Business Central offers several out-of-the-box Copilot capabilities, which are available within the product without requiring custom development. These features usually require activation or configuration by administrators before they become part of the normal user experience within the application.
Microsoft has now introduced a few new AI-assisted features designed to simplify everyday tasks. Let us examine these capabilities more closely.
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Copilot’s Analysis Assist
Examining list data usually requires a brief period of preparation. Although Business Central’s built-in analysis mode offers the necessary options, users typically need to group fields, apply filters, select aggregations, and adjust the layout before the data begins to reveal useful patterns. While the effort involved is not substantial, it introduces a short preparatory step each time someone wishes to answer a simple question. When the objective is merely to compare categories, review average costs, or identify items with low stock levels, configuring the view first can seem unnecessary.
Copilot introduces a different approach through Analysis Assist, a feature that interprets short natural-language instructions and automatically constructs the corresponding analysis layout. Instead of manually arranging fields, the user may simply describe the view they wish to see. Copilot prepares the initial analytical structure, allowing the user to focus on interpreting the results.
Example 1:
“Sort items by type and uom.”
Result: Copilot interprets the instruction by grouping records according to item type and base unit of measure while summarizing the numerical columns. The agent recognizes common analytical terms such as group by, average, and sort, and it can interpret familiar abbreviations such as uom for unit of measure.
Example 2:
“Show average cost per category.”
Result: This produces a view that groups items by category and calculates the average cost within each group. The resulting layout appears directly within analysis mode and may be refined further if required.
When arranging the data requires less effort, users are more likely to examine it directly in Business Central rather than export it elsewhere. Questions about inventory levels, purchasing patterns, or cost comparisons can be answered quickly without leaving the system.
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Autofill with Copilot
Another out-of-the-box Copilot feature in Business Central is Autofill with Copilot, which assists users when creating or editing records. When a user encounters blank editable fields on certain pages, Copilot can suggest possible values to insert into those fields. The suggestions come from existing Business Central data, generated by the AI model, or from publicly available information on the web.
Autofill suggestions are never applied automatically. They appear as optional recommendations that the user can accept or reject. The feature is available on card and document pages, such as the Customer Card or Sales Order page, where users typically enter or update detailed information. It does not operate on list pages, worksheet pages, or configuration pages, and it cannot suggest values for certain field types such as identifiers, dates, or password-protected fields. As with other AI-assisted features, the suggestions should be reviewed before acceptance.
Closing Thoughts
Copilot’s additions to Business Central reflect a practical effort to simplify everyday interactions with business data. Features such as Analysis Assist reduce the effort required to examine operational information. Similarly, Autofill with Copilot further simplifies routine data entry by suggesting values for fields when creating or modifying records.
As these out-of-the-box Copilot features continue to evolve, they may gradually shape how users interact with Business Central on a daily basis. Small improvements in how data is explored and entered can, over time, create a more efficient and more comfortable working experience within the application.
