Overview of Copilot in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management 2025 Release

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are reshaping industries, and the business community is abuzz with the opportunities they bring. Among these advancements, Microsoft’s Copilot stands out, offering tools to enhance productivity and automate repetitive tasks. This article provides an overview of the Copilot functionality available in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management (D365 SCM) as of January 2025, focusing on supply chain features rather than financial management or external Copilot Studio scenarios.

New Copilot Features in D365 Supply Chain Management

Confirmed Purchase Order Changes Workspace
This workspace highlights delays in confirmed purchase orders and their downstream impacts, such as late sales orders or production orders.

• Key Dependency: For accurate insights, confirmed purchase order dates must be updated at the line level before the workspace evaluates the impact.
• Practical Consideration: If vendors communicate reliably and confirmed dates are accurate, this workspace can be a valuable tool. However, if dates are frequently inaccurate or left unchanged, its usefulness diminishes.

System Summaries
Summaries offer quick insights across various system areas. Examples include details about backordered customer orders, product pricing, and item variants.

Summaries are visible in the following areas:

• Product Hover: Hover over a released product in any form to see the Copilot summary.
• Released Product Details
• Vendor Summary
• Purchase Order Summary
• Workflow History Summary

Limitations: Summaries are not customizable, a frequently requested enhancement.

Warehouse Application Insights

When accessing the warehouse application, Copilot presents a personalized dashboard with information about your upcoming shift.
This includes:
• Total picking work IDs
• Putaway lines to process
• Replenishment tasks
• Primary picking zone
• Assigned warehouse

Copilot Sidecar
The Copilot Sidecar serves as a contextual Microsoft Learn search tool. While it doesn’t access your data, it can help you navigate the system with queries like:
‘Show me the number of open sales order’. You can type a query such as ‘Show me how to navigate to the all sales orders form’ or ‘How do I find on-hand inventory balances’.

Caution: Since the Sidecar suggests features that may not be configured or implemented in your business, its recommendations might occasionally be misleading. For instance, it might direct you to use the inventory on-hand mobile app, which won’t work if it hasn’t been set up.

Looking Ahead: Autonomous Agents

The true excitement around Copilot lies in its upcoming autonomous agents, which promise to revolutionize productivity by automating complex, repetitive tasks. Two key agents set to be introduced in D365 SCM include:

Supplier Communications Agent
This agent monitors buyers’ emails and identifies required changes to purchase orders based on email content. Traditionally, such automation required formal Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) processes, but Copilot achieves this using only email.

• Potential Benefits: Streamlined communication and order management without needing advanced EDI setups.
• Challenges: Businesses may initially hesitate to enable automatic vendor emails due to concerns about financial or operational impacts. Trust in the system’s accuracy will be critical for widespread adoption.

Time and Expense Agent
Designed to simplify administrative tasks, this agent drafts timesheets and expense reports automatically. For consultants managing multiple projects, this functionality could save significant time and effort.

Final Thoughts on Copilot

The idea of having AI agents to handle mundane tasks is transformative, enabling users to focus on strategic, value-added activities. However, it’s worth noting:

• Hands-On Testing: These agents are not yet available for testing. For those who prefer hands-on learning, having tangible tools to evaluate before recommending them will be essential.
• Customizable Features: Summaries can be turned off via feature management. This might be necessary if the summary data conflicts with customizations, such as ISV-modified sales prices.

Recommendation: Start using the available Copilot functionality now to gain immediate productivity benefits. As autonomous agents become available, leverage their capabilities to stay ahead of the competition. Early adoption of these tools could provide a significant competitive advantage in the market.

Don’t wait—start leveraging Copilot’s capabilities today and position your business for success. Contact us now to learn how Copilot can revolutionize your supply chain and elevate your productivity to the next level!

Related Articles

• Your Guide to Microsoft Copilot for Supply Chain Management
• 2024 release wave 2 highlights: Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management
• Case Study – Industrial Supply Organization Improves Productivity and Streamlines Workflows with Microsoft 365 Copilot