Ep 65 | Copilot in Business Central | A Shot of Business Central and A Beer
A Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central podcast | Episode 65 A Shot of Business Central and A Beer
Welcome to the show notes for Episode 65 of A Shot of Business Central & A Beer Podcast!
Ken Sebahar and Michael Intravartolo are back, bringing their unique blend of humor and expertise to discuss the latest in Business Central. This episode is packed with juicy topics like Copilot for Business Central, the newest AI features from Microsoft’s 2024 Release Wave 2, and, of course, some great beer—Warsteiner Oktoberfest!
With listeners in over 90 countries, this podcast blends tech talk with casual fun, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in Business Central and AI. So grab your favorite fall drink, settle in, and join us for a fun and informative ride!
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Business Central Podcast Show Notes
Beer we're drinking: Warsteiner Oktoberfest
Brewing: Brewed with hand-selected hops, Munich-type spring barley malt and extra-soft brewing water from the Arnsberg forest nature park.
Flavor Notes: white bread, pretzel, and graham cracker.
Beverage Type: Bottom fermented
Appearance: clear, amber like with a fiery brilliance and a fine pored head.
Color: Medium, golden brown
Bitterness: Gentle, bitter sweet
Alcohol Content: 5.9%
Drinking Temp: 39 to 46 degrees
Beer Advocate
Score: 79, Ranked #25,378
Average Rating: 3.49
Flavor Notes from Reviews: Biscuit, Fresh Baked Bread, sweetness (honey), fruitcake
Shot of Business Central (News)
Key dates:➥ 4/1/2025: No new GP customers for GP Perpetual (already announced)➥ 4/1/2026: No new customers for GP subscription (already announced)➥ 9/30/2029: Product enhancements, regulatory updates, and hotfix support end➥ 4/30/2031: Security updates end
Feature changes
Business Central 2024 Release Wave 2 Launch Event
October 8th.
40+ new bite sized sessions
Live Q&As with Microsoft engineering team
Copilot for Finance & Business Central - demystified
OFFICE HOUR on TUESDAY (Oct 1)
04:00pm –05:00pm (CEST) or 7:00am – 8:00pm (PST│ PDT)
Learn about the new Copilot for Finance integration with Business Central and how to set it up.
Register: http://aka.ms/bcofficehours
Copilot in Business Central
Copilot for Finance with Business Central
A Few Things to Note:
Copilot for Finance in Business Central (BC) is not an Excel plug-in. It operates within Outlook.
It requires the Outlook plug-in, which is a game-changer for AR, AP teams, customer service, and sales staff.
The interoperability between Outlook and BC allows users to seamlessly transition from emails to Business Central without switching applications. This reduces switchover time, increasing productivity.
Important: This will not help you create a pivot table from your favorite Excel spreadsheet.
To use Copilot for Finance, you’ll need to install both the Outlook Finance Copilot Extension and the Business Central Extension within Outlook.
Example Scenario:
You receive an email from a customer (whose details are already associated with Business Central) requesting a change in their payment terms. Their current terms are for $500,000 with a 12-payment discount, but they want to adjust this to 30 days.
In the past, you would have needed to contact the right people, open Business Central, and figure out if you could change the payment terms. Now, with Copilot, you can manage everything directly within Outlook:
Select Copilot for Finance: This opens a sidebar with key options like Email Summary, Customer, Contacts, New Note, and more. In this sidebar, you can:
View a summary of the email (accuracy may vary).
Select the Customer to see details like location, aging history, and more.
Update the contact information directly from Outlook.
Save the email and attach it to the relevant customer.
Add notes for the customer.
Ask Copilot to draft a response to the email:
It works effectively for drafting replies.
You can respond with overdue invoices.
You can reply with the customer’s account statement.
In Summary:
Copilot for Finance allows users to interact with Business Central data without having to open Business Central. With Outlook and Copilot, users can communicate with customers and vendors while seamlessly accessing the data they need.
AI Snack Time
Microsoft 365 Copilot Updates (Wave 2)
Copilot Pages
Designed for multi-user AI collaboration: Search the internet in real-time, formulate answers, and produce an editable and shareable document.
View edits in real time.
Access previous documents: Use past documents as a starting point for new projects.
Copilot in Microsoft 365 Apps
Copilot in Excel: Use it to shape and analyze data.
Example: Ask Copilot to calculate monthly revenue by product, and it will show the plan and execution. Once approved, it adds the column to your spreadsheet.
Create charts like bar graphs or analyze data to summarize top customer concerns.
Copilot in Excel with Python
Combines Python programming with Excel for advanced functionality.
Copilot in PowerPoint: Narrative Builder
Quickly build branded presentations.
Copilot in Teams: Meeting Chat
Ask Copilot questions about your meeting content for quick recaps.
Copilot in OneDrive
Search and compare documents effortlessly.
Copilot in Word
Access emails, meeting notes, and colleague content to help build documents.
Copilot in Outlook: Prioritize My Inbox
Analyzes emails based on content and job context to prioritize your inbox.
Copilot Agents
Automate and execute business processes: Copilot agents range from simple prompt-response models to fully autonomous agents that can orchestrate other agents. They can reason, remember, and even ask for help when needed. Useful for automating repetitive tasks and sophisticated operations.
Excellent tool for support or offering care plans.
Copilot Agents in SharePoint
Quickly create agents using all information within SharePoint. These agents can answer questions, locate files, or even place orders with procurement teams in seconds.
Outro
Well, you’ve reached the end of another episode of A Shot of Business Central and A Beer podcast. Connect with us at www.solsyst.com and on all major social media channels. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you always know when the latest episode is available.
See you next month!
