This post unpacks what agentive AI really is, why Business Central is a strong backbone for it, and how Dynavics helps UK organisations build a connected “ecosphere” of solutions that delivers meaningful results.
What “Agentive AI” means in plain English
Agentive AI is the shift from AI that merely answers questions to AI that can take action toward a goal across multiple steps: plan, execute, check results, and hand off to a human when needed.
That sounds futuristic, but it’s already landing in enterprise roadmaps. McKinsey’s 2025 global survey reports 23% of organisations are scaling an agentic AI system in at least one function, and another 39% are experimenting with AI agents.
Here’s the reality check:
- Gartner warns that over 40% of agentic AI projects may be cancelled by 2027 because of cost and unclear business value
- And TechRadar reported that many firms are trying agents, but only a small portion of use cases make it into production, with trust, transparency, and risk control as blockers
So the opportunity is real, but the win goes to the organisations that implement agents inside a well-governed process and data foundation. That’s where Business Central comes in, and where Dynavics makes the magic happen.
Why Business Central is a solid “system of record” for agents
Most AI initiatives fail for simple reasons: messy data, unclear ownership, and fragmented systems. Business Central helps because it’s designed to unify core operations: finance, purchasing, inventory, sales, projects, reporting (in one ERP).
Microsoft is also baking Copilot capabilities into Business Central. Microsoft’s own documentation describes Copilot in Business Central as an AI assistant to reduce tedious work, support analysis and summarisation, and help users complete tasks, with features expanding over time.
That matters because an agent is only as useful as:
- The quality of the underlying transactions and master data
- The permissions, audit trails, and workflow rules around actions
An ERP is where those two things live.
The “agentive” use-cases that actually make sense in ERP
Forget the sci-fi “fully autonomous finance department.” The practical early wins are bounded agents that operate inside guardrails. Let’s look at Finance as an area:
1) Cashflow & collections assistants
An agent can monitor overdue accounts, draft customer follow-ups, propose payment plans, and prepare a daily “what changed” summary, while leaving approval and sending under human control.
2) Purchasing & stock optimisation
Agents can watch sales velocity, lead times, and minimum stock, then propose purchase orders, highlight exceptions, and surface supplier risk, especially useful for distributors and retailers.
3) Month-end acceleration
Rather than “do month-end for me,” the sensible approach is: reconcile, flag anomalies, suggest journal entries, and generate variance commentary, then route approvals.
4) Customer service + fulfilment
Agents can answer “where’s my order?”, pull live status from Business Central, create cases, and escalate when SLAs are at risk.
Each of these is valuable only if the agent is connected to the right systems and operating against clean processes.
Why UK SMEs are the ideal target for connected AI
UK SMEs are the backbone of the economy: they account for about 99% of the UK business population and around 60% of private sector employment, but often lag larger firms on productivity.
At the same time, the UK’s AI sector is growing quickly—government reporting shows AI company revenues rose 9% (from £4.4bn to £4.9bn) and AI-related employment grew 34% to 86,139 in 2024.
The ingredients are there, pressure to improve productivity, growing AI capability, and mature cloud platforms. The missing piece is usually implementation craftsmanship.
Dynavics and the connected “ecosphere”
We are a key Microsoft Partner, focused on designing, implementing, and supporting Business Central for SMEs, including consultancy, support, and custom extensions.
With an expert team, global customers, and 100% client retention we understand how a partner builds value for customers: by assembling a connected ecosystem of tools around Business Central, so your business runs as one system rather than a patchwork of silos.
If you’re a UK business leader looking at agentive AI + Business Central, here’s the no-nonsense checklist:
Start with process ownership, not prompts
Agents amplify whatever you already have. If your order-to-cash process is inconsistent, an agent will scale that inconsistency. Define owners, KPIs, and exception rules first.
Build a single source of truth (then connect outward)
Business Central should be the system of record for transactions and master data. Then connect your “ecosphere”: BI, CRM, eCommerce, POS, warehouse, payroll, whatever your business needs.
Use bounded autonomy and approvals
Gartner’s warnings aren’t academic; uncontrolled agents can create real risk.
Design agents to recommend and prepare, and only execute within strict limits (thresholds, segregation of duties, approval workflows, logging).
Measure boring metrics
Time-to-close. Stockouts. Days sales outstanding. Order accuracy. Forecast error. If the agent doesn’t move a measurable needle, cut it.
Agentive AI is moving fast, and it will reshape how operational work gets done. But the organisations that win won’t be the ones chasing the most “autonomous” demo.
They’ll be the ones that:
- consolidate operations in a solid ERP backbone (like Business Central)
- connect the surrounding ecosystem cleanly
- add agents where they remove friction and reduce risk
- and work with specialists who know the product and the realities of UK business operations
Join us this Spring
If you have enjoyed this blog, and want to learn more about agentive AI, and how AI in general can generate revenue outcomes, then why not join us this Spring at our Future of AI event:
- Industry leaders talking about real AI wins
- Customers showcasing what they did to get ahead with AI
- Microsoft talking about AI, their focus, and what your focus should be
- Dynavics talking about how we can transform your business step-by-step
- Networking with like minded individuals in your industry
- Refreshments, lunch and more!..
Simply click to register your interest and we will keep you posted with further event details. FREE EXCLUSIVE AI EVENT
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