Microsoft Copilot in Business Central: AI that Inspires
Copilot is your AI assistant for everyday working life – developed by Microsoft to support you smarter and more efficiently, especially with repetitive tasks.
Tedious, Manual Tasks Are
Your Challenge in Business Central without Copilot
Do you feel overburdened by routine tasks such as data analysis and reporting? Are manual processes affecting your efficiency and productivity? Do you often experience errors when making manual entries? Do you struggle to analyze large amounts of data efficiently and make quick decisions? Then Microsoft Copilot is the solution for your company.
The Copilot Picks Up Speed:
Solution: The Interaction between Copilot and Business Central
Microsoft Copilot helps you with the following tasks in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central:
- Generating knowledge (e.g. versions of Navision)
- Searching for information (e.g. chat histories on a specific topic)
- Creating content (e.g. marketing texts, programming codes, summaries of meetings)
- Generating images
- Executing actions
Why Use Microsoft Copilot in Business Central?
Microsoft Copilot Offers these Benefits
Productivity Increase
With Copilot, you can automate and speed up routine tasks, giving your employees more time for strategic and creative activities.
Cost Efficiency
By automating tasks, your company can reduce costs that would otherwise be incurred for manual work. And best of all: the use of Copilot is free of charge if you already have Business Central licenses.
Improved Decision-Making
With Copilot, you can analyze data that provides valuable AI-driven insights, helping leaders make informed decisions.
Error Reduction
By automating your business with Copilot, you minimize human error and increase the accuracy and reliability of your results.
What Can the Copilot Assist with?
Using Copilot in Business Central: Practical Examples
Microsoft Copilot brings a range of exciting functions with the new Release Wave 2 2024. Many of these new features are initially only available in the English language version, but will gradually be supported in other languages too. We have looked at the new functions for you and provided Microsoft’s videos for you.
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The “Analyze data in lists” function makes it possible to transform raw data into meaningful summaries. With the Analysis Wizard (Copilot), list pages in Business Central can be analyzed by simply describing what information you need. Copilot then automatically creates totals, pivot tables and filters to find the data you need without the need for complex technical skills. This feature is available for most Business Central data and supports the calculation, summarization and exploration of data. An analysis tab is created in which the data can be transformed.
Copilot helps to organize, aggregate and summarize data on pages and in queries, making it more suitable for analysis and gaining meaningful insights. Analytics support only helps to organize and display data, but does not provide direct insights or conclusions about the data – that still requires a human.
This feature is based on the developer tools for Copilot in Business Central and uses the Azure OpenAI service. It is important to note that the customer’s business data is not created, modified or updated by the AI itself. Copilot can support or even take over manual work, which makes data analysis much easier.
Please note: This is currently still a preview version. This function is not yet generally available. In addition, this function is currently only fully supported in English, which means that the German language may not work as intended.
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Video: AI-supported analysis with Copilot in Business Central
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The “Bank Account Reconciliation with Copilot” feature in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central allows you to efficiently reconcile bank transactions with G/L entries. By importing bank statements into Copilot, it analyzes the data using built-in rules and powerful AI. Copilot compares transaction descriptions, amounts and dates to find matches in your G/L entries, even when multiple entries are consolidated into a single entry.
If unassigned transactions are identified, Copilot suggests matching G/L accounts by comparing the transaction description with G/L account names. For recurring payments, transaction details can be saved for future reconciliation. This feature significantly improves the matching of transactions and reduces the number of unmatched transactions through optimized matching suggestions.
The feature is available in German and is based on the developer tools for Copilot in Busines Central using the Azure OpenAI service. It is important to note that the customer’s transaction data is not created, modified or updated by the AI itself. The AI-driven transaction reconciliation complements the rule-based reconciliation and ensures more efficient bank account reconciliation.
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Video: Bank account reconciliation with Copilot in Business Central
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The “Create sales lines with Copilot” function in Business Central allows you to generate sales lines efficiently and accurately. You can suggest sales lines from a file by using the “Suggest sales lines” and “Suggest sales lines from file” actions in the sales document. You can attach a CSV file and qualify the columns in the “Column mapping” view. Alternatively, you can copy details from a customer email and paste them into the Copilot window. Copilot identifies the named items and suggests matching products from your catalog. You can also reference previous orders or describe products in a few words and Copilot will find the corresponding items. The suggestions can be inserted directly into the order. Improved product search and finding products quickly are further advantages of this function.
Please note: This function has so far only been validated in English and is only supported in English. It is therefore possible that the German language version will produce less accurate results.
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Video: Creating sales lines with Copilot in Business Central
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As part of the Dynamics 365 Business Central Release Wave 2 from 2023, this function was rolled out in the Marketing area, among others: Marketing text suggestions (product descriptions for items) can now be generated, for example for publication in stores such as Shopify. To do this, click on the “Draft with Copilot” field in the Marketing text area. The created text can then be kept, regenerated or deleted.
