> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://kb.bevica.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://kb.bevica.com/copilot-ai/copilot-and-ai/getting-the-best-from-copilot.md).

# Getting the Best from Copilot

Learn how to use Copilot effectively in Bevica and Business Central, with clear prompts, relevant context, and human oversight.

Copilot can help you work more efficiently in **Bevica and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central**, but the quality of the result often depends on how you use it.

This guide provides some simple principles for getting more useful results from Copilot, knowing when to use AI, and understanding when human judgement is still important.

> <mark style="color:$info;">**Putting intelligent assistance into everyday tasks to help people work smarter.**</mark>

***

### Start with the task, not the technology

You don't need to find a reason to use Copilot. Start with something you are trying to achieve and consider whether AI can make that task quicker or easier.

Copilot can be particularly useful when you want help to:

* Find or understand information
* Analyse or explore business data
* Summarise information
* Generate or suggest content
* Reduce repetitive manual work
* Get assistance while completing a business process

The goal isn't to use AI everywhere. **Use it where it removes effort or helps you reach an answer more quickly.**

***

### Ask clearly

When you interact directly with Copilot, a clear request will usually give it more context to work with.

Rather than:

> *Tell me about sales.*

Try being more specific:

> *Show me which customers have had the largest reduction in sales this year.*

Or:

> *Summarise sales performance by customer and highlight anything unusual that I should investigate.*

Think about including:

**What you want**\
Be clear about the task, question or outcome.

**Relevant context**\
Include the customer, product, period, market or other information that matters.

**How you want the answer**\
For example, ask for a summary, explanation, comparison, list or analysis.

#### A simple approach

A useful way to construct a request is:

**Task + Context + Desired result**

For example:

> *Compare sales for our top wine customers against the previous period and highlight significant changes.*

You don't have to write elaborate prompts. **Clear and specific usually beats long and complicated.**

***

### Treat Copilot as a conversation

Your first request doesn't have to be perfect.

If Copilot gives you something useful but not quite what you need, refine it.

For example:

> *Show me our best-selling products.*

Then:

> *Only include wine.*

Then:

> *Group them by country of origin.*

Then:

> *Summarise the main trends.*

Working this way can be more natural than trying to construct one large, complicated request from the start.

***

### Use Copilot to explore

Sometimes you know precisely what you want. Sometimes you don't.

Copilot can also be useful as a starting point for exploring information.

You might start with:

> *Summarise this information.*

And then continue with:

> *What stands out?*

> *Explain that in simpler terms.*

> *What should I investigate further?*

> *Break that down by customer.*

This makes Copilot useful not just for producing an answer, but for helping you **navigate and understand information**.

***

### Keep business context in mind

Copilot doesn't replace your knowledge of your customers, products or business.

A result can look convincing while still needing interpretation.

For example, an unusual change in sales could have a perfectly reasonable explanation:

* A customer has changed their ordering pattern
* A product is seasonal
* Stock hasn't been available
* An order was unusually large
* A promotion has ended
* Business processes have changed

**Copilot can help identify something worth looking at. You decide what it means.**

This is particularly important in the drinks industry, where commercial activity can also be influenced by stock availability, vintage, duty status, bonded movements and other industry-specific factors.

***

### Check before you act

Treat AI-generated information as assistance rather than an automatic decision.

For anything important:

1. **Review** the result.
2. **Check** important figures and information.
3. **Consider** whether relevant business context is missing.
4. **Confirm** actions before they affect customers, suppliers, stock or financial information.

This becomes particularly important as organisations move from Copilot features that provide assistance towards **AI agents that can participate in business processes**. Your own Bevica planning specifically identifies agent scenarios such as customer order intake, supplier invoice processing and operational exception handling, while recommending the demonstration of exception handling rather than presenting processes as completely unattended.

***

### Know what Copilot knows

Different Copilot experiences can have access to different information.

A Copilot experience working with Business Central data, for example, may have a different context from an AI assistant answering a general question.

When a result doesn't look right, consider:

* Does Copilot have access to the information needed?
* Am I asking the right Copilot or agent?
* Have I provided enough context?
* Is the underlying business data accurate?
* Am I asking about something outside that Copilot's purpose?

This distinction is especially relevant within Bevica because the **Bevica Assistant** is intended to help users find product, setup and process knowledge. Your existing Knowledge Base material describes it as searching Bevica Knowledge Base content first and then relevant Microsoft learning and video resources.

***

### Copilot or Bevica Assistant?

Use the right tool for the question.

#### Use Business Central Copilot when...

You're working with a Copilot feature or AI capability within Business Central and want assistance with the business task you're performing.

#### Use a Copilot Agent...

When you want AI to carry out a defined business process or sequence of tasks on your behalf, with human oversight where needed.

#### Use the Bevica Assistant when...

You have a question about **how Bevica works**, including Bevica product guidance, setup information or processes.

***

### Don't include information unnecessarily

Only give an AI service the information it needs to complete the task.

Avoid adding sensitive information simply because it might make the prompt more detailed. Follow your organisation's policies for handling company, customer, employee and commercially sensitive information.

If you're unsure whether particular information should be used with an AI capability, check with your system administrator or your organisation's AI and data policies.

***

### Five habits for better results

If you remember nothing else from this page:

**1. Start with a real task**\
Use Copilot where it can genuinely save effort.

**2. Be specific**\
Give it enough context to understand what you're trying to achieve.

**3. Keep refining**\
Follow-up questions are often better than one enormous prompt.

**4. Check the answer**\
AI-generated doesn't mean automatically correct.

**5. You remain responsible**\
Use Copilot to assist your judgement, not replace it.

***

### The key principle

> **Copilot should help you do the work, not do the thinking for you.**

Use it to find information, remove repetitive effort, explore data and get to a useful starting point more quickly. Combine that assistance with your own understanding of **Bevica, Business Central, your customers and your business**.

That's where Copilot becomes most useful.

**Writing approach:** I’ve deliberately kept this page feature-agnostic so you won't have to rewrite it every time Microsoft adds or changes a Copilot capability. It also complements, rather than duplicates, the separate **Copilot Features**, **Copilot Agents**, **Bevica AI**, **Setup & Administration**, and **Security & Governance** areas.


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:

```
GET https://kb.bevica.com/copilot-ai/copilot-and-ai/getting-the-best-from-copilot.md?ask=<question>&goal=<user_goal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.