book

Microsoft Copilot Studio Step by Step: Customizing Copilot and creating agents

Name: Microsoft Copilot Studio Step by Step: Customizing Copilot and creating agents
Author: Lisa Crosbie
ISBN: 9780135491584

by Lisa Crosbie

December 2025

Intermediate to advanced

592 pages

12h 25m

English

Microsoft Press

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Cover Page
Title Page
Copyight Page
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
About the author
Introduction
Who this book is forThe Step by Step approachFeatures and conventionsDownload the practice filesImportant note about changes to Copilot StudioErrata, updates, and support
1. Understanding Copilot Studio and agents
Practice filesGet started with Copilot StudioWhat is an agent?Sign up for a Copilot Studio free trialCreate an agent in Copilot Studio by describing itUnderstand the capabilities of Copilot StudioMicrosoft’s agent-building toolsetKey components of agent architectureCore capabilities of Copilot StudioExplore use cases for Copilot Studio agentsInternal agents (for employees)External agents (for customers or suppliers)Success metricsSkills reviewPractice tasksGet started with Copilot StudioUnderstand the capabilities of Copilot StudioExplore use cases for Copilot Studio agents
2. Designing effective agents
Practice filesChoose the type of agentExtend Microsoft 365 Copilot or build a stand-alone agentConversational agentsAutonomous agentsMulti-agent systemsSelect the agent’s orchestration modelGenerative orchestrationClassic orchestrationAzure CLU integrationDesign the agent’s capabilitiesDefine the agent’s scope and purposeGive the agent your brand voiceIdentify the knowledge sources and tools your agent needsDefine the logic strategyIdentify topicsPlan for fallback and escalationUnderstand and calculate agent costsThe capability being invokedThe orchestration model usedTenant graph grounding, the channel, and the user licensePurchasing message packs for your agentUsing the Copilot Studio agent usage estimatorSkills reviewPractice tasksChoose the type of agentSelect the agent’s orchestration modelDesign the agent’s capabilitiesUnderstand and calculate agent costs

