2026 Release Wave 1: Transforming Business Processes with Agentic AI in Dynamics 365

2026 Release Wave 1: Transforming Business Processes with Agentic AI

(A comprehensive roadmap detailing hundreds of new capabilities across Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and Copilot Studio, focusing on autonomous agents and “human-in-the-loop” productivity.)

Real-time User Journey: The Autonomous Supply Chain

While the release covers many areas, the “Autonomous Procurement” journey is a primary highlight of this wave:

1. Inventory Anomaly: An Autonomous Supply Chain Agent identifies a predicted shortage of a critical component due to a regional weather event.
2. Market Research: The agent proactively researches alternative suppliers in the Microsoft Dataverse and via the web, comparing lead times and carbon footprints.
3. Drafting the Plan: The agent drafts a procurement plan, including a pre-filled purchase order for a new supplier that meets all sustainability criteria.
4. Human-in-the-loop Approval: The Procurement Manager receives a notification in Microsoft Teams. They open the Copilot sidecar, review the agent’s reasoning, and approve the order with one click.
5. Execution & Tracking: The agent submits the order, updates the ERP, and begins tracking the shipment, providing the manager with real-time risk updates as the weather event progresses.
6. Resolution: The factory avoids a production halt, and the manager spends their day on strategic supplier relationships rather than manual order tracking.

Step-by-Step: How to Enable Wave 1 Features

Release wave features are rolled out in stages. Here is how to manage and enable them:

• Step 1: Access the Release Planner

Visit the Microsoft Release Planner to see the specific dates for each feature (General Availability vs. Public Preview).

• Step 2: Enable Early Access

Sign in to the Power Platform Admin Center. Go to Environments > [Your Environment] > Settings > Updates. Click “Manage” and select “Update now” to enable the 2026 Wave 1 early access features in a sandbox environment.

• Step 3: Configure New Autonomous Agents

Navigate to the Agent Hub within Dynamics 365 or Copilot Studio. Locate the new pre-built agents (e.g., Sales Research Agent or Case Management Agent) and toggle them to Enabled.

• Step 4: Update App Profiles

Go to Agent Experience Profiles and ensure the new Copilot Pane and Multi-session companion features are added to your users’ workspaces.

• Step 5: Define Knowledge Sources

In Copilot Studio, point your agents to the updated Microsoft Fabric or Dataverse connectors to ensure they are using your latest enterprise data for their “Agentic” reasoning.

• Step 6: Monitor Performance

Use the newly released AI Evaluation Dashboards to measure the accuracy and ROI of the Wave 1 features as they are rolled out to production.

Infographic: 2026 Release Wave 1 Pillars

Pillar	Key Focus	Featured Capabilities
Agentic AI	Moving from “assist” to “act.”	Autonomous Sales, Service, and Supply Chain Agents.
Unified Data	Breaking silos with Dataverse + Fabric.	Real-time insights, zero-copy data sharing, and AI “Memory.”
Copilot Studio	Empowering makers to build agents.	Visual agent designer, advanced orchestration, and safety guardrails.
Integrated Workspace	Embedding AI where you work.	Native AI in Teams, Outlook, and the new Desktop Companion App.
Governance	Trustworthy and secure AI.	AI Evaluation frameworks, sensitive data redaction, and audit logs.

References

2026 release wave 1 plans for Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Power Platform, and Copilot Studio offerings