Copilot capability: CDM Requirements Bridge

What this capability does

The capability CDM Requirements Bridge powers two features of the app:

• the AI-guided Q&A dialog that refines a requirement (one assumption, one question and a completeness score per round), and
• the document generation that produces specification documents (requirements list, solution design, technical architecture, acceptance criteria, effort estimate, developer notes, release notes).

How it works

The capability uses large language models. Which AI service processes the requests is determined by the billing mode (AI Billing Mode) your administrator selects on the AI Requirements Bridge Setup page:

• Microsoft Billed (the default in cloud environments): requests run on Microsoft-managed Azure OpenAI resources ("Business Central AI resources"). Prompts and responses are processed according to Microsoft's terms for Azure OpenAI in Business Central; they are not used to train the underlying models.
• Custom Billed: requests run against an AI service you configure yourself on the AI Providers page — Azure OpenAI, OpenAI or Anthropic — under your own contract with that provider. That provider's data-protection terms, data location and model-training commitments apply, not Microsoft's — review them before you switch. In on-premises installations, Custom Billed is the only available mode.

The Copilot capability CDM Requirements Bridge must be active in both modes — it is the gate the AI dialog and the document generation pass through, no matter whose subscription pays for the call. The AI Provider Status field on the setup page states at any time which service will serve the next AI request. cdm-IT & Consulting Services GmbH does not operate its own AI infrastructure in either mode and has no access to the transmitted data. API keys for your own providers are stored encrypted in the app's isolated storage, are never displayed again after they are saved, and never appear in a document, a log entry or an error message.

Data sent to the AI service

For each request — regardless of the selected billing mode — only the data needed for that request is transmitted:

• requirement title, category and description,
• the previous questions and answers of the dialog,
• metadata of linked Business Central objects (for example object type, number and name) — never the contents of master records such as customer addresses or credit limits,
• the optional extra context maintained by your administrator in the app setup,
• for document generation: previously generated documents of the same requirement as context.

The app stores all requirements, dialog rounds and generated documents exclusively in your own Business Central environment.

Data movement across geographies

The AI model endpoints are operated by Microsoft in selected Azure regions. If your Business Central environment is hosted outside these regions, using the capability requires allowing data movement across geographies in Business Central. Your administrator controls this setting; details are described in Microsoft's documentation on Copilot data movement.

Billing

Billing follows the selected billing mode: with Microsoft Billed, AI consumption is charged to your organization through the Copilot billing set up in the Business Central admin center (Copilot credits or pay-as-you-go); your administrators can monitor consumption and set limits in the admin center. With Custom Billed, the AI provider you configured bills you directly. In both cases, AI consumption is not part of the app's subscription price; the token consumption of every generated document is displayed in Business Central.

Activating and deactivating

Administrators manage the capability on the Business Central page Copilot & agent capabilities. Deactivating CDM Requirements Bridge switches off the AI dialog and document generation for all users; all other app functions (capturing requirements, reading documents, history) remain available.

Responsible use

AI-generated content can be incomplete or incorrect. The app is designed so that a person stays in control: every assumption can be corrected, every score is visible, and generated documents should be reviewed before they are handed over to a development team. Effort estimates are non-binding working aids.

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