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DigiKey build-along workshop

Build Copilot Studio Lite agents for promotion knowledge

A hands-on lab where participants create two agents: a simple promotion file assistant that answers grounded questions, then a more customized launch advisor that uses instructions, websites, suggested prompts, and knowledge-source controls.

Audience: Business, sales, support, operations Tool: Microsoft 365 Copilot agent builder Level: Beginner to intermediate Outcome: Two working lightweight agents

Overview

This lab is designed for a live "build along" session. Learners start with a practical DigiKey scenario: a promotion file exists, teams need fast answers, and the first version of the agent must stay grounded in the file instead of inventing details.

Build

Agent 1: Promotion File Finder

A simple retrieval agent that answers questions from an uploaded file or a SharePoint/OneDrive source.

Customize

Agent 2: Launch Advisor

A more guided assistant with role instructions, suggested prompts, websites, and safer knowledge boundaries.

Practice

Participant-owned use case

Learners adapt the same pattern to their own customer, supplier, product, or internal knowledge problem.

Learning objectives

  • Describe when a lightweight Copilot Studio agent is useful.
  • Create an agent from a problem description, then refine it in Configure.
  • Add files, SharePoint or OneDrive content, websites, and suggested prompts.
  • Write instructions that set scope, tone, boundaries, and escalation behavior.
  • Test whether the agent is grounded, useful, and safe for business use.
Verification ruleAgents can help find and summarize knowledge, but learners must verify pricing, inventory, lead time, compliance, customer commitments, and supplier-specific terms in official systems before using the answer externally.

Setup and files

Sample knowledge file: DigiKey-Promotion-Knowledge-Sample.txt

Use this fictional promotion file for the basic agent. Learners can upload it directly to the agent or place it in OneDrive/SharePoint first.

Prerequisites

  • Microsoft 365 Copilot access with the agent creation experience available.
  • Permission to create a lightweight agent in the tenant.
  • A browser session signed into the correct Microsoft 365 account.
  • Optional: a SharePoint site or OneDrive folder where the sample file can be stored.

Ground rules for the session

  1. Build the first agent exactly as written so everyone gets a working baseline.
  2. Customize the second agent to match a real DigiKey work pattern.
  3. Keep test prompts realistic: ask for customer-ready explanations, internal summaries, and source-aware answers.
  4. Do not publish broadly during the lab unless your tenant owner has approved it.

The business story

A supplier promotion is about to launch. The promotion details are stored in a file, but sales, support, operations, and marketing teams ask the same questions repeatedly: who is eligible, what categories are included, what should be verified, and how should the offer be explained to a customer.

1. FrameUse Copilot to convert a messy business need into an agent description.
2. BuildCreate a basic retrieval agent and connect the promotion file.
3. CustomizeAdd role instructions, websites, suggested prompts, and boundaries.
4. ValidateTest grounded answers and decide what should be shared or refined.

Agent 1: Basic Promotion File Finder

Goal: create a simple agent that answers questions from one promotion knowledge file.

The story: A team member needs quick answers about a supplier promotion before a customer conversation. The promotion file has the right information, but nobody wants to search through the document during a live call.
1A

Start with the problem description

Goal: Let Copilot guide the agent designDifficulty: Easy v

Before creating the agent, have learners ask Copilot to turn the business problem into a clear agent description. This helps beginners avoid starting with a blank instruction box.

Prompt to use in Copilot Chat
I want to build a lightweight Microsoft 365 Copilot agent for a DigiKey workshop. The agent should answer questions from a supplier promotion file. The users are sales, support, operations, and marketing team members who need quick internal answers about promotion eligibility, customer messaging, categories, and what to verify before sharing anything externally. Help me define: 1. A concise agent name. 2. A one-paragraph agent description. 3. The first version of the agent instructions. 4. Five test questions I should ask the agent after I add the promotion file. Keep the agent grounded in the uploaded file and tell it not to invent pricing, inventory, lead time, compliance, or supplier commitments.
Expected outcomeLearners should get a usable first draft for the agent name, description, instructions, and test prompts. They can paste the output into the agent creation flow.
1B