The Marketing Copilot looks like this:
Marketing Copilot – View in Business Central -
The “E-Invoice Matching with Copilot” function automates the receipt and processing of vendor invoices by supporting the allocation and matching process. Instead of manually matching incoming invoices with purchase orders, Copilot analyzes the e-invoice and compares the items with the purchase order lines. Similarities in descriptions, units of measurement, quantities available for invoicing and amounts are taken into account. Copilot signals deviations that are within the tolerance limit and identifies items that are split or grouped differently. You can check the reconciled invoice and apply it to the order if it matches. This automation is particularly interesting for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). If you would like to find out more about e-invoicing, please take a look at the related page: E-Invoice.
Please note: This function has so far only been validated in English and is only supported in English. It is therefore possible that the German language version will produce less accurate results.
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Video: E-invoice reconciliation with Copilot in Business Central
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Suppose you want to sell an item that is no longer in stock. Selling a replacement item from your extensive range is a good idea. Finding this manually is time-consuming and error-prone, as some items can differ significantly from the desired item. This is where Copilot comes into play. To do this, you can click on the “Add replacement item” field in the product view. In the subsequent view, the Copilot button appears, which you can use to prompt the replacement item search. Copilot will then search the database for similar products. In the next step, product suggestions with confidence intervals are displayed, indicating how well the suggested product substitutes the searched product.
Please note: This is currently still a preview version. This function is not yet generally available.
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Video: Article replacement with copilot
Copilot also helps with product creation by accessing information from existing products regarding variants, units of measurement, substitutes and dimensions and creating suggestions.
However, it should be noted that good product descriptions are required in order to obtain meaningful results. So far, the function has only been tested in English. Errors may therefore occur in the German language version. Furthermore, there may be delays after new items have been added.
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The “Chat with Copilot” function for Dynamics 365 Business Central was rolled out in Release Wave 2 of 2024. Chat with Copilot provides support for tasks that would otherwise be time-consuming, such as searching for a quote or querying the availability of an item. The following video shows how easily this works:
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Video: Chat using Copilot
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The Sales Order Agent optimizes order processes and automates routine tasks in order processing. It captures sales orders directly from customer emails and converts them into sales orders. It also speeds up the creation of sales quotations by checking the availability of items and using this information to create quotations. This allows more time for customer service, improves order accuracy and speeds up fulfillment. The agent integrates seamlessly with EDI and e-commerce tools to further simplify sales processes. The Sales Order Agent is expected to be generally available at the beginning of 2025.
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Video: The Sales Order Agent for Dynamics 365 Business Central
Using Copilot in Business Central: How do I get started?
Are you enthusiastic about the AI assistant, but still have questions or doubts? Don’t worry, we’re at your side to guide you. Regardless of whether you are already using Dynamics 365 Business Central and want to get more out of the ERP system or would like to implement Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Get in touch with us and we will advise you on how and for what specific purposes you can use Copilot in your company. We have already done this for our medium-sized customers from a wide range of industries.
Copilot Is already that Big:
Availability in the Microsoft World
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In addition to Dynamics 365, Copilot is also integrated into the Power Platform and supports, for example, the automation of recurring tasks or the development of apps. This is how Copilot can help:
- Power Apps: With Copilot, you can create an app, including the data behind it, by simply describing what you need.
- Power Automate: With Copilot, you can create a flow by describing what you need (including required parameters), make changes to your flow (e.g. update, replacement) or have questions about your flow answered.
- Power BI: With Copilot in Power BI, you can create reports, write DAX queries and generate summaries. Simply describe what you need in natural language and Copilot will do the rest.
- Power Pages: With Copilot in Power Pages, you can easily generate web pages, text and code, and create forms.
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Copilot has been working with the Microsoft 365-Apps (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) for some time now. This allows users to use the apps even more effectively. To do this, Copilot accesses all data managed by the company in Microsoft 365 and stored in the cloud in real time. Copilot has also been generally available for corporate customers since November 2023.
Examples of use:
- Word: Creation of texts in new/existing documents (with/without formatting), execution of commands (e.g. summarize)
- PowerPoint: Creation of presentations based on company templates as a command from Word, execution of commands (e.g. summarize, add slides, add images)
- Excel: Analysis of trends, visualization of data
- Outlook: Displaying professional tips (e.g. clarity, mood, tone), preparing for meetings, executing commands (e.g. summarize, prioritize email in inbox)
- Teams: Execute commands (e.g. summarize chats on a specific topic, search for messages), conduct meetings with whiteboard for creative and effective meetings
Microsoft 365 Chat was also presented as a general co-pilot for everyday working life. It knows the work, priorities and company of its users very well and can provide support in all matters (e.g. writing a strategy paper, booking a business trip, processing e-mails).
