Accelerating AL Code Excellence: Unleashing the Power of GitHub Copilot
Developers working in Business Central often face unique challenges. One of the main issues is working with legacy codebases, where extensions are built on top of customizations made over time, which can lead to compatibility issues when new updates or features are released. Maintaining and upgrading custom code while ensuring compatibility with existing APIs and platform changes can become daunting as Business Central continues to evolve. This is especially challenging when dealing with multipart integrations, as small missteps in the AL code can cause breakages across the entire system.
Another challenge developers face is debugging and resolving issues in custom AL extensions. Because AL development involves working with complex business logic and intricate workflows, tracking down the root cause of a problem is not always straightforward. Developers need to be deeply familiar with the core Business Central framework, and any oversight or mistake can cause unexpected behavior in production environments. With customizations and telemetry requirements to consider, debugging can quickly become time-consuming and require close attention to detail.
This is where GitHub Copilot can be a game changer. Copilot is an AI-powered tool that assists developers by suggesting code snippets and completing entire functions based on the context of the code they are writing. For Business Central developers, this means that repetitive and boilerplate code can be easily generated, allowing developers to focus on solving more complex problems rather than rewriting common patterns. Copilot’s ability to understand the context of the AL language and offer suggestions can save hours of manual coding, especially in areas like API calls, integrations, and custom event handlers.
Beyond code suggestions, GitHub Copilot can improve code quality by reducing errors commonly made in AL development. It helps ensure developers follow best practices when implementing extensions, creating efficient queries, and managing code that interacts with external applications like eCommerce platforms. This can lead to fewer issues during testing and deployment, faster resolution of bugs, and more consistent updates to Business Central systems—ultimately enhancing productivity and allowing developers to focus more on innovation rather than firefighting code-related problems.
Learn more
Matt Traxinger is just one of the ArcherPoint employees presenting at Community Summit North America 2024 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio October 13-17, 2024.
You can learn more about how GitHub Copilot, alongside other integral AL tools, can greatly improve code quality and developer productivity by attending Matt’s session, Accelerating AL Code Excellence: Unleashing the Power of GitHub Copilot, at Community Summit on October 16 at 9:15 AM CT.
Community Summit is the largest independent event organized by Microsoft users for Microsoft users and features over 600 training sessions on Microsoft Dynamics products, Power Platform, Fabric, and AI. Sessions are presented by Microsoft experts, MVPs, and partners. There will also be a live in-person help desk for questions about Microsoft ERP, CRM, and Power Platform, plus an Expo floor with more than 260 partners and ISVs.
ArcherPoint is offering a 10% discount on Community Summit North America 2024 registration.