Create the basic agent

Goal: Build the first working versionTool: Copilot Studio Lite v
  1. Open Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat.
  2. Open the agent creation experience, often labeled Create agent.
  3. Start in the Describe experience and paste a short description.
  4. Review the generated agent profile, then move to Configure.
Agent description
Create an internal DigiKey promotion assistant that helps team members answer questions from a supplier promotion file. The agent should summarize promotion details, explain eligible categories, suggest customer discovery questions, and clearly say what must be verified in official systems. It should not invent pricing, inventory, lead time, compliance status, supplier commitments, or eligibility rules.
Facilitator cuePoint out that the Describe tab is useful for first-time builders, but Configure is where they learn how to make the agent reliable.
1C

Add the promotion file as knowledge

Goal: Ground the agentSource: File, OneDrive, or SharePoint v

In the Knowledge section, add DigiKey-Promotion-Knowledge-Sample.txt. Choose one path depending on the environment.

Knowledge optionWhen to use itTeaching point
Upload directlyFastest build-along optionGreat for a workshop, but source lifecycle is less visible.
OneDrivePersonal working filesGood for prototypes or individual productivity agents.
SharePointTeam-owned promotion filesBest for shared knowledge with permissions and ownership.
Recommended for the sessionIf time is tight, upload the file directly. If the customer wants governance discussion, place the file in SharePoint and explain how permissions matter.
1D

Test and refine the basic agent

Goal: Confirm grounded answersOutput: Working prototype v
Test prompt 1
Summarize the promotion in five bullet points for an internal DigiKey team member. Include the promotion window, target audience, eligible categories, and what must be verified before sharing externally.
Test prompt 2
A design engineer is evaluating wireless modules for a connected industrial sensor. Based only on your promotion knowledge, explain how this promotion might be relevant and list the follow-up questions I should ask.
Test prompt 3
What should you avoid claiming if a user asks for price, stock, lead time, or compliance status?
Self-checkThe answer should cite or reflect only the promotion file. It should not create part numbers, exact pricing, stock status, or supplier commitments that are not in the file.

Agent 2: Customized Promotion Launch Advisor

Goal: turn the basic retrieval agent into a more useful assistant with a stronger role, richer knowledge, guided prompts, and clear boundaries.

The story: The first agent can answer questions, but the team wants something more practical: an assistant that helps different teams prepare customer messaging, discovery questions, internal summaries, and verification checklists.
2A

Create stronger instructions

Goal: Define behavior and boundariesDifficulty: Medium v

Use Copilot to generate instructions, then paste the refined version into the agent. This models a repeatable technique participants can use for their own agents.

Prompt to generate instructions
Act as an expert Microsoft 365 Copilot agent designer. Write detailed instructions for a DigiKey internal "Promotion Launch Advisor" agent. The agent helps sales, support, operations, and marketing users understand a supplier promotion from connected knowledge sources. It should: - Ask clarifying questions when product category, supplier, customer segment, or region is missing. - Answer concisely first, then offer a table or checklist. - Use only connected knowledge sources for promotion terms. - Explain what must be verified in official DigiKey systems. - Help users draft internal summaries, customer discovery questions, and safe customer-facing talking points. - Avoid inventing part numbers, pricing, inventory, lead time, compliance status, discount terms, supplier commitments, or eligibility rules. Return the instructions in a format I can paste directly into the agent.
Paste-ready instruction starter
You are the DigiKey Promotion Launch Advisor, an internal assistant that helps team members understand and activate supplier promotion knowledge. Your responsibilities: 1. Answer questions using only the connected knowledge sources. 2. Ask for missing context when the user does not provide product category, supplier, region, customer segment, or intended audience. 3. Provide concise answers first. Offer a table, checklist, or draft message when useful. 4. Help users create internal summaries, customer discovery questions, safe customer-facing talking points, and verification checklists. 5. Clearly identify anything that must be verified in official DigiKey systems, including pricing, inventory, lead time, compliance status, final eligibility, supplier commitments, and customer-specific terms. Boundaries: - Do not invent part numbers, prices, stock status, lead times, compliance claims, discount terms, promotion dates, supplier commitments, or eligibility rules. - If the knowledge source does not contain the answer, say what is missing and suggest where the user should verify it. - Keep external customer-facing wording factual, cautious, and source-grounded.
2B

Add websites as reference knowledge

Goal: Practice website knowledgeConcept: Scope control v

Have learners add a public website or internal site appropriate to their environment. For a safe workshop pattern, use a public DigiKey page only as general reference and keep promotion terms grounded in the file.