Microsoft 365 Copilot -
Copilot in Windows has been available in the first countries since September 2023 and adds numerous new interaction options to Windows 11. It assists users when it comes to managing everyday, repetitive, but also more complicated work processes. In general, tasks can be completed more easily and efficiently.
AI support offers the following functions:
- Summary of displayed content
- Composition of texts
- Crop objects on images
- Arrangement of application windows
- Selection of a suitable playlist
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The new AI-supported Bing was presented at the beginning of 2023. In addition to new functions for search and the Edge browser, Bing Chat for more complex search queries was presented, based on the findings and developments of ChatGPT and GPT-4. The new name for Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise was unveiled at Microsoft Ignite 2023: Copilot.
People can use this very easily (in the private sphere). Examples:
- Knowledge questions (e.g. When was it possible to see auroras in Germany?)
- Shopping aid (e.g. gift for a friend)
- Joke (e.g. write a joke on a specific topic)
- Comparison (e.g. advertising two products for application XY)
- Writing (e.g. birthday card)
You can choose the entertainment style: More creative, more balanced or more accurate.
Work More Productively with the Microsoft Copilot Solution
It’s me, Theo the technology interpreter!
Did you know that, according to Microsoft, 70% of Copilot users say they can work more productively with the Microsoft Copilot AI integration? Exciting, isn’t it?
But how is this technically possible? By combining a chat interface with large language models. To be more precise: through a combination of large language models (LLM for short), deep learning techniques and extensive datasets. On this basis, the tool can understand, summarize, predict and generate content. The LLMs (large AI language models) contain pre-trained models that are designed for these tasks.
Do You Still Have Questions?
Find Your Answers in Our FAQs
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Copilot in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is an AI-powered assistant designed to increase productivity, support creative processes and automate repetitive tasks. It is based on the combination of a chat interface with Large Language Models (LLM), deep learning techniques and extensive data sets. Key features include natural language processing, task automation, creative support, inventory forecasting and payment prediction. Copilot is integrated with Dynamics 365 Business Central and is designed to increase efficiency when using Business Central.
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Microsoft Copilot is available free of charge within the Business Central license. Basic Copilot functions are also available free of charge for individual users via web and mobile apps, Windows and Microsoft Edge.
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The activation and control of Copilot in Business Central must be carried out by an administrator. Copilot is a system function. This means that individual users do not have direct access to it and Copilot cannot simply be switched on or off. However, there are ways to control data management and disable certain Copilot and AI functions for each environment. Depending on the function, there are different levels of access control for the AI functions. To use the Copilot functions across geographical regions, the “Allow data movement” toggle must be activated. This has been activated by default since the Wave 2 2024 release. Individual features can be activated or deactivated for all users on the “Copilot and AI functions” page. Access can also be enabled for certain user roles.
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Copilot requires an Internet connection in order to function. This means that it is only available in Business Central in the cloud version and cannot be used in the On-Premises version.
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Copilot can be used in different ways to increase productivity or receive support with various tasks. In terms of Business Central, this means that routine tasks can be automated, data can be collected and analyzed, and marketing texts can be created. However, it should be noted that Copilot must be activated and work must be carried out online in a supported region in Business Central.
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Microsoft Copilot has been generally available to corporate customers since November 2023.
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Yes, Copilot is integrated in Dynamics 365. The AI supports you in various applications, such as Dynamics 365 Business Central, Dynamics 365 Sales, Dynamics 365 Customer Service, Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, Dynamics 365 Field Service and Dynamics 365 Project Operations.
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It is important to deal with the topic of data protection in connection with the service of the US company Microsoft. We explain why this is the case and what you need to bear in mind.
These are the facts:
- Data access: Copilot has comprehensive access to your company’s data.
- Data use for own purposes: According to Microsoft, the company data is not processed for its own purposes and the AI is not trained using the user data. However, we do not find this promise in the contractual basis. Quite the opposite: Microsoft grants itself the right to process at least diagnostic and metadata for its own purposes. In our opinion, the processing of data by Microsoft cannot be completely ruled out.
- Geographical region in Europe: The geographical region of the Azure Open AI service used by Copilot is for Europe (West and North): Sweden or Switzerland.
When it comes to data protection with Microsoft Copilot, there are a few things you can do yourself:
- Data access limited to authorizations/user: It is important that you develop a rights concept so that users cannot suddenly see data to which they are not authorized.
- Private email use: If employees are also allowed to use the email program privately, the problem arises that the AI can also access private data. However, the employer generally has no right to access the employee’s private content. This may result in penalties.
- Correct setting (no performance/behavior monitoring): Care must also be taken during setup to ensure that access by the co-pilot cannot be used for profiling and thus for monitoring the behavior or performance of employees.
We Are Thrilled. Are You too?
Microsoft Copilot: A True Allrounder!
If you are interested in Microsoft Copilot and need support, please contact us and we will tackle the issue together.
We look forward to your inquiry!
