Building AI Agents That Actually Know Stuff
- aferencz21
- Jul 25
- 3 min read
Let’s face it, most AI agents are like interns on their first day: eager to help, but not quite sure where the files are. That’s where Microsoft Copilot Studio comes in. It’s a low-code, graphical platform that lets you build custom AI agents that understand natural language, answer questions, and automate tasks. Think of it as giving your intern a crash course in everything your company knows.
But wait, what if your agent could tap into your enterprise data like a seasoned analyst? Enter the Fabric data agent, your AI’s new best friend.
🤝 Copilot + Fabric = Smarter Agents, Less Guesswork
By connecting a Fabric data agent to your custom AI agent in Copilot Studio, you unlock agent-to-agent collaboration. It’s like pairing Sherlock Holmes with Watson, except Watson has access to your lakehouse, warehouse, Power BI semantic models, and KQL databases.
This setup grounds your AI agent’s responses in real organizational knowledge, so it stops hallucinating answers like “The CFO is a mythical creature who lives in the cloud.”
⚠️ Heads-up: This feature is in preview. So, like any beta feature, it’s powerful but may occasionally act like it’s had too much coffee.
Before You Start: The Nerdy Checklist
Make sure you’ve got:
A paid F2 or higher Fabric capacity (no free lunch here)
Tenant settings enabled for Fabric data agents and Copilot
Cross-geo processing and storing for AI turned on (because your data doesn’t believe in borders)
At least one data source: warehouse, lakehouse, Power BI semantic model, or KQL database
XMLA endpoints enabled for Power BI semantic models
Microsoft 365 Copilot license and user licenses for your agent builders
How to Connect a Fabric Data Agent (Without Breaking Anything)
1. Open Copilot Studio
Pick your environment. It’s like choosing your Hogwarts house, but with fewer robes.
2. Create or Select Your Custom AI Agent
Click Create > + New agent
Give it a Name and Description. Bonus points for creativity, “Data Whisperer” sounds cooler than “SalesBot.”
3. Add Knowledge, Tools, and Connections
Add knowledge sources like SharePoint, websites, or files
Add tools for automation
Add connected agents for teamwork. Because even AI needs friends
4. Add a Fabric Data Agent
Go to Agents and click + Add
Choose Microsoft Fabric
If no connection exists, click Create new connection
Make sure both services are in the same tenant and signed in with the same account. Otherwise, your agent might ghost the data
5. Select and Add Your Data Agent
Pick your Fabric data agent from the list
Update the description if you like
Click Add agent
6. Choose Authentication Style
User authentication uses the end user’s identity
Agent author authentication uses the creator’s identity
Choose wisely, this is your agent’s passport to the data world
Test, Tune, and Talk to Your Agent
Use the test chat pane to ask questions
Add topics and trigger phrases to guide responses
Click Publish and choose your channel (Teams, websites, etc.)
⚠️ Note: Connected Fabric data agents aren’t supported in Microsoft 365 Copilot yet. So don’t expect your agent to show up in Word and start quoting your lakehouse
Deploy to Microsoft Teams
Select Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot from Channels
Click Add channel and then See agent in Teams
Microsoft Teams will launch, and voilà, your agent is ready to chat like it’s been working there for years
Connecting Fabric data agents to Copilot Studio agents unlocks a new level of intelligence and collaboration. It enables your AI agents to deliver smarter, more accurate responses by grounding them in real enterprise data. With secure access to organizational knowledge, your agents can move beyond generic answers and provide insights that are actually useful. Plus, the ability to collaborate with other agents means they can work together seamlessly, like a well-oiled digital dream team. In short, you’re not just building a chatbot—you’re building an AI agent that walks the data walk.
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