Directions EMEA 2024 – Share the Future

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Community Unites at Europe’s Largest Conference for Business Management Solutions
Once again, the Dynamics 365 community gathered for the largest European conference dedicated to business management systems, with a spotlight on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. This rapidly growing ERP solution, trusted by over 40,000 companies worldwide, continues to drive innovation and success.
From November 6 to 9, Vienna hosted more than 3,200 participants and over 200 speakers from across the globe. The three-day event offered a diverse and rich program, catering to everyone—from implementation consultants and developers to managers and sales and marketing professionals.
Attendees explored the latest updates in Microsoft’s business applications and the company’s vision for their future. Unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence (AI) and its applications in business remained the central theme of the conference.
Copilot: Still going strong
Microsoft’s AI assistant, Copilot, took center stage as the leading topic of this year’s conference. Participants delved into its wide range of applications—some already available, others yet to make their official debut.
One highly anticipated feature is Copilot Chat within Dynamics 365 Business Central, designed to save users significant time and effort in their daily workflows. Upcoming capabilities also include:
- Generating suggestions for sales document lines
- Generating numerical series
- Recommending product substitutions
- Allocating incoming payments to open invoices and many other.
Copilot Studio
Another major AI-related highlight was Copilot Studio, a tool for creating intelligent, dynamic, and integrated AI assistants tailored to automate processes within Business Central. Powered by Microsoft Power Automate, this tool makes it possible to design complex automated workflows, supporting apps, web pages, and agents—all without requiring any coding expertise.
Special emphasis was placed on enabling users to create sophisticated solutions using AI, empowering businesses to streamline operations without technical barriers.
Agents: The New Business Helpers
Further innovations include Agents, intelligent assistants designed to tackle specific tasks or streamline predefined processes.
Unlike Copilot, which functions as a virtual assistant for enhancing individual productivity, Agents are specialized programs deployed to automate specific tasks or workflows for multiple users. They operate in tandem with users but remain entirely under their control.
In Business Central, Agents can be assigned roles and tasks by users and are designed to execute them in the most efficient way possible—even handling unforeseen challenges. Users can test Agents beforehand to ensure their performance meets expectations.
The first system Agent, Sales Order Agent, will debut in 2025. It will process natural language instructions and focus on optimizing customer order workflows—from generating quotes and clarifying details to setting delivery dates and more.
Microsoft plans to provide libraries of pre-built Agents, while businesses will also have the ability to create custom Agents to address their unique needs.
79 New Reports and Insights in Business Central
ERP systems thrive as reliable sources of business intelligence. To make data more accessible and actionable, Microsoft is adding 79 new interactive BI reports and insights to Business Central. These cover business performance at both high-level and granular details.
Notably, new sustainability reports measure environmental impact, including carbon footprints, aligning with the latest European regulations. These specialized reports are part of Business Central’s new Sustainability Management role center.
Beyond AI: Other Business Central Innovations
Business Central’s latest updates go beyond AI applications. Some long-awaited features include:
- Subscription Management: Manage subscription contracts and terms directly within Business Central.
- Integration with Field Service: Launching in December, this integration connects Business Central’s service module with Dynamics 365 Field Service, streamlining technician workflows and on-site service offerings.
- Optimized Semantic Search: Delivering faster and more accurate search results.
- Prioritization of Background Processes: Ensuring critical tasks receive focus during peak loads.
- Easier Document Customization: Enhancements like adding images and Word themes to outgoing documents.
Directions EMEA 2024: A Journey Through Microsoft’s Business Solutions
The Directions EMEA 2024 conference was a deep dive into Microsoft’s business solutions, offering valuable insights that will help us enhance the way our customers use their business management systems.
A big thank you to Vienna and the Directions community for their hospitality! We eagerly await the chance to reunite with colleagues and partners next year in Poznań!