Steven Renders

Where GitHub Copilot Actually Saves Time in AL Projects A practical look at where GitHub Copilot saves real time in AL development for Business Central, with examples from Agent, Chat, Ask, and Edit mode.

Where does GitHub Copilot actually save time in AL projects?

In my experience:
• generating boilerplate
• exploring APIs
• writing test code
• explaining existing code

New post:
thinkaboutit.be/2026/03/wher...

#msdyn365bc #BusinessCentral

Quick Tip: Business Central Update 27.5 Released and Version 28 Preview Sandboxes Available Microsoft recently released update 27.5 for Dynamics 365 Business Central, the latest monthly update for the 2025 release wave 2 cycle. At the same time, something else interesting happened: previe…

Business Central Update 27.5 has been released, and you can now create preview sandboxes for Business Central version 28.

Short overview and links:
thinkaboutit.be/2026/03/quic...

#BusinessCentral #msdyn365bc #Dynamics365

Introducing AL Table Visualizer: An Interactive ER Diagram for Your Business Central Tables Visualize Business Central table relations in VS Code. AL Table Visualizer turns AL TableRelation properties into an interactive ER diagram with base app support.

In AL training, I see this all the time.

Syntax is not the hard part.
Understanding the Business Central data model is.

So I built a VS Code extension that visualizes table relations as an interactive ER diagram.

More here:
thinkaboutit.be/2026/03/intr...

#msdyn365bc #vscode #BusinessCentral #AL

How Do I: Replace Reports with Analysis Mode in Business Central Introduction In many Business Central environments, reports are still the default answer to almost every data question. Need a Top 10 list? Create a report. Need balances by period? Run a report. N…

Many reports exist only to answer a question, not to produce a document.
In this post, I walk through some examples of replacing classic reports with Analysis Mode:
thinkaboutit.be/2026/01/how-...

#msdyn365bc #BusinessCentral #Reporting #DataAnalysis #Dynamics365

How Do I: Analyze List Pages and Data Using Analysis Mode in Business Central Introduction List pages in Dynamics 365 Business Central are central to daily operational work: customers, vendors, items, ledger entries, and documents.What is often overlooked is that these same …

In this post, I walk through how to analyze list pages directly in Business Central, when it makes sense to use Analysis Mode, and why it can replace many traditional reports.

👉 thinkaboutit.be/2026/01/how-...

#BusinessCentral #DataAnalysis #msdyn365bc

Quick Tip: Business Central Update 27.3 – What’s New Microsoft has released Update 27.3 for Dynamics 365 Business Central as part of the 2025 release wave 2. While this update is still incremental in nature, it does introduce several notable improvem…

Business Central Update 27.3 is out.
Highlights include Payables Agent improvements, expanded regional support, and compliance-related features.

Quick summary 👉
thinkaboutit.be/2026/01/quic...

#BusinessCentral #MSDyn365BC

Do You Really Need Plan Mode If You Already Use Agents Well? A question that came up in a recent discussion made me pause. If you already use Copilot Agents with clear instructions to plan first and not modify anything, what does Plan mode really add? Is it …

I wrote a short reflection on where Plan mode actually adds value, where custom agents already shine, and why the real difference is often about intent rather than tools.

Curious how others approach this in their daily work.
thinkaboutit.be/2026/01/do-y...

#msdyn365bc #copilot

If you want to work with me in #MSDyn365BC product team as application product manager, apply for this role. www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...

Workaroud: setup a vpn to the US, that seems to work

admin.cloud.microsoft#/serviceheal...

Fair question. You can approximate Plan mode with an Agent and strong instructions. The main difference for me is intent: Plan mode is opinionated about staying in planning and resists drifting into solutioning.
If your custom agents already do that, you’re likely getting the same value.

How Do I: Create a Business Central Trial From Scratch At the start of a new year, many people decide to explore Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. This might be because of curiosity, a new role, a new project, a training, a demo or the need to e…

I published a short guide on how to create a Business Central trial from scratch, starting with a Microsoft 365 trial and explaining what actually triggers the trial period and why the country choice matters.
thinkaboutit.be/2026/01/how-...
#msdyn365bc #businesscentral

Thank you Renato for being my 'presenter in crime' at conferences! ;-) Have an amazing 2026!

Looking Back at 2025: What This Year Taught Me Towards the end of 2025, I like to pause and look back, not just at what I published on this blog, but at what I learned by writing, building, and engaging with the community. This year covered a b…

I wrote a short reflection on what this year of writing, building, speaking, and teaching taught me.

It was a good moment to pause and say thank you.

thinkaboutit.be/2025/12/look...

#msdyn365bc #community #thankyou

Over the past months, I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with GitHub Copilot in my day-to-day AL development work.

In this post, I share the mental model I now use when working with Copilot:
thinkaboutit.be/2025/12/a-pr...

#msdyn365bc #Copilot

Copilot Plan Mode in AL: Clarifying Intent Before Writing Code In the previous posts, I looked at Chat, Ask, Edit, and Agent, and how each supports a different moment in AL development. Introduction to GitHub Copilot in VSCode for AL Development – think about …

Copilot Plan mode is not about writing code faster.

