Directions North America 2025: Rolling out the AI red carpet with more Business Central partner tools, consumption options

MSDW Insight: Microsoft filled in key details of how they plan to make AI development a reality for Business Central partners including test tools, transactability options, extensibility, and more.

Microsoft kicked off their keynote address on day 2 of Directions North America with stories of Dynamics 365 Business Central partners that have already built AI-related features into their add-on solutions. 

Twenty Business Central partners are already “bringing AI advantages” into their solutions, Microsoft says. The company played a video explaining that several of these partners have already developed  AI-based features (presumably with some encouragement from Microsoft) using Azure AI services and Copilot Studio, along with support from a new BC Test Tool for Copilot. Some of the new capabilities included: 

• A visual analysis tool that aimed to detect what kind of work order might be needed based on a photo of a piece of equipment and then create it in BC
• A tool to auto-create first drafts of time sheets for knowledge workers based on their email calendar and Microsoft graph data
• A job schedule optimization tool on a planning board
• An agent that searches incoming emails for complaints and auto-creates cases from them 

Microsoft representatives stressed the importance of adequate testing for any AI-related R&D that partners endeavor to invest in. They encouraged partners to think about thorough envisioning of potential AI development scenarios. For examples, they suggested starting with attempts to re-invent core processes, define new scenarios, or automate and remove tedious user tasks.

The BC Test Tool for Copilot will be “essential” for anyone building AI-related capabilities for Business Central, Microsoft told the audience. It adds capabilities including: