Some or all of this functionality is available as part of a preview release. The content and the functionality are subject to change.
The April 2024 release of Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability includes the following updates. Check back throughout the month for new updates and links to documentation as it becomes available.
Updates start releasing at the first of the month with a staggered rollout to different countries/regions. Some updates aren't available until later in the month. Occasionally, we might have to delay an update to a future release.
This table is updated with documentation links as it becomes available.
Load the carbon emissions factors from Agence de la transition écologique (ADEME). ADEME offers a wide range of emission factors to support the measurement and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in France. These emission factors are used to estimate greenhouse gas emissions associated with various activities, such as energy consumption and transportation.
Calculations
Upgrades don't overwrite Standard unit groups and don't bring back deleted calculation models, calculation profiles, and factor libraries.
Improvements in data import error messaging proactively inform you about possible errors before import. They also provide specific actions you can take to resolve errors before they occur, helping to streamline the data ingestion process. You can download or view a source data file to debug ingestion errors. You can fix or create new records when you reimport data after making corrections.
You can use OriginCorrelationID to determine record uniqueness for activity and reference data. If a record has a matching OriginCorrelationID, the record is updated. If it doesn't match, the record is inserted.
Dates and numbers
You can view dates and numbers based on your user locale settings, which follow Power Apps personalization settings.
Use Copilot in Microsoft Sustainability Manager to ask questions on and compare complex ESG documents. Available in Sustainability Manager Premium only.
The environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data model is extended with energy tables and with biogenic emissions and supports reporting standards-related tables.
By default, insights are sorted from highest to lowest significance. You receive an in-app notification when the Intelligent insights model starts running on your chosen date. Trial environments are limited to two runs in a 30-day period.
Meter entity
A new Meter entity lets you associate activities with meters. This feature includes updates to the user interface and reports.
One date across carbon categories
To streamline reporting and analysis in Sustainability Manager, a new field establishes a common date across carbon categories. This field derives from existing transaction, consumption start, and consumption end dates. It allows querying and alignment for Power BI reporting, preparation reports, scorecards, goals, and other components. This standardized date field enhances data consistency and allows more efficient analysis across all relevant categories within the system.
You can generate preparation reports for water and waste using natural language with Copilot in Sustainability Manager. Available in Sustainability Manager Premium only.
Estimate the waste generated in your facilities when measured data is unavailable. You can base the estimation on facility usage-based intensity factors. You can use the estimated waste data for regulatory disclosures and for tracking sustainability goals such as achieving zero waste. Available in Sustainability Manager Premium only.
What-if analysis uses a custom AI model to forecast the emissions impact over time of making business practice changes within your organization. You can build scenarios and view the associated output within the Analytics area of Sustainability Manager. This feature helps inform decision making for sustainability managers, procurement officers, facility managers, and others who want to use smart sustainability data to drive reductions in their sustainability impact.
Fixes
This section lists fixes included in April releases of Sustainability Manager.
Release
Problem description
Resolution
2.18.x.x
Since the February 2024 release, due to a data misclassification, activity data for scope 3 category 13: Downstream leased assets are underreporting carbon activities in activity-based preparation reports and goal check-ins for fugitive emissions, purchased cooling, and mobile combustion. Specifically, these category 13 activity data types weren't included in:
- Connect-to-data goals where the data source is one of these types of activity data
- Preparation reports where you were reporting on these categories of activity data
This release properly classifies the data. Goal check-ins and prep reports include this data, so you might see increases in the report values.
Training, videos, and documentation
This section lists new and updated documentation, training, and videos in April 2024.
Provides a foundational understanding of Sustainability data solutions in Microsoft Fabric (preview) and its core components. Learn how to use Sustainability data solutions in Fabric (preview) to meet key environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges.
New article that provides answers to frequently asked questions about the AI technology used in Document analysis with Copilot (preview). It includes key considerations and details about how the AI is used, how it was tested and evaluated, and any specific limitations.
Learn about Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability, which helps organizations build more enduring IT infrastructures by identifying opportunities to replace tools, systems, and activities with more efficient options.
Demonstrate the use of Microsoft Power Platform solutions to simplify, automate, and empower business processes for organizations in the role of a Functional Consultant.