You Need to Start Using GitHub Copilot (If You’re Not Already)

Let me guess how your day looks.

You open Business Central. A couple of extensions need updates. There’s a bug someone marked as “urgent” (with zero useful detail). Teams is already pinging. And somewhere in the middle of all that… you’re supposed to actually build something.

Now let me ask you something honestly:

How much of your day is real problem-solving… and how much of it is just retyping patterns you’ve written a hundred times before?

Because that’s exactly where GitHub Copilot changes things.

I Didn’t Fully Get It at First Either

When Copilot first came out, I thought:

“Cool… smarter IntelliSense.”

Useful, sure. But not something I’d rely on.

But that’s not what it is anymore.

Somewhere along the way, it stopped being a suggestion tool… and started becoming something closer to a working partner.

 

Copilot Today: It’s Not Just One Thing

What most people miss is that Copilot isn’t just autocomplete anymore.

It gives you four ways to work:

Ask (Copilot Chat)

You literally talk to your code.

• “Explain this trigger”
• “Write a validation procedure”
• “Why is this not working?”

And it answers instantly.

Edit

You highlight code and say:

• “Refactor this”
• “Convert to event subscriber”
• “Clean this up”

And it rewrites it.

Agent

This is where things get interesting.

You give it a task like:

• “Fix this issue”
• “Implement this feature”

And it can:

• Analyse your codebase
• Make changes
• Iterate
• Even prepare a pull request

You’re no longer just writing code—you’re assigning work.

Autocomplete

Still there. Still useful. Just smarter.

 

Let’s Talk About Pricing (Because You’re Probably Wondering)

GitHub changed how Copilot works pricing-wise, and it’s worth understanding.

Right now, it’s roughly:

• Free plan → limited usage (about 50 premium requests/month)
• Pro (~$10/month) → ~300 premium requests
• Pro+ (~$39/month) → ~1,500 premium requests

Here’s the key idea:

👉 Chat, Agent, and advanced features use premium requests
👉 Autocomplete is basically unlimited

So if you’re heavily using Chat and Agent (which you should), you’ll start noticing usage.

 

The honest question

If this saves you even a few hours a week… is $10–$39/month really a decision?

AL Development Is Basically Pattern Repetition

Let’s be honest for a second.

A lot of Business Central AL work is predictable:

• Page extensions
• Table extensions
• Validation logic
• Event subscribers

You already know what to do.

You’re just rewriting it.

Copilot removes that repetition.

 

The Real Benefit Isn’t Speed — It’s Energy

This surprised me.

Yes, it saves time.

But more importantly—it reduces mental load.

Because what drains you isn’t just complex logic.

It’s the small stuff:

• “What’s the syntax again?”
• “How did I structure this last time?”
• “What’s the correct trigger here?”

Copilot handles that.

So your brain stays focused on what actually matters.

Less Context Switching = More Flow

You know the cycle:

Code → stuck → Google → read → come back → try again

That tiny interruption?

It breaks your flow.

Copilot reduces that massively.

You stay in your editor. You keep moving.

 

Real Example (You’ll Recognise This)

You’re building validation logic across multiple tables.

Old way:

• Write it once
• Copy it
• Adjust it
• Repeat

New way:

• Ask Copilot to generate the base
• Use Edit to apply it properly
• Refine the final logic

You’re not starting from zero anymore.

 

It’s Not Perfect (And That’s Fine)

Copilot will:

• Suggest slightly wrong logic
• Miss business context
• Occasionally be… weird

But that’s okay.

👉 It gets you 70–80% there
👉 You handle the final 20–30%

You’re still in control.

 

How to Install GitHub Copilot in VS Code (The Simple Way)

If you already have VS Code, this part is easy.

Here’s the real-world setup most developers use.

Step 1: Install GitHub Copilot Chat

Open VS Code → Extensions (Ctrl + Shift + X)

Search for:

GitHub Copilot Chat

Install it.

That’s the one you need.

Step 2: Sign In

After installing:

• Click Sign in with GitHub
• Authorize access
• Make sure your GitHub account has Copilot enabled

Step 3: Start Using It

You can now:

• Open Chat and ask questions
• Start typing → get suggestions
• Highlight code → ask for edits
• Try task-based workflows

That’s it.

No complicated setup.

Step 4: (Important for Business Central Devs)

Make sure you also have:

AL Language extension

This gives you:

• Syntax support
• Code analysis
• Compiler feedback

Copilot + AL extension is where things really come together.

 

Best Practices for Business Central AL Developers Using Copilot

This is where you get real value.

1. Use Copilot for patterns, not decisions

Let it generate:

• Boilerplate
• Repetitive logic
• Standard structures

But you own the business logic.

2. Always review generated code

Treat it like code from a junior dev.

Check:

• Naming
• Performance
• Data access
• Edge cases

3. Prefer event-driven patterns

Instead of hardcoding logic, guide Copilot:

“Refactor this using event subscribers”

That keeps your solution extension-friendly.

4. Be defensive

Always think:

• What if this record doesn’t exist?
• What if this fails?

Copilot won’t always handle that properly.

5. Watch performance

Especially in:

• Page triggers
• API pages
• OData scenarios

Don’t just accept working code—make sure it’s efficient.

6. Use Chat to understand code, not just write it

One of the best uses:

• “Explain this module”
• “What’s wrong with this approach?”

That’s where it really shines.

 

The Bigger Shift (This Is What Matters)

Before Copilot:

You write everything.

After Copilot:

You guide, refine, and accelerate.

That’s a completely different way of working.

So… Why Aren’t You Using It Yet?

Be honest.

Is it:

• “I haven’t tried it properly”
• “I’m used to my workflow”
• “I don’t want to rely on AI”

Fair.

But here’s the real question:

What’s the cost of staying where you are?

 

Final Thought

You’ve already done the hard part.

You understand Business Central. You know AL. You’ve built experience.

Copilot doesn’t replace that.

It multiplies it.

And at this stage in your career—when time and focus actually matter—

That’s what makes the difference.

 

Your Next Step

Don’t overthink it.

Install it. Sign in. Try it on your next task.

Not next week.

Now.

And if you want help integrating GitHub Copilot properly into your Business Central workflow…

Reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Let’s make your development life faster, lighter, and a lot more enjoyable.