Microsoft has been embedding AI capabilities into Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations at a rapid pace. Copilot features, intelligent automation, and predictive analytics can dramatically accelerate your daily workflows—if you know where to find them.

This guide covers the AI-powered shortcuts and features that can save your team hours every week.

Copilot in Finance & Operations

Microsoft Copilot is now integrated throughout F&O. Here's how to use it effectively:

Natural Language Queries

Instead of navigating through menus, ask Copilot directly:

"Show me overdue invoices over $10,000"

Copilot searches across AR and presents matching records with direct links to the invoices.

"What's our inventory level for product X?"

Get instant on-hand quantities across all warehouses without opening multiple forms.

"Create a purchase order for vendor ABC"

Copilot pre-fills vendor details and opens the PO form ready for line entry.

Activation Required

Copilot features require specific licensing and must be enabled by your admin. Check Feature Management to see which Copilot capabilities are available in your environment.

Copilot Summaries

On key transaction forms, look for the Copilot icon to get instant summaries:

  • Customer account: Payment history, credit status, recent activity
  • Purchase order: Vendor performance, price comparison to history
  • Sales order: Customer insights, similar orders, margin analysis
  • Production order: Resource availability, scheduling conflicts

Intelligent Automation Features

Customer Payment Predictions

The AI-powered payment prediction model analyzes historical patterns to forecast when customers will actually pay (not just when invoices are due):

  • Enables proactive collection efforts on high-risk accounts
  • Improves cash flow forecasting accuracy
  • Identifies customers whose payment behavior is changing

Time-Saving AI Features in F&O

  • Automated bank reconciliation matching (80-90% auto-match)
  • Invoice capture with AI document recognition
  • Demand forecasting with machine learning
  • Anomaly detection in financial transactions
  • Intelligent budget proposals based on history
  • Workflow approval suggestions

Invoice Capture

Stop manual data entry from vendor invoices:

  • Upload or email PDF invoices to the system
  • AI extracts vendor, amounts, line items, dates
  • Auto-matches to purchase orders
  • Routes exceptions for review, processes clean invoices automatically

Demand Forecasting

The built-in demand forecasting uses Azure Machine Learning:

  • Analyzes historical sales patterns
  • Factors in seasonality and trends
  • Generates forecasts directly usable in master planning
  • Improves over time as it learns from actuals vs. forecast

Keyboard Shortcuts That Save Time

While not AI, these keyboard shortcuts dramatically speed up daily work:

Alt + N New Record

Create a new record in any list or form instantly.

Alt + F Filter Pane

Open the filter pane to narrow down any list.

Ctrl + Shift + F Advanced Filter

Open advanced filtering with multiple criteria.

Alt + Q Quick Search

Search across all of F&O—forms, records, help content.

Ctrl + G Go To

Jump directly to a specific record number.

F5 Refresh

Refresh current form data without navigating away.

Anomaly Detection

F&O can automatically flag unusual transactions for review:

Financial Anomalies

The system monitors for patterns that don't match expectations:

  • Journal entries significantly outside normal ranges
  • Unusual vendor payment patterns
  • Transactions that bypass normal approval flows
  • Duplicate invoice detection

Operational Anomalies

  • Inventory adjustments outside tolerance
  • Production variances beyond thresholds
  • Purchase prices significantly above contracts
  • Unusual order patterns by customer or product

"AI anomaly detection caught a $340,000 duplicate payment before it went out the door. That one save paid for years of licensing."

Process Automation with Power Automate

While not strictly "in" F&O, Power Automate integration enables powerful AI-assisted workflows:

Common Automations

  • Approval notifications: Route to Teams or mobile for faster response
  • Exception alerts: Notify stakeholders when AI detects anomalies
  • Document generation: Automatically create reports on schedule
  • Cross-system sync: Keep F&O data synchronized with other systems

AI Builder Integration

Power Automate's AI Builder can extend F&O with custom AI:

  • Custom document processing for industry-specific forms
  • Sentiment analysis on customer communications
  • Object detection for quality control images
  • Custom prediction models for your specific data

Getting Started with AI in F&O

If you haven't activated AI features yet, here's your action plan:

  1. Audit your licensing: Many AI features require specific licenses
  2. Check Feature Management: Enable available AI capabilities
  3. Start with payment predictions: High value, low risk to enable
  4. Train your team: AI is only useful if people use it
  5. Measure impact: Track time saved and errors prevented

The AI capabilities in F&O are constantly expanding. What seems cutting-edge today will be table stakes tomorrow. The organizations that invest in AI adoption now will have a significant advantage over those that wait.