It is about clarifying intent before code is written.

In this post, I look at how Plan mode fits into AL development, and why it makes Agent and Edit far more predictable.

thinkaboutit.be/2025/12/copi...

#msdyn365bc #copilot

Copilot Agent in AL: Using It Well Without Losing Control In the previous post, I looked at Chat, Ask, and Edit and how each supports a different moment in AL development. All three operate at a local level: one file one selection one idea at a time That …

Copilot Agent can be very effective in AL development — but not as a one-prompt solution generator.

In this post, I share how I use Agent iteratively, with constraints and intent, to keep control over structure and design.

thinkaboutit.be/2025/12/copi...

#msdyn365bc #Copilot

Draft almost ready, quick summary:

• Chat / Ask / Edit → local work
• Agent → guided execution
• Plan → intent before action

Yes, next post will be about Agent and then Plan ;-)

Chat, Ask, or Edit? Using GitHub Copilot Effectively in AL Development In the previous post, I introduced GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code and the different modes it offers for AL development. Once you start using Copilot more actively, one question comes up very …

GitHub Copilot in VS Code offers multiple ways to interact with your code, but they are not interchangeable.

In this post, I walk through a small AL example to explain when Chat, Ask, and Edit actually make sense.

thinkaboutit.be/2025/12/chat...

#msdyn365bc #Copilot

Introduction to GitHub Copilot in VSCode for AL Development GitHub Copilot has quietly become one of the most helpful tools for anyone working with Business Central. What began as a smart autocomplete has now evolved into a full set of AI-powered features b…

I was initially sceptical about GitHub Copilot for AL.
Now it’s part of my daily Business Central workflow — not because it writes code for me, but because it helps with structure, refactoring, and understanding existing code faster.

👉 thinkaboutit.be/2025/12/intr...

#msdyn365bc #Copilot

Quick Tip: Business Central Updates 27.1 & 27.2: A Quick Look at What’s New Microsoft has released the latest incremental updates for Dynamics 365 Business Central, and both 27.1 and 27.2 bring practical improvements. Below is a concise overview you can share with your use…

New Business Central updates are out.
Here’s a quick overview of what’s new in Updates 27.1 & 27.2 — automation, e-docs, reporting, admin tools & more.

Read the summary 👉 thinkaboutit.be/2025/12/quic...

#MSDyn365BC #BusinessCentral #Dynamics365

Ran into the Business Central error “EnableHyperlinks property has not been set for this report”?
Turns out you can’t change this property from a Report Extension — but there’s a simple workaround. 👇

Look here: thinkaboutit.be/2025/12/how-... 💡📄
#msdyn365bc

BC TechDays testimonial of Vincent Nicolas (Microsoft)

🚀 The Call for Speakers is OPEN!

#BCTechDays is where innovation meets #msdyn365bc community. This year, AI is transforming everything—don’t miss your chance to share your vision and shape the future.

👉 Submit your workshop or session proposal today!

🌐 mibu.so/cfs26

Quick Tip: Power BI Sharing Options Explained — What to Use, When, and Why I was recently asked how to share Power BI reports both internally and externally. Power BI offers several options—each with different levels of security, flexibility, and licensing. In this post, …

🔐 Power BI Sharing Options:
Not sure when to use Power BI: Secure Embed, Apps, or Embedded? Here’s a quick guide to help you choose the right option.
thinkaboutit.be/2025/12/quic...
#powerbi

🏎️ 43 dev tips in 45 minutes🏍️

Fasten your seatbelts and join us for our webinar next Monday the 24th of November at 16.00 where Milan Milinčević &
@lvanvugt.bsky.social will show you 43 powerful tips to help you work smarter and faster in 45 minutes!

Registation: areopa.academy

#msdyn365BC

GitHub - srenders/power-bi-monitor: Power BI Monitor Power BI Monitor. Contribute to srenders/power-bi-monitor development by creating an account on GitHub.

🚀 Power BI Monitor has moved!
You can now find it here 👉 github.com/srenders/pow...
Don’t forget to ⭐ the repo if you use it!
#msdyn365bc #powerbi

How to Install and Configure Power BI Monitor for Business Central Managing Power BI resources directly from Business Central is now easier than ever with the Power BI Monitor extension. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the complete installation and conf…

🚀 New blog post!
Just published a step-by-step guide on installing & configuring Power BI Monitor for Business Central – including Azure AD setup, extension install, config tips & workspace/dataset sync.

🔗 thinkaboutit.be/2025/11/how-...

#PowerBI #msdyn365bc #Dynamics365 #BI #DataPlatform

👀 Tired of jumping between portals to manage Power BI in Business Central? Power BI Monitor brings it all under one roof! 🚀

✅ See refreshes in real time
✅ Spot errors fast

Your BC Power BI control center is just a click away 👉 thinkaboutit.be/2025/11/intr...

#PowerBI #msdyn365bc #DataMadeEasy

You want to dive into Business Central Telemetry, but you lack the skills for KQL?

Now you can just use GitHub Copilot in VSCode and have a conversation about whatever Telemetry with the "BC Telemetry Buddy":

marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemNa...

Enjoy!

Blog coming up!

#msdyn365bc