Excel-first finance workflows + variance analysis + reconciliation + collections + controllership. Dynamics 365 Finance native integration.
Last updated by Errin O'Connor, Founder & Chief AI Architect, EPC Group
Microsoft Copilot for Finance: variance analysis + account reconciliation + collections + data structuring + financial reporting + ERP connection. Native Dynamics 365 Finance ($180/user/mo Finance Premium, Microsoft list price) integration. Also connects to SAP, NetSuite, Business Central, custom ERP via connectors + Copilot Studio agents. Licensing: $30/user/month (integrated with M365 Copilot). 6 use cases: month-end close (30-50% faster), AR/collections, AP, budgeting, financial reporting, audit prep. Productivity gains: 8-15 hrs/week/analyst. SOX + audit compliance: Copilot activity logged to Purview + integrated with existing controls. EPC Group tiers: Readiness, Enablement, D365 Integration, Full Rollout and a monthly Retainer — each a fixed fee quoted after a scoping call.
Microsoft Copilot for Finance is a role-specific Copilot extension for finance professionals, primarily working in Excel. Six capabilities: (1) Variance analysis — Copilot analyzes actual-vs-budget + prior period + trend + root cause. (2) Account reconciliation — matches transactions, identifies discrepancies, drafts reconciliation notes. (3) Collections — customer aging analysis + collection email drafting + payment plan proposals. (4) Data structuring — cleanup + transformation of unstructured data. (5) Financial reporting — draft narratives, MD&A commentary, variance explanations. (6) ERP connection — pull data from Dynamics 365 Finance, SAP, NetSuite, Business Central, custom ERP. Licensing: $30/user/month (integrated with M365 Copilot license).
Six proven finance use cases: (1) Month-end close acceleration — reduce close time by 30-50% via automated variance analysis + reconciliation. (2) Accounts receivable + collections — customer aging analysis + payment history + collection email drafting. (3) Accounts payable — invoice matching + PO comparison + exception routing. (4) Budgeting + forecasting — variance narrative drafting + scenario analysis. (5) Financial reporting — MD&A drafting + variance explanations + board reports. (6) Audit preparation — evidence organization + walkthrough documentation. Finance team productivity gains: 8-15 hrs/week/analyst reclaimed for higher-value analysis vs data manipulation.
Native integration with Dynamics 365 Finance ($180/user/month Finance Premium): (1) Copilot for Finance accesses D365 Finance data directly for variance analysis + reconciliation + collections. (2) Copilot in D365 Finance app itself — Financial insights, AR/AP assistance, chart of accounts management, budget planning. (3) Copilot Studio agents built on D365 Finance data for custom finance workflows. (4) Fabric integration — finance data flows to OneLake for cross-workload analytics. Enterprise finance deployments typically combine: D365 Finance + Copilot for Finance + Copilot for M365 across the finance function.
Copilot for Finance compliance considerations: (1) Copilot activity logged to Purview audit trail — accessible for SOX + external auditor review. (2) Change management — Copilot use in journal entries + reconciliation must follow existing controls (approval workflows, segregation of duties). (3) Copilot cannot bypass controls — human review + approval required for consequential transactions. (4) Auditor visibility — external auditors can review Copilot use during audit. (5) Documentation — Copilot use should be documented in company's AI use policy + SOX narratives. (6) Testing — SOX testing should include Copilot-supported controls to validate control effectiveness.
Copilot for Finance integrates with non-Microsoft ERPs via connectors: (1) SAP — connectors for SAP S/4HANA + SAP Business One with specific finance data access. Not all SAP finance workflows supported natively; Copilot Studio agents can extend. (2) NetSuite — Oracle NetSuite connector for finance data + AR/AP + GL analysis. (3) Custom ERP — via Copilot Studio agent + custom API connector. Deep integration limited compared to native Dynamics 365 Finance; still valuable for extraction + analysis + reporting workflows. Enterprise finance teams with SAP + NetSuite: Copilot for Finance for Excel-based analysis + Copilot Studio for ERP-specific workflows.
Six frameworks finance Copilot must respect: (1) SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley) — internal controls over financial reporting. (2) GAAP + IFRS — accounting standards. (3) AICPA + PCAOB — auditor standards. (4) SEC + FINRA — public company + broker-dealer reporting. (5) State + local tax compliance. (6) Industry-specific — GAAP for healthcare (hospital cost reports), FINRA for broker-dealers, insurance-specific accounting. Copilot must be integrated with existing controls; cannot replace human judgment on consequential accounting decisions. EPC Group Copilot for Finance engagements include SOX + audit compliance framework mapping.
EPC Group Copilot for Finance portfolio: (1) Finance Team Readiness Assessment (fixed fee, 3 weeks) — finance process + ERP + control inventory + pilot design. (2) Copilot for Finance + Excel Enablement (fixed fee, 6 weeks) — deployment + template libraries + training. (3) Dynamics 365 Finance + Copilot Integration (fixed fee, 8 weeks) — native D365 Finance setup + Copilot Studio extensions + custom tuning. (4) Full Finance Function Rollout (16-24 weeks, fixed fee quoted after discovery) — Copilot for Finance + change management + SOX documentation + KPI dashboard. (5) Ongoing Finance AI Retainer (monthly retainer quoted after discovery) — quarterly reviews + expansion. All led by senior Copilot Finance architect + accounting specialist.
3-week fixed fee: finance process + ERP + control inventory + pilot design. Call (888) 381-9725.
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