Introduction
As businesses rely more on data to make informed decisions, the need for quick, accessible insights has become crucial. Microsoft’s Business Central has recently introduced a powerful feature to streamline this process — the Summarize Records feature using Copilot. This feature provides concise, AI-generated summaries of records, such as customers, items, or sales orders, directly within the page’s FactBox pane.
This article will walk you through how to leverage this feature to get summarized insights that help you understand data faster and take action more efficiently.
What is Copilot’s Summarize Records Feature?
With the Summarize Records feature, Copilot generates a brief, tailored summary of a record in Business Central. Whether it’s a customer, sales order, or inventory item, this summary provides 2-3 key bullet points of relevant insights based on the record’s data. These insights are specifically designed to cater to your role, making it easier to understand critical information at a glance.
How Does It Work?
Here’s how you can use the Summarize Records feature:
- Open the Record: Start by opening the record you want to summarize. This could be a Customer Card, Sales Order, or any other relevant page in Business Central.
- Expand the FactBox Pane: On the right side of the page, you will find the FactBox pane. If the summary is not already visible, simply click the down arrow to expand it.
- View the Summary: Once the pane is expanded, click the Summary icon, and within a moment, Copilot will generate a summary with 2-3 bullet points that highlight important details and insights about the record.
- Interact with the Summary: The summary text may be interactive, allowing you to click on links that take you directly to the data sources or related pages for deeper insights.
- Get More Insights: If you want more detailed information, you can select the Show More button to expand the summary. This will provide additional points of interest for that particular record.
- Regenerate the Summary: If you want to update the summary based on changes made to the record, you can click the Regenerate Summary icon. This ensures that you are always working with the most current data.
Important Considerations
- AI-Generated: Remember that the summaries are generated by AI, so while they are designed to be helpful, they may not always be perfect. It’s important to verify the data before making any significant decisions based on the summary.
- Language Support: As of now, the Copilot feature is supported only in English, though it can be used in other languages, its functionality may not be as accurate.
- Availability: This feature is available on most card and document pages, such as Customer Cards or Sales Orders. However, if you do not see the feature, it may need to be enabled or configured by your administrator.
Why Should You Care?
The introduction of Summarize Records by Copilot in Business Central is a game-changer for users looking to gain insights quickly without having to dive deep into every record. Whether you’re in sales, inventory management, or finance, this feature will help you:
- Save Time: No more scrolling through multiple tabs to gather data. Get the summary directly in the FactBox pane.
- Make Smarter Decisions: With insights directly linked to actionable data, you can make informed decisions faster.
- Stay Organized: Keep track of important details and identify areas that need attention quickly.
How to Enable or Customize the Feature
To get started with Summarize Records, you need to ensure that your environment is configured to allow Copilot capabilities. Check with your Business Central admin to enable the feature and ensure that your permissions are properly set up.
Additionally, Business Central allows users to control the visibility of the summary within the FactBox pane. If you don’t see the summary by default, you can toggle it on or off under the FactBox Pane Options.
Conclusion
The Summarize Records feature from Copilot is an excellent addition to Business Central, offering users a fast and intuitive way to digest important data. While it’s still in preview, it’s already showing great potential for improving user experience, enabling quicker decision-making, and reducing data overload.
If you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend giving it a go! It’s a small change with big potential for productivity.
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