.NET Blog Explores Generative AI Foundations for .NET and C# Developers

Microsoft has published a new .NET Blog post introducing key generative AI and large language model concepts for C# developers as part of its 2026 .NET ecosystem guidance. The article offers a concise refresher on what AI and generative AI are, and how these technologies can be leveraged to create intelligent, responsive applications in .NET.

Here’s what you need to know:

• What is Generative AI?

  Generative AI refers to systems that can create text, images, audio, code, and more. These systems are powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) trained on billions of tokens to generate intelligent, contextual outputs.

• Tokens and parameters

  Models don’t read text directly—they break it into tokens such as words, fragments, or characters. Parameters are the trained weights that influence a model’s reasoning depth, knowledge, and nuance.

• Prompts, instructions, and tools

  Prompts are what users send to the model, while system instructions act as a hidden blueprint guiding its behavior. Tools (or functions) allow the model to access real-world data and services like APIs, databases, or business systems.

• Model Context Protocol (MCP) and agents

  MCP provides standards that let models understand which tools are available and how to use them. Agents combine a model, tools, and context into a specialized, goal-driven AI solution.

• Model management in the .NET ecosystem

  