Establishing Business Central Learning Goals For 2026
As we begin 2026, many of us have no doubt made self-improvement resolutions. Whether it’s going to the gym, spending less and saving more, making the bed every morning, or just better meal prep. This year, some of you may even have “learn AI” on that list of resolutions.
I want to talk to you about that last part. What does “learn AI” mean for you? If you haven’t already done so, I’d put learning how to prompt better at the top of that list. But what else? Should you learn Python and other forms of pro-coding to build the next big AI app? Build an AI agent farm of 15 interconnected agents that will solve inventory planning issues and bring about world peace? Master the art and science of training models?
The possibilities are endless – and limited only by your time, aptitude, and willingness to commit such time and aptitude to learning (or should I say: learning, failing, learning, failing, succeeding, learning more…).
As with most New Year’s resolutions, the key to making one that you’ll actually stick to is keeping it simple and achievable. Look for low-hanging fruit. Better to set your sights on a dozen “low-hanging fruit” resolutions and pick them off one by one, than set your sights on one or two BHAGs (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals, in case you’re not familiar with that acronym). BHAGs wear you down quickly, and most people give up too easily.
So, when it comes to New Year’s resolutions related to Business Central for 2026, what are some “low-hanging fruit” goals (or resolutions) that you should shoot for?
Let me give you four one goal for each quarter.
Skill Up on 1 of These Free Business Central Copilots:
The Analysis Copilot
This one’s a no-brainer. If you work with ANY lists in Business Central, you are probably using the Analysis feature. If not, WHY NOT? This is the feature that lets you create pivoted views of data from a table’s list page, group them, filter them, view totals, etc.
The Analysis Copilot takes it to the next level. You describe the view you want to create, and it will build it for you.
The Bank Reconciliation Copilot
If reconciling bank accounts is part of your job, this Copilot does a much better job of matching bank and G/L entries than the default auto-match process and will make your life so much easier.
The BC Copilot Chat
This is a feature that is still in preview, but it’s a production-ready preview. Experiment with the limits of what it can do for you. Learn to TALK to Business Central and see how it can cut down on the time it takes you to do things. Right now, it’s limited to finding data and explaining functionality.
Agent Playground in Business Central (Coming Soon)
Microsoft showed a preview of this ‘coming soon in 2026’ feature at the AI ERP Convergence conference in Miami in December 2025, and it is filled with possibilities!
You describe with instructions, and Business Central does your bidding. It’s like building your own version of the Sales Order Agent or Payables Agent that Microsoft recently released.
Yes, there will be a cost to use it, but it won’t be prohibitive. The main purpose behind this tool is for AL developers who want to create agentic AI experiences in BC, but the playground can easily be used by administrators and power-users in BC to handle many simple repetitive tasks.
Get the Most of Your M365 Copilot Subscription with Agentic Excel
If your company has given you a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription, this is a no-brainer. If they haven’t, it may be time to start putting together a case for it. At $30/user/month, the value it offers far exceeds the cost. It gives you secure AI chat that connects to all of your information like your files, emails, etc. so you can find in seconds what previously took minutes or hours. But there’s more: each Office app has multiple Copilot-enhanced capabilities. Teams can transcribe your meetings, create summaries, detailed notes and action items, and answer questions about the meeting. Outlook can summarize emails and help with calendar management and email response creation. Word and PowerPoint also bring powerful AI experiences. But my new favorite is Copilot in Excel.
It can help you analyze data, reconcile and much more with a simple prompt. Export data from BC to Excel, and start leveraging the power of Copilot to find needles in haystacks and make sense of your data.
Skill Up on Basic Agent Building in Copilot Studio
AI Agents are here to stay. While Agent Playground in BC can be a good place to start, you will soon realize that not every agent needs to connect to BC data. Or that your agents need to connect to MORE than just your BC data. This is where Copilot Studio comes in.
It’s a low-code tool for building agents that doesn’t require you to learn a new programming language. Other resources:
- Microsoft has a free ‘Copilot Studio in a Day’ training that they offer online
- I have a YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@OnlyCopilotFans) that includes a free 1 hour “Getting Started” tutorial
- I also have a lot of free how-to articles and best practices on my www.OnlyCopilotFans.com website
- In coordination with Dynamics Communities, I also offer a full 8-hour “Zero-to-Hero” bootcamp on Copilot Studio Agent Building at major conferences like Community Summit – and soon, online on the Learner’s Platform.
You can build agents big and small to solve simple information worker needs, or more complex organizational challenges like compliance management and process automation. This is the new frontier and learning how to build Agents will be the skill that sets you apart from your peers.
Final Thoughts
For all the talk that’s going on about the AI bubble and when it is going to pop, understand that the popping of the bubble will NOT mean AI will go away. It’ll just be hitting the reset button on the ridiculous valuations of companies that are supposedly building revolutionary AI solutions, which have yet to materialize, or the hype train that adds $ signs to anything with the word AI on it.
Don’t let this discourage you from mastering tools and learning skills that will help you become more efficient at your work – whether it’s saving time, effort, or improving outcomes. 2026 is a great time to start on your AI journey and now I’ve given you a game plan. Carpé diem, my friends!
