GitHub Copilot with Claude Sonnet 4 is amazing

I couldn't sleep, so I decided to try building a Pulumi C# application that uses an existing MCP Server. My forms will utilise the client to allow me to access my Azure subscriptions and resources - wow.  Build a really cool tool quickly - Claude Sonnet 4 is once again significantly better than GPT-4.1 for programming with GitHub Copilot.

AI for developers and Architects

The cost of prototypes is unbelievably low using AI. 

Rapidly creating a prototype, especially with new or less well-known technology, is where I derive significant benefits from AI.

How to build application prototypes?

1. Write /reverse prompt/Adjust instructions into md file
2. Agentic AI (specialising in Doc Extraction) to extract and refine from md file
3. Run using IDE-based copilot (VS Code with GitHub Copilot) (AmazonQ) (Cursor, Windsurf, Steamlit) 

Thoughts: Developers are adjusting to using Ai to support software solutions.  The developer role will continue the trend of making technical implementation more accessible, allowing knowledgeable IT engineers or domain experts to build faster and better than citizen/amateur developers.  Ai assists in complex decisions!  

What needs to improve?

• Knowledge is key.  AI needs to have narrow expertise at the right time. i.e. only domain knowledge, not influenced by other data.  Quality of input data used to train.  Allows for dynamic reasoning.
• Session/long-term contact agreement/understanding to improve the understanding between your IDE and me.  Remember how I prompt and provide feedback on how I digest information.  Context between the human developer and Ai is Paramount.
• Control of IDE integration with coding copilots, clear return to the user developer to make better decisions.  Context is Paramount.
• Governance & Data (Connectors, API's, code complex processes (MCP maybe), quality of data).

Retrieval Augmentation Generate (RAG)

Model Context Protocol (MCP)

MCP is a protocol (created by Anthropic) that allows an MCP client to connect to an MCP server, which in turn has specialist knowledge that the MCP server will expose. Authentication uses OAuth to secure access.

My Applications/Agents use the MCP to ask the MCP Server, 'What can you do?' so that they are aware of how to use the MCP Server.

The MCP Server, when built, informs the client of its capabilities and then performs actions such as updates using an API.

Summary: Use MCP to allow the client to talk to other resources/tools

Agents-to-agent (A2A) 

A2A allows agents to work together.  So two agents can leverage each other; the other agent solves the issue and returns the answer for the first agent to use.  Whereas MCP allows any agent to speak to a source.  Agents complete a task and give it back to the calling agent. 

 

Summary: Use A2A to talk to specialised Agents, and the agent returns the calling agent's answers.

Microsoft's AI & Copilots Explained as the naming kills me

Microsoft's Copilots products... starting with M365 Copilot options

Source: Screenshot from a presentation, 6 May 2025 - from MS.

1. Microsoft 365 Copilot versions

1.1. Copilot (Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat) (Is Free)

It allows access to ChatGPT-4 with web content.  AI like ChatGPT, Perplexity, ...

1.2. Microsoft 365 Copilot Pro

(+$20/month full retail if bought as an add-on).  Additional features, but not all that M365 Copilot for Business offers.  All users receive Copilot Builder (maker capability), and consumers require the M365 Pro license to utilise M365 Copilot agents.

1.3. Microsoft 365 Copilot for Business

I believe that many people are grouping "M365 Copilot Pro" and "M365 Copilot for Business" together, and only see the free and paid versions of M365 Copilot. 

M365 Copilot Pro for Business (I know :) ) is grounded in the business data you can access in your enterprise.  Inline copilots, including grounded business data inside the office applications.

Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI-powered Agent with multiple child Copilots for Microsoft 365 apps like Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, and Teams. It leverages large language models (GPT-4 and GPT-4Pro) and your enterprise data through the Microsoft Graph. To work with M365 Copilot Pro, you need the M365 Copilot license for each user accessing or creating the new agent, which is pricy, per user per month. 

Tip: Optimise results by preparing content!  Like docx, pptx and pdf files. PDF, DOCX, XLSX (kind of), PPTX. Also works on CSV, text, HTML, MD, and WAV audio files.  Supported file type.

Microsoft-specific app copilots included in M365 Copilot Pro:

• 2.1. Word Copilot: Helps with drafting, rewriting, editing, summarising, and generating new ideas.
• 2.2. Excel Copilot: Assists with data analysis, generating insights, creating complex formulas, and automating tasks.
• 2.3. PowerPoint Copilot: Aids in creating presentations, suggesting layouts, creating slides, and enhancing visual content.
• 2.4. Outlook Copilot: Supports email management, drafting responses, scheduling, and organising tasks.
• 2.5. OneNote Copilot.

Note: As of March 2025, Microsoft Copilot does not currently allow uploading images or pictures, unlike ChatGPT; however, I don't doubt that this feature will be added in the future.  ChatGPT can also redraw (using DALLe).

Ease of use, Options for working with Microsoft AI

Extending the use of M365 Copilot Pro licensing

1. M365 Copilot takes a no-code approach to building agents with our company data. Each user needs an M365 Copilot Pro licence to access the new bot/agent/copilot.
2. Copilot Studio is a more advanced way to build copilots and requires a separate license.

