Post 4: Just Ask – Unlocking Insights with Natural Language Query
Introduction
For decades, getting answers from an ERP system meant one of two things: mastering complex grid filters (Advanced Filter/Sort) or waiting days for a developer to build a custom report. If you wanted to know "Who are my top customers in California?", you had to know the exact field names and logic to get the list.
In Part 4 of our AI series, we look at Natural Language Query, a feature that democratizes data access by letting you simply ask for what you need.
Caption: No code, no filters—just plain English.
What is Natural Language Query?
This feature allows users to interact with data grids and lists using everyday language. Powered by Copilot, D365 Finance & Operations translates your plain English questions into the complex query syntax the system understands.
Instead of clicking "Filter" -> "Add Condition" -> "Field: Status" -> "Value: Open," you simply type: "Show me open orders."
Examples of What You Can Ask
The flexibility is impressive. Here are a few ways users are utilizing this today:
Sales: "Show me sales orders from last month where the total is greater than $10,000."
Inventory: "List all items with low stock levels."
Finance: "Display vendors with payment terms of Net 45."
Caption: The system dynamically applies filters based on your question.
Why This Matters
Speed: Ad-hoc analysis becomes instantaneous. You don't need to export to Excel just to filter data.
Accessibility: Managers who aren't "power users" of D365 can still get their own answers without relying on IT.
Discovery: It helps users find data even if they don't know the exact technical name of the column (e.g., typing "Client" might correctly search the "Customer Name" field).
A Note for Developers
You might be wondering: "Does this bypass security?" The answer is no. Copilot respects all existing security roles and Row Level Security (RLS). If a user doesn't have permission to see a specific legal entity or data field, Natural Language Query won't show it to them.
However, as developers, we need to ensure our Table and Field labels are clear. Copilot relies on meaningful metadata to understand that "Qty" means "Quantity."