3. Building agents with the lite experience of Copilot Studio
Practice filesDescribe and configure an agentCreate an agent by describing itConfigure an agent and add knowledgeAdd capabilities to your agentEdit an existing agentBuild an agent from a templateShare and manage agentsShare an agent with other usersManage agentsSkills reviewPractice tasksDescribe and configure an agentBuild an agent from a templateShare and manage agents
4. Building agents in Copilot Studio
Practice filesUnderstand environments and solutionsCreate a new environmentSelect an environment for your agent in Copilot StudioWork with solutionsConfigure a new agentStart creating an agent using configurationSet the primary language for the agentSet the agent’s name and iconWrite a description and instructionsAdd suggested promptsAdd knowledgeCreate the agentManage agent settingsEnable deep reasoningManage the response model and response formattingEdit the primary language and add secondary languagesEdit the Conversation Start topicStart with an agent templateInstall a managed agentSkills reviewPractice tasksUnderstand environments and solutionsConfigure a new agentManage agent settingsEdit the Conversation Start topicStart with an agent templateInstall a managed agent
5. Building autonomous agents
Practice filesIdentify use cases for autonomous agentsAutonomous agents versus workflow automationIdentify use casesBuild an autonomous agentPlan an autonomous agentCreate the agent and add knowledge and toolsWrite instructionsAdd a triggerIterate and add additional tools to your agentUse deep reasoningBest practicePublish and monitor an autonomous agentReview the activitySkills reviewPractice tasksIdentify use cases for autonomous agentsBuild an autonomous agentPublish and monitor an autonomous agent
6. Grounding agents in knowledge
Practice filesUnderstand how knowledge works in Copilot StudioSet up a “Playground Agent” to use for this chapterGeneral knowledge from the LLMGenerative answers and the Conversational boosting topicContent moderationOfficial knowledge sourcesConnect to public websites as a knowledge sourceWebsite knowledge behavior and limitationsAllow the agent to use web searchAdd files as a knowledge sourceUpload filesConnect to OneDrive or SharePoint files and foldersManage connectionsAdd SharePoint as a knowledge sourceTenant graph groundingConnect to a SharePoint siteConnect to a SharePoint ListBest practice for working with SharePoint as a knowledge sourceAdd real-time connectors to enterprise dataConnect to enterprise data using real-time connectorsAdd Dataverse tables as a knowledge sourceBest practice for working with Dataverse as a knowledge sourceSkills reviewPractice tasksUnderstand how knowledge works in Copilot StudioConnect to public websites as a knowledge sourceAdd files as a knowledge sourceAdd SharePoint as a knowledge sourceAdd real-time connectors to enterprise data
7. Authoring topics
Practice filesCreate and edit topicsCreate topics from a description and understand triggersCreate topics from blankEdit topics using codeUse message nodes and adaptive cardsAdd a message nodeAdd an image to a messageUse cards in a messageUse other message node featuresUse questions, variables, and entitiesUnderstand variablesAdd a question node using variables and conditional logicUnderstand entitiesUse formulas, logic, and generative answersUse PowerFx formulasExpand the branching logicUnderstand slot filling and configure skip behaviorAdd knowledge to a topicManage topic transitions and internal triggersRedirecting and ending topics and conversationsTopic triggersSystem topicsSkills reviewPractice tasksCreate and edit topicsUse message nodes and adaptive cardsUse questions, variables, and entitiesUse formulas, logic, and generative answersManage topic transitions and internal triggers
8. Extending agents with tools
Practice filesUse connectors and REST APIsAdd a connector as a toolAdd a tool from a REST APICreate agent flowsCreate stand-alone agent flowsCreate agent flows triggered by an agentAdd tools to a topicUse a prompt as a toolAdd tools from a Model Context Protocol serverSkills reviewPractice tasksUse connectors and REST APIsCreate agent flowsAdd tools to a topicUse a prompt as a toolAdd tools from a Model Context Protocol server
9. Designing multi-agent orchestration
Practice filesUnderstand multi-agent orchestrationWhen to use child agentsWhen to use connected agentsCreate and use child agentsConnect to existing agentsConnect to an existing Copilot Studio agentConnect to other existing agentsSkills reviewPractice tasksUnderstand multi-agent orchestrationCreate and use child agentsConnect to existing agents
10. Publishing and authenticating agents
Practice filesUnderstand and select the agent authentication methodPublish and test an agentChoose and configure channelsPublishing to external channelsPublishing to internal channelsSkills reviewPractice tasksUnderstand and select the agent authentication methodPublish and test an agentChoose and configure channels
11. Monitoring agent performance
Practice filesAnalyze conversational agent performanceUnderstanding conversational agent metricsDownload and view conversation transcriptsDownload conversation sessions from Copilot StudioDownload conversation sessions from DataverseAnalyze autonomous agent performanceUnderstanding autonomous agent metricsSkills reviewPractice tasksAnalyze conversational agent performanceDownload and view conversation transcriptsAnalyze autonomous agent performance
12. Working with voice and customer engagement systems
Practice filesCreate a voice-enabled agentUnderstand voice-enabled agent capabilities and settingsConfigure topics for voice-enabled agentsUse knowledge with voice-enabled agentsTest a voice-enabled agent using chatPublish to a customer engagement channel and configure escalationSkills reviewPractice tasksCreate a voice-enabled agentTest a voice-enabled agent using chatPublish to a customer engagement channel and configure escalation
13. Extending Copilot Studio agents with Azure AI
Practice filesCreate a vector index in Azure AI SearchReview or set up Azure prerequisitesImport and vectorize your data in Azure AI SearchAdd Azure AI Search as a knowledge sourceBring your own Azure AI Foundry modelSelect the primary model for your agentSelect the response model for your agentSelect the model for a prompt toolSkills reviewPractice tasksCreate a vector index in Azure AI SearchAdd Azure AI Search as a knowledge sourceBring your own Azure AI Foundry model
A. Build an IT helpdesk agent
Practice tasksSet up prerequisite componentsCreate an agentAdd a knowledge sourceAuthor a simple topic by describing itAdd a tool to send a notification to the IT TeamAuthor a topic using branching logic and add a toolAdd a tool to create an IT Helpdesk ticket in SharePointTest your agent: knowledgeTest your agent: topicsTest your agent: toolsPublish your agent to Microsoft 365 Copilot
Build a customer support agent
Practice tasksSet up prerequisite componentsCreate an agentEdit the agent greetingAdd knowledge about the daily specialsAdd a tool to respond to complaintsAdd a tool to make recommendations for cateringCreate a topic for event cateringCreate an agent flow to call the prompt for event cateringAdd the agent flow to the Event catering request topicUpdate the instructions to reference the topic and toolTest the agentPublish your agent to the demo website
Index

Overview

Renowned Microsoft AI authority Lisa Crosbie unveils an essential guide to mastering agent building and business process automation with Microsoft Copilot Studio

Microsoft Copilot Studio Step by Step: Customizing Copilot and creating agents is the definitive, hands-on guide for professionals seeking to master Microsofts low-code agent-building platform. The book combines reference material with step-by-step tutorials, making complex AI concepts accessible to low-code makers, consultants, and IT pros. You will learn to design, build, and deploy AI-powered agents that automate workflows, transform business processes, and integrate with Microsoft 365 Copilot and your line of business systems. Through practical scenarios, best practices, and end-to-end examples, this book equips users with the skills to leverage Copilot Studio for organizational value, offering the depth and clarity needed to turn ideas into working solutions, and emerging as the essential resource for this rapidly growing technology.

By reading this book, you will:

Understand the foundational concepts and architecture of Microsoft Copilot Studio and AI agents
Create AI-powered agents using natural language and low-code tools for internal and customer-facing scenarios
Configure autonomous agents with event-driven, scheduled, and data-based triggers
Ground your agents in organizational knowledge by connecting to multiple data sources
Author structured conversational topics using advanced tools like branching logic and adaptive cards
Extend agent capabilities with connectors, prompts, MCP servers, and workflow automation
Design multi-agent orchestration using child and connected agents to delegate tasks across specialized domains
Publish and authenticate agents across Microsoft 365 Copilot, Teams, websites, and other external channels
Monitor agent performance using built-in analytics to optimize user experience
Expand your solutions with advanced capabilities for integration with voice channels, customer engagement hubs and Azure AI

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ISBN: 9780135491584

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