Directions for Partners EMEA Paris 2026

My first time attending Directions for Partners EMEA - and as a speaker!
Thank you for the opportunity to share my experience, learn from others, and connect with this wonderful community. 💕

I received a very good feedback during and after the presentation! Merci! 💖

With Microsoft and Microsoft MVPs for Business Central

With Microsoft MVPs for Business Central

What I Learned About AI, Copilot, and the Future of Business Central

My Key Takeaways from the Conference 

I attended several great sessions about AI, Copilot, and the future of Business Central, and I want to share some of the lessons that really caught my attention.

What excites me most is seeing how AI is moving beyond answering questions and actually helping us do our work.

As someone who has worked on both the customer and consulting sides, I can see how these changes could make a real difference.

Here are my takeaways, especially for partners, consultants, and anyone working with Business Central.

1. Business Central Is Changing, and So Is Our Role as Consultants

• ERP is no longer just about recording transactions; it's also becoming a tool that helps people get things done.

• We're moving toward a world where AI agents can help complete business processes, not just provide information.

• As consultants, we need to start thinking beyond configuring Business Central and focus more on improving how our customers work.

• Just because AI can do something doesn't mean we should let it do everything.

• Security, permissions, approvals, and human judgment still matter, especially when AI starts taking action.

• The technology may be changing, but customers still need systems that are reliable, secure, and easy to use.

💖My takeaway: We need to understand the business first, not just the technology.

2. Imagine Using Copilot to Help Implement Business Central!

This is one of the demonstrations that really caught my attention.

• Imagine receiving customer information through emails and having Copilot help turn that information into Business Central setup.

• Instead of manually creating every customer, vendor, or item, Copilot can help prepare and configure those records.

• We can create reusable business skills so consultants don't have to start from scratch with every implementation.

• Copilot can also help prepare testing scenarios, project documentation, and customer emails.

• I especially like the idea of tracking which changes were made by Copilot and which were made by a person.

• Some of these capabilities are still being tested and improved, so we need to understand what's available before promising them to customers.

💖My takeaway: Imagine spending less time on repetitive setup tasks and more time understanding the customer's business.

3. Copilot Is Becoming More Than a Chatbot

• Instead of spending time searching through reports, imagine simply asking Copilot for the information you need. Copilot can help analyze customer balances, overdue invoices, cash flow, and inventory information.

• Imagine comparing a customer's Excel order file with Business Central inventory to see whether the items are available. Copilot can help prepare for customer meetings by bringing together relevant information.

• With custom agents and integrations, there are even more opportunities to connect AI with business processes.

• But we still need to check the results because AI can make mistakes, too!

💗My takeaway: AI should help us make better decisions, not make every decision for us.

4. Real Companies Are Already Getting Results from AI

I always love hearing real customer stories because they show what's possible beyond the demonstrations.

• 11 AI use cases in just two weeks! An Icelandic wholesaler worked with Origo to introduce AI solutions for sales, service, and reporting.

• 90% accuracy! One AI-powered tender-to-quote process achieved this result, helping reduce manual work.

• 248 hours saved! Metalogic shared how AI-assisted documentation helped a customer save time documenting ERP processes.

• Instead of spending hours writing instructions, AI can turn screen recordings into step-by-step guides.

• AI can also translate those guides into different languages, making training easier for global teams.

💖My takeaway: These are the types of results I want to see more often — not just impressive AI demos, but actual business value.

5. Documentation Doesn't Have to Be So Painful Anymore!

If you've been involved in ERP implementations, you know how much time documentation can take.

• Imagine recording yourself completing a Business Central process and having AI turn it into a user guide.

• Instead of writing every instruction and taking screenshots manually, AI can help do that work.

• New employees can use these guides to learn processes without constantly asking the same person for help.

• We can update documentation as processes change instead of letting manuals become outdated.

• And here's something I really like: knowledge doesn't have to stay in one person's head!

💖My takeaway: Good documentation helps customers become more independent, especially after go-live.

6. AI Is Exciting, but We Need to Be Realistic

• Not everything we see in a conference demo is necessarily available in the version our customers are using.

• Some Copilot capabilities are still being developed, tested, or released in stages.

• Before using AI in a customer environment, we need to understand licensing, permissions, and security requirements.

• Never assume that because AI completed a task, the result must be correct.

• Real customer data and real business scenarios are the best ways to test whether an AI solution works.

• We also need to be honest with customers about what AI can and cannot do.

💖My takeaway: Don't promise customers something just because it looked great in a demo.

7. What Does All This Mean for Us as Partners and Consultants?

This is probably the part that matters most to me.

• We need to stop thinking only about how to implement Business Central and start thinking about how to improve the customer's business.

• Before automating a process, we need to understand why the customer does it that way in the first place.

• Not every manual process needs AI, and not every business problem requires automation.

• We should spend more time asking questions, listening, and understanding how customers actually work.

• AI can help us work faster, but our experience and understanding of business processes are still what make us valuable.

• The goal is not to make customers more dependent on consultants; it's to help them become more confident and successful.

💖My takeaway: A good consultant knows Business Central, but a great consultant understands the customer's business.

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My 5 Biggest Lessons from the Conference

If you remember only five things from this blog, I hope these are the ones!

1. Don't use AI to automate a broken process. Fix the process first, or you'll just make the same mistakes faster.

2. AI is not here to replace good consultants. It can help us spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time solving problems.

3. Knowledge should be shared, not kept in one person's head. AI can help us document processes and make information easier for everyone to access.

4. A great demo doesn't always mean a great solution. Test with real customer scenarios before deciding whether AI is the right answer.

5. The real value of AI is not what it can do, but what it can help the business achieve. Saving time, reducing errors, and helping people work better are what matter.

My Final Thoughts

One thing I keep thinking about after attending these sessions is how much our roles as consultants are changing.

We used to spend so much time configuring systems, preparing documentation, troubleshooting issues, and teaching customers how to complete tasks.

Now AI can help us with some of that work.

But here's what I believe: Technology can help us do things faster, but it still takes people to understand what needs to be done and why.

And that's where our experience as consultants becomes even more valuable.

I am excited about the direction Business Central is heading, but I'm even more excited about what it means for our customers.

Here's a question I'd love to ask my fellow partners and consultants:

Are we helping customers use new technology to improve their business, or are we simply using new technology to do the same old processes?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and what you're most excited about when it comes to AI and Business Central!