Setting the Standard for AL Development

As Business Central developers, we’re seeing a shift in how we build and maintain solutions. With tools like Copilot and AI agents becoming part of our daily workflows, the way we write code matters more than ever. But for these tools to work effectively, they need structure, consistency, and clarity.

That’s exactly what the AL Guidelines project is all about.

What Are AL Guidelines?

The AL Guidelines are a community-driven initiative, supported by Microsoft, that defines best practices for AL development. This includes naming conventions, design patterns, and architectural principles that help developers write clean, maintainable, and scalable code.

You can explore the guidelines at alguidelines.dev and contribute to the project on GitHub: github.com/microsoft/alguidelines

Why This Matters for AI Tools Like Copilot

AI tools are only as good as the context they’re given. If our code is inconsistent or poorly documented, Copilot can’t provide meaningful suggestions or reviews. But when we follow shared standards, AI can:

  • Understand our codebase more accurately
  • Offer relevant improvements
  • Generate better AL code
  • Review pull requests with context-aware feedback

In short, guidelines make AI smarter—and more useful.

Building a Foundation for AI Collaboration

This isn’t just about making our code look nice. It’s about enabling a future where AI can truly collaborate with us. With proper guidelines in place, we can:

  • Automate documentation and testing
  • Improve onboarding for new developers
  • Scale development across teams and partners
  • Create a more predictable and reliable development experience

Without these foundations, AI tools are limited. With them, they become powerful allies.

How You Can Get Involved

The AL Guidelines project is open to everyone. Whether you’re a developer, architect, or partner, your input is valuable. You can:

  • Review and apply the current guidelines
  • Suggest improvements based on real-world experience
  • Share examples and use cases
  • Contribute directly via GitHub

Join the project here: github.com/microsoft/alguidelines

Let’s Move Forward Together

If we want to build smarter tools and better solutions, we need to start with strong foundations. The AL Guidelines are a step in that direction. By contributing, you’re helping shape the future of AL development—and making it easier for everyone to work with AI.

Let’s make our code easier to understand, easier to maintain, and easier for AI to support.

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