Website practiceExampleBoundary
General company contextDigiKey public websiteUse for general wording only, not promotion terms.
Supplier or product learningSupplier landing page, if approvedVerify official claims before customer use.
Internal playbookSharePoint pageRespect permissions and content ownership.
Website-aware test prompt
Use the promotion file as the source of truth for promotion terms. If website knowledge is available, use it only for general context. Draft a short internal explanation of why this promotion may matter to engineers working on embedded designs.
Teaching pointWebsites can broaden context, but they can also dilute grounding. Ask learners how they would decide whether "Search all websites" should be on or off for this agent.
2C

Add suggested prompts

Goal: Guide user behaviorOutput: Prompt menu v

Suggested prompts teach users what the agent is good at. Add prompts that represent real tasks, not generic questions.

TitleSuggested prompt message
Promotion SummarySummarize this promotion for an internal DigiKey team member and list what must be verified before customer use.
Customer DiscoveryGive me five discovery questions for a customer evaluating embedded design components under this promotion.
Safe Talking PointsDraft cautious customer-facing talking points based only on the promotion knowledge source.
Verification ChecklistCreate a checklist of systems or facts I should verify before sending a customer response.
Audience RewriteRewrite the promotion summary for a design engineer, a procurement specialist, and a product manager.
Prompt to create more suggestions
Create eight suggested prompts for a DigiKey internal Promotion Launch Advisor agent. The prompts should help users summarize a supplier promotion, prepare customer discovery questions, draft safe talking points, compare eligible product categories, and build a verification checklist. Keep each prompt specific and action-oriented.
2D

Explore knowledge controls and capabilities

Goal: Understand settingsOutput: Safer configuration v

Use the Configure tab to discuss how settings change behavior. Participants should practice toggling options and retesting the same prompt.

Setting or capabilityWhat to tryQuestion to ask
Only use specified sourcesTurn on for source-grounded promotion answers.Does the answer stay closer to the file?
Search all websitesCompare on vs. off.Does it help context or introduce unsupported claims?
Reference org chart/profile infoDiscuss whether the use case needs people context.Is this relevant or unnecessary for the agent?
Create documents, charts, and codeTurn on only if learners need generated artifacts.Should this agent answer, create, or both?
Create imagesDiscuss marketing use cases separately.Does this belong in the promotion knowledge agent?
Retest after changing settings
Based only on your available knowledge sources, answer this: What are the eligible product categories, and what information should I verify before sharing this promotion with a customer?
Self-checkIf turning on broader knowledge changes the answer materially, ask whether that broader answer is helpful or risky for this use case.

Capstone: prove the second agent is useful

Finish by asking the customized agent to produce a practical deliverable that a team member could review and improve.

Capstone prompt
I am preparing for a customer conversation with a design engineer who is evaluating components for a connected industrial sensor. Use the promotion knowledge source to create: 1. A concise internal summary of the promotion. 2. Five discovery questions I should ask. 3. Three cautious customer-facing talking points. 4. A verification checklist for price, inventory, lead time, compliance, eligibility, and supplier commitments. 5. A note explaining anything you could not confirm from the connected sources.
Success criteriaThe answer should be useful, source-grounded, cautious, and formatted for action. The agent should explicitly separate known promotion details from items that require official verification.

Facilitator notes

Why two agents?

The basic agent gives everyone a quick success and proves the retrieval pattern. The customized agent teaches the real design skills: instructions, source control, user guidance, and test discipline.

Suggested debrief questions

  • Which answers were clearly grounded in the file?
  • Which settings made the agent more useful or more risky?
  • What knowledge should live in SharePoint instead of direct upload?
  • What would make this agent production-ready?
Production readinessBefore a real deployment, confirm ownership of knowledge sources, refresh cadence, permissions, sharing scope, testing expectations, and who handles incorrect or outdated answers.