Enterprise AI Digest #27 - PODCAST on Spotify and Apple
Topics:
Agents with Reusable Actions
Copilot in D365 Business Central
D365 Field Service
Microsoft Purview
Agents with Reusable Actions
Actions are reusable building blocks for Copilot agents. Microsoft Copilot Studio provides a visual environment for creating tasks such as answering questions (prompt actions), handling multi-step workflows (flow actions), connecting to external systems (connector actions), or managing single-turn conversations (topic actions).
Once published, each action is stored in a central registry. Agents—like a Dynamics 365 assistant, a Teams Copilot, or a custom AI—can then use these actions to perform the tasks needed.
Key Layers:
Creator Layer This is where you define actions in Copilot Studio, using a no-code/low-code experience to handle prompts, flows, connectors, or topics. You might create a “Get store hours” action that seamlessly answers user questions about store opening times, or a Power Automate flow action that updates a CRM record with approval steps.
Admin Layer IT admins manage which integrated apps (and by extension, which actions) are allowed or blocked in your tenant. Through the Microsoft Admin Center, they can deploy actions from Copilot Studio, built-in Dynamics 365 modules, or third-party services like Salesforce and SAP. Access is strictly tied to each user’s credentials and the actions registry ensures the right user sees the right actions.
Data/AI Layer This represents where all the magic happens: behind the scenes, your action might query Sales data in Dataverse, run a generative AI summarization via OpenAI, or hit an external connector’s API. The orchestration automatically ensures correct authentication and returns results in natural language to the user.
Runtime Execution Paths:
Dataverse-Based: If your action depends on Dataverse or D365 data, Copilot authenticates on behalf of the user and runs the query or logic directly.
Power Platform Connectors: External or extended features—like pulling Salesforce data—go through connector credentials configured by each user, respecting each system’s security.
Ultimately, actions enable you to build once and deploy everywhere.
Copilot in D365 Business Central
Copilot in Business Central provides immediate clarity on sales, vendor, or inventory data with simple natural language requests. By eliminating the need to navigate multiple screens or processes, it accelerates decision-making and enhances focus on strategic goals
Key Highlights:
Search & Summaries: Ask for specific business records (e.g., “latest sales order for Adatum”) or let Copilot group, sum, and average data, which appears in an “analysis tab.”
Explain & Guide: Get step-by-step help on procedures (“How do I post a sales order?”) or field details by using Copilot’s built-in chat triggers.
Prompt Suggestions & Guides: Tap built-in keywords (like Find, Explain, or Guide) to shape better queries. Copilot can also provide follow-up suggestions.
Context & Memory: Copilot keeps track of what’s been asked, so it doesn’t need repeated background details unless you clear the chat or start a new session.
Tips for Better Results:Keep questions concise but include key terms or phrases.Use business-specific words (e.g., “customer ledger entries,” “posted sales invoice”).Ask follow-up questions or rephrase if the first answer isn’t precise.
D365 Field Service
Streamlines on-site work by combining scheduling, workflow automation, and a mobile app for technicians. Teams use it to reduce travel, increase first-time fix rates, and keep customers informed with accurate arrival times and updates.
Key Features:
Work Orders: Define the service tasks, required parts, and billing details.
Scheduling & Dispatch: Assign jobs to the right technicians using location, availability, and skill sets.
Mobile App: Guide technicians through tasks, capture signatures or photos, and sync offline work.
Inventory & Billing: Track parts, purchase orders, and returns automatically; generate customer invoices upon job completion.
Copilot in Field Service integrates AI into these workflows. The application offers prompt-based summaries of work orders, answers natural language questions about a dispatcher’s or technician’s data, and helps complete or update tickets with minimal effort.
Microsoft Purview
Microsoft Purview unifies data governance, data security, and compliance solutions—all in one streamlined portal. The new interface centralizes key tasks like discovering data assets, configuring solution settings, and managing user roles across your entire data estate.
Key Highlights:
Unified Navigation Access data security, governance, and risk/compliance features from a single entry point. Global search now finds resources, data items, users, and documentation in one place.
Solution Cards Quick links on the home page guide you to the Purview solutions you can access—like Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Insider Risk Management, or catalog-based data governance tools.
Settings & Roles A centralized Settings area simplifies management of solution-specific and global preferences. Permissions are also integrated, so you see only the solutions you have rights to use.
Upgraded Data Catalog “Unified Catalog” replaces previous search/browse features, showing data assets from across Azure, Microsoft Fabric, and other connected services. Free and enterprise versions are available, depending on your needs.
Integrated Workflow Common operations, like scanning data sources or applying classification, can be managed through Purview policies and advanced features (e.g., Live View, scanning, automatic classification).
Related Portals Quick links to Microsoft Priva, Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Entra, and more—streamlining broader data, security, and identity management tasks.
By consolidating governance, security, and compliance under the Microsoft Purview umbrella, organizations reduce complexity and gain a unified, holistic view of their data estate.