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Copilot features you can use now
Sales line suggestions
On a sales order, Copilot can propose lines from a plain description, a similar past document or an attached file such as a customer's order.
- ✓From a text prompt
- ✓Copied from past orders
- ✓Read from an attachment
Marketing text
Drafts a product description from item attributes, which can then be published to a Shopify store through the connector.
- ✓Tone and length options
- ✓Uses item attributes
- ✓Edited before saving
Bank reconciliation help
Proposes matches between statement lines and ledger entries that rules missed, and suggests G/L accounts for lines with no match.
- ✓Extra match proposals
- ✓G/L account suggestions
- ✓Accepted line by line
Analysis assist
In analysis mode on a list page, describe the view you want and Copilot sets up the grouping, filters and totals.
- ✓Pivot-style layouts
- ✓Plain-language request
- ✓Saved as a tab
Data, privacy and the admin page
Copilot capabilities are managed on the Copilot and agent capabilities page in Business Central. An administrator can activate or deactivate each feature, and some features may need data to move to an Azure OpenAI service in another geography if none is available in yours. That choice is explicit, and it is worth a conversation with whoever owns data policy in your company.
Microsoft states that customer data sent to Copilot is not used to train the underlying foundation models. Permissions still apply: Copilot works within what the signed-in user can see, so a clerk without access to payroll accounts will not get payroll figures through a prompt.
Microsoft updates these features with each release wave, so what is available changes. We keep an eye on the release plan and tell you which new capabilities are worth switching on.
Where Copilot helps least
- ✓Poor master data. If item names are cryptic and customers are duplicated, suggestions are cryptic and duplicated too.
- ✓Judgement calls. It can propose a G/L account for a bank line, but deciding whether something is capital or expense is still yours.
- ✓Low volumes. A company posting a handful of invoices a week will save little time from line suggestions.
- ✓Anything that must be exactly repeatable for audit. Rule-based setups such as bank matching rules and recurring journals remain the backbone.
How we introduce Copilot to a finance team
- 1
Check the basics first
Bank statement import, matching rules and item data are set up properly, because Copilot builds on them.
- 2
Switch on one feature
We start with the capability that matches a real pain, often bank reconciliation or sales line entry, not all of them at once.
- 3
Agree how to check its work
Users learn what to look at before accepting a proposal, and who to ask when a suggestion looks wrong.
- 4
Measure against the old way
After a few cycles, the team compares the effort with and without Copilot and decides whether to keep it and what to try next.
Agents: what comes after suggestions
Microsoft has started adding agents to Business Central, such as a sales order agent that reads customer emails and prepares quotes or orders for a person to confirm. Agents act more independently than the Copilot features above, and they have their own setup, permissions and billing terms.
We treat agents as a pilot rather than a default. Before turning one on we check availability in your region, the current terms, and whether the process it automates is stable enough to hand over.
Copilot in Business Central questions
Is Copilot in Business Central switched on automatically?
Some capabilities are active by default in supported regions and some must be turned on. An administrator can see and change every one on the Copilot and agent capabilities page. If your policy requires it, everything can be switched off.
Can Copilot post transactions on its own?
The Copilot features described here produce proposals, and a user checks and accepts them before anything is posted. Agents can take more steps on their own, but they are configured with their own permissions and a human can be kept in the loop. We recommend keeping a person accountable for anything that reaches the ledger.
Does Copilot see data a user is not allowed to see?
No. Copilot works in the context of the signed-in user and their permissions. That is another reason to get permission sets right during implementation, since the same rules govern what Copilot can read.
Is this the same as Microsoft 365 Copilot?
They are related but different. Copilot in Business Central lives inside Business Central screens. Microsoft 365 Copilot works across Outlook, Teams, Word and Excel, and can reach Business Central data through supported connections, but it is licensed and managed separately.
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