Options: Building your own Agents/Copilots with business-aware data.

Agent Builder - all users need the M365 Copilot Pro licence.

2. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilots

Overview of Dynamics 365 Copilots:

Source: Microsoft (I lost the reference)

2.1. Customer Engagement (CRM) Apps

1. Dynamics 365 Sales – Manage leads, opportunities, and customer relationships.
2. Dynamics 365 Customer Service – Case management, knowledge base, and omnichannel support.
3. Dynamics 365 Field Service – Manage field operations, work orders, and technician scheduling.
4. Dynamics 365 Marketing (now part of Customer Insights - Journeys) – Campaign automation and customer journeys.
5. Dynamics 365 Customer Insights:
   • Data – Unify and analyse customer data.
   • Journeys – Design and automate personalised customer experiences.
6. Dynamics 365 Customer Voice – Collect and analyse customer feedback.

2.2. Finance & Operations (ERP) Apps

1. Dynamics 365 Finance – Core financials, budgeting, and global accounting.
2. Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management – Inventory, manufacturing, and logistics.
3. Dynamics 365 Project Operations – Project planning, resource management, and billing.
4. Dynamics 365 Commerce – Unified retail, e-commerce, and POS.
5. Dynamics 365 Human Resources (being merged into Finance) – HR management and employee self-service.

2.3. SMB-Focused App

• Dynamics 365 Business Central – All-in-one ERP for small and medium-sized businesses (finance, sales, purchasing, inventory, and more).

2.4. Industry-Specific Solutions

• Microsoft Cloud for Industry (e.g., Healthcare, Financial Services, Manufacturing) – Built on Dynamics 365 and Power Platform with tailored capabilities.

Note: Microsoft D365 Copilot/ Microsoft Copilot for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform/ Dynamics 365 AI are in this area.

Dynamics Product Copilot Licenses

3. Copilot Studio

Build copilots and distribute them to the business. This is awesome, but from a naming perspective, it actually makes sense. 

Copilot Studio - requires a Studio Builder licence for each maker, utilising low-code AI for build agents.  Each query is charged using messages as its currency.  There is complex pricing; for instance, a query can easily cost 13 message credits.

 

4. Azure AI Foundry

Organisations and developers can use the AI Foundry platform to build AI-driven solutions.  Can use 1,800 models and 200 Azure Services.  There are numerous AI services available on Azure.  I'm not even going to start that conversation.

AI Foundry - The individual paid services on Azure relate to token usage within AI Foundry for billing.  A simple query is 4 tokens, depending on how the question is broken down.  Once again, it is difficult to estimate the costs. 

5. Security & Governance of Microsoft 365 Copilot 

The M365 copilot will respect the Access Controls you have permission to, so Jim in operations won't see Tim's sales figures in a Word document in SharePoint. Jim does not have access to the document from the sales site collection. Therefore, they can't query Copilot for the data they don't have permission to (done using MS Graph).

Purview: DLP improves what your users can do and promotes better governance.  Ensure M365 copilots are used ethically.

Understand how users are using your M365 Copilot.

6. Code Copilots

GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered tool that assists developers in writing code by suggesting snippets and completing lines in real-time. Developed by GitHub and OpenAI, it learns from public code repositories and supports various programming languages and frameworks. Its goal is to boost productivity and reduce repetitive coding tasks.  It's amazing!! And getting better all the time.

Code Copilots: GitHub Copilot extensions in VS and VS Code.  GitHub comes in three flavours: Individual, Business, and Enterprise.

GitHub explains code, optimises your code's performance, improves readability, generates unit tests, improves error handling, adds new code with requested functionality, ensures coding consistency, and improves modularisation to help with the DRY principle.  GitHub is the diggity bomb.

Note: ChatGPR is owned by OpenAI.  Microsoft is a significant investor but does not own the service.

Amazon Q

Amazon Q Developer is an AWS code generator designed for building code and solutions.

Cursor, Windsurf.io, ...

7. DSPM (Purview)

DSPM stands for Data Security Posture Management. It's a cybersecurity approach focused on identifying, monitoring, and securing sensitive data across cloud and hybrid environments.  Copilot integrates seamlessly with DSPM in MS Purview, controlling access through DLP and various other options, such as SIT (Sensitive Information Types). It offers numerous out-of-the-box features but can also be customised to help reduce the exposure of organisational data using AI.  Document Fingerprinting also helps reduce exposure. 

Content Explorer in Purview is handy.  

To access all this valuable information, ensure that all your data sources are OAuth-enabled.

7. Summary

Naming and complexity with Microsoft are tough. The AI parts are massive. The M365 copilots break down into Dynamics or O365 worlds, each with many options.  I wish Microsoft had a hierarchical, sensible naming system, which no doubt the Marketing department would hate.  Sources must be secured correctly, and purview can help you manage access.

My AI Posts

Copilot Studio 2025 Simple Notes

Artificial Intelligence as a mega trend

Microsoft's Copilots Explained 

Prompt Engineering with Microsoft Copilot 

AI Model Comparison

Ignite 2023 - Keynotes - big push to AI Summary

Microsoft AI Landscape Pie.

Amazing Summary..