteMarinas.

Prompt: Find the items that contains 'Willerby' in the description

With this prompt example, we are providing clear instructions for Copilot to search for records within the Item list, by specifying that the 'Description' field should contain the exact text you entered, using quotation marks. Copilot will likely deliver accurate results when you provide hints like this, but you can also phrase your request in a more casual manner, as shown in the next example.

Prompt: Give me the latest purchase invoice for abi

For this example, when asking Copilot to locate a record, but the question is less precise, this may result in a less accurate answer. Copilot can often understand or guess that the invoice you're looking for isn't a purchase invoice, but rather a sales invoice from the Posted Sales Invoice list, but you may need to refine your prompt. Copilot would also need to match “abi” with “ABI Ltd” - that is the full name for the sell-to Customer name associated with the invoice, which may require refining on your request.

Prompt: Show me overdue invoices from 2022

With this example, we have asked Copilot to solve a common date puzzle, suggesting a year for the search to be filtered on. Copilot can usually understand common expressions and business terms and is able to summarise the results on the date or dates provided within the prompt.

Prompt: How do I save filtered views

We can also utilise Copilot to assist with use of Business Central as an application. In this example we’ve put forward a query on how to save filtered views, and Copilot will search through the plethora of Microsoft Learn information to provide you with an answer, along with references for you to investigate further. Even if there are spelling mistakes, grammatical errors or abbreviations, Copilot can usually understand the intent of your question and provide you with a quick response.

Helpful Links

Have you tried using Copilot with your Analysis views? Watch our video here for how Copilot can supercharge your Business Central analysis!

Microsoft Article Link: Chat with Copilot

Microsoft Article Link: Configure Copilot in Business Central

Microsoft Article Link: Copilot Troubleshooting