Examine the tools used to create agents
In this unit, you explore how the tools used to create agents in SharePoint and in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat differ within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. While the components of these agents are largely the same, each platform offers distinct tools for building them. By the end of this unit, you should clearly understand the similarities and differences between the two approaches.
- Copilot Chat. Microsoft Copilot Studio provides the platform for creating AI-powered agents, while Agent Builder delivers a no-code experience within that platform for everyday business users to create and customize agents for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat.
- SharePoint. You use a Copilot agent tool that's embedded into SharePoint to create SharePoint agents.
Let's examine each of these tools and compare their differences.
Agent Builder for Copilot Chat agents
Microsoft Copilot Studio is a unified platform that enables both developers and everyday business users to create and manage Copilot agents. Within Copilot Studio, Agent Builder provides a flexible, no-code environment for building AI-powered agents. It supports a range of users—from business professionals with no programming experience to technical developers who want to extend their agents with advanced capabilities.
Agent Builder uses a guided, form-based interface, from which users can easily create agents for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. When doing so, you specify the agent’s purpose, add relevant knowledge sources (such as SharePoint documents or websites), and configure tone and behavior. These agents are well-suited for answering questions, offering guidance, or surfacing organizational information directly within Microsoft 365 experiences such as Copilot Chat, Teams, and Outlook. This approach is ideal for nontechnical users who want to build helpful agents based on their domain knowledge.
In contrast, technical users and developers can take advantage of the full capabilities of Copilot Studio to create more advanced and integrated agents. Developers can extend agents through the Copilot Studio designer, which provides tools for managing custom Actions, data connections, and authentication flows. For example, they can query databases, create support tickets, or interact with enterprise systems through APIs and Microsoft Power Platform connectors. They can also implement authentication, manage multi-turn conversations, and incorporate conditional logic to build complex workflows. These features make Copilot Studio a powerful tool for IT professionals, software developers, and solution architects who want to build intelligent assistants that not only answer questions but also complete business processes and transactions.
Important
This training focuses on how everyday business users with no programming experience can use Agent Builder to create agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. Using Copilot Studio to create advanced agents is outside the scope of this training.
Key features of Agent Builder that are used by everyday business users to create agents in Copilot Chat include:
Versatility. Agent Builder allows for the creation of more versatile agents. They can be used not only in Copilot Chat, but also across various platforms, such as Microsoft Teams and other Microsoft 365 applications.
Capabilities. Agent Builder offers advanced capabilities such as connecting to SharePoint sites and documents as knowledge sources, and support for emerging features like code interpretation and image generation (available in limited previews).
Customization. Users can define the personality and capabilities of the agent, connect it to various knowledge bases, create actions using plugins, prompts, connectors, and design rule-based topics.
Deployment. Agents created with Agent Builder can be deployed across various channels and modalities, including custom websites, mobile apps, SMS, and more.
Copilot agent tool in SharePoint for SharePoint agents
Key features of the Copilot agent tool in SharePoint that's used by everyday business users with no programming experience to create SharePoint agents include:
Integration. Agents are integrated directly into SharePoint sites, allowing page viewers to access agents without needing to navigate away from the site.
Grounding. The agents are grounded in the content of the specific SharePoint content, such as sites, document libraries, and files. This design ensures the responses generated by the agent are relevant to the site's purpose.
Usage. Users can interact with these agents within the SharePoint environment, and the agents can also be shared in Group Chats where participants can interact with the agent in the chat thread.
Configuration. The tool provides a straightforward interface for creating and configuring agents, focusing on the specific needs and content of the SharePoint site.
Note
SharePoint agents inherit access permissions from the SharePoint site, ensuring responses are based only on content users are authorized to view.
Key differences between the two tools
The following table identifies the key differences between the Copilot tool that's used to create agents in SharePoint and Agent Builder that's used to create agents in Copilot Chat.
| Features | Copilot agent tool in SharePoint | Agent Builder for Copilot Chat agents |
|---|---|---|
| Scope and integration | When you create an agent using the Copilot agent tool in SharePoint, the agent is integrated directly into the SharePoint site. For instance, if you have a SharePoint site that's dedicated to project management, you can create an agent that helps users navigate project documents, answer questions about project timelines, and provide updates that are based on the content within that specific SharePoint site. |
Provides a broader scope, allowing agents to be used across multiple platforms and integrated with various knowledge sources and capabilities. For example, you can build an agent that integrates with both Teams and Outlook, providing users with the ability to schedule meetings, send emails, and retrieve information from various sources like SharePoint, OneDrive, and external databases. |
| Capabilities and customization | Offers a simpler, more focused interface for creating agents relevant to SharePoint content. For example, you can create an agent that helps users find specific documents within a SharePoint library, answer FAQs based on the content of those documents, and provide navigation assistance within the SharePoint site. |
Offers advanced customization options, including defining agent personality, connecting to multiple knowledge bases, and creating complex actions and rule-based topics. For instance, you can create an agent with a code interpreter capability that can analyze data, generate visualizations, and solve complex math problems. Additionally, you can enable an image generator capability that allows users to create images from prompts. |
| Deployment and governance | Agents are deployed within SharePoint and can be shared in Group Chats. For example, you can create an agent for a SharePoint site that helps users with document management and collaboration. This agent can be shared in Group Chats, where participants can interact with the agent directly in the chat thread. |
Agents can be deployed across Microsoft 365 experiences such as Copilot Chat, Teams, and Outlook, plus external channels like custom websites or mobile apps. These agents are governed by Microsoft 365 controls, ensuring secure and compliant deployment across environments. |
In the following training units, you explore how to create agents in Copilot Chat and SharePoint using their respective tools.
Note
We recognize that different people like to learn in different ways. You can choose to complete this module in video-based format or you can read the content as text and images. The text contains greater detail than the videos, so in some cases you might want to refer to it as supplemental material to the video presentation.