Overview
This post explains agentic AI in ERP and how it works in Business Central in 2026. It covers what agents do today, the risks to manage and how to start.
Key Takeaways
- Agentic AI describes software that pursues a goal and takes steps itself, while assistive AI waits for you to ask.
- Business Central already includes agents, such as the Sales Order Agent and Payables Agent, and lets you design custom agents in preview.
- Microsoft designs agents to keep people in the loop, so reviewers approve key steps and the work stays visible.
- Agents use Copilot Credits with consumption billing, and they run on Business Central online only.
- Gartner predicts that companies will cancel over 40% of agentic AI projects by the end of 2027, so start with a clear use case.
- Clean data, tight permissions and a named owner decide whether an agent helps or harms.
What Is Agentic AI in ERP?
Agentic AI is software that takes a goal, uses tools and data, and works towards the outcome with limited human input. Our 2025 post called this “Agentive AI”, but the industry term is agentic AI.
The difference from an assistant is who starts the work. With Copilot, you start the action, and Copilot offers suggestions. Microsoft describes agents as autonomous AI workers that handle tasks with minimal human input.
In an ERP, that means a system that reads an email, finds the right records and prepares a document. It does not mean a robot running your business. Our guide to agents in Microsoft Copilot covers the wider idea.
What Has Changed since Our 2025 Post
The original post looked ahead. It used general examples, such as self-driving cars and predictive maintenance, because Business Central agents were still new.
Now the picture is concrete. Microsoft ships agents inside Business Central, and partners build on them. So we replaced the speculation with what the product does today, and we removed the claims that we could not support.
Our post on AI built into Business Central shows the wider set of Copilot features that sit beside agents.
Agents Available in Business Central Today
The Sales Order Agent handles customer emails. It identifies the contact, checks stock and prepares a quote for you to review, then converts the confirmed quote into an order. Read our Sales Order Agent guide for setup detail.
The Payables Agent watches a mailbox for vendor invoices. It extracts the details, matches them to purchase orders and receipts, proposes posting accounts for unmatched lines and routes exceptions.
You can also design custom agents. Microsoft offers an agent designer in preview through its AI Development Toolkit. Custom agents consume Copilot Credits, and the preview has no built-in triggers for emails or schedules yet.
The Business Central MCP server, also in preview, lets AI clients such as Copilot Studio connect to your data. You choose which API pages and operations to expose.
How Agents Work with Your People
Agents run in the background, but they do not work in secret. Each agent creates tasks with review steps, and your reviewers approve key actions before anything reaches a customer.
Every agent also has its own user account in Business Central. That account holds the permissions the agent needs, and nothing more if you set it up well. The agent does not inherit the reviewer’s permissions.
Administrators stay in control. They can activate or deactivate each capability on the Copilot & agent capabilities page, and they decide which users can work with each agent. Our guide to Chat with Copilot explains that page.
Accountability, Data and Bias
Someone must own every agent. When an agent makes an error, your business is still responsible, so name an owner and a reviewer for each one.
Data protection still applies. The UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 cover any agent that handles personal data, such as customer contact details. Give each agent the narrowest permissions that let it do the job.
Microsoft states that it does not read your prompts or use your data to train AI models without your explicit permission. That helps, but it does not replace your own policy.
Bias looks different in an ERP than in hiring or lending. Here the risk is a wrong match, such as the wrong item or the wrong customer. Test agents on your own data, and keep review switched on while you build trust.
Jobs and Skills
Agents take on repetitive keying, so people spend more time on exceptions and judgement. That changes roles, and it needs planning.
Train reviewers to spot errors, not just to click approve. Tell your team early which tasks an agent will take, because uncertainty causes more resistance than change does.
Billing and Cost Control
Agents use Copilot Credits, and Microsoft charges based on how complex each interaction is. You must set up consumption-based billing before you use one.
When credits run out, an agent such as the Sales Order Agent stops processing new emails. Once credits return, it works through the backlog. Set a daily limit and monitor usage to avoid a surprise.
Agents run on Business Central online only. Our post on on-premise vs cloud ERP explains what that means for your deployment choice.
What Gartner Says about Agentic AI Projects
In June 2025, Gartner predicted that companies would cancel over 40% of agentic AI projects by the end of 2027. It cited escalating costs, unclear business value and inadequate risk controls.
Gartner also predicts that agentic AI will make at least 15% of day-to-day work decisions autonomously by 2028, up from 0% in 2024.
Read those two figures together. Adoption will grow, but many projects will stall. Start where the value is clear and the risk is low.
How to Start with Agents in Business Central
A careful start avoids most of the failures Gartner describes.
- Pick one repetitive, email-driven process, such as order entry or invoice capture.
- Clean the data the agent relies on, including contact emails, item descriptions and vendor records.
- Set permissions on the principle of least privilege, and name the reviewers.
- Test with sample tasks before you connect a live mailbox.
- Set billing limits, then monitor credit use each week.
- Measure time saved and error rates for 30 days before you expand.
What This Means for Your Business
Agentic AI in ERP is real, but it is narrower than the hype suggests. Today it means agents that handle defined, document-heavy tasks while your people review and decide.
Consider an illustrative calculation. Say your team keys 50 supplier invoices a day at four minutes each. That is over three hours of keying every day. Use your own figures to size the opportunity.
The businesses that benefit most will be those with clean data, clear ownership and a plan. Our view on wider trends is in our guide to ERP trends for UK SMEs in 2026.
Get Help with Agentic AI in Business Central
Tecvia helps UK businesses choose the right first agent, configure permissions and plan billing. Get in touch with Tecvia to book a free review of your processes.
You can also explore our Copilot capabilities, or see how our implementation approach supports phased rollouts. IT leaders may find our page for IT Directors and Managers useful, and operations leaders can visit our page for Operations Directors and Managers.
See how Business Central supports your sector. We serve Manufacturing and Engineering, Food and Beverage, Distribution and Wholesale, Life Sciences, and Medical Devices and Technology businesses.
FAQs
Agentic AI in ERP is software that takes a goal and works towards it with limited human input. In Business Central, that means agents that read emails, find records and prepare documents such as quotes or invoices. People review the key steps.
No. Copilot works with you, and you start each action. Agents run tasks in the background and involve you at review steps. Both sit inside Business Central.
Business Central includes the Sales Order Agent and the Payables Agent. You can also design custom agents in preview, and connect outside AI clients through the MCP server, also in preview. The list keeps growing, so check the Copilot & agent capabilities page.
Microsoft designs agents to keep people in the loop. For example, the Sales Order Agent always involves designated users to review outgoing messages. You choose how much review applies to other steps.
Agents use Copilot Credits, and charges depend on how complex each interaction is. You must set up consumption-based billing before you use one. Check Microsoft’s current pricing for exact rates.
No. Microsoft states that Copilot and agents are available only to Business Central online customers. On-premise users must move to the online version to use them.
It can be, if you control it. Each agent runs under its own user account with set permissions. Microsoft states that it does not use your data to train models without permission. You remain responsible under UK data protection law, so limit permissions and keep review on.
It is a preview feature that lets AI clients, such as Copilot Studio, connect to Business Central. You choose which API pages and operations to expose. It gives you a controlled way to build your own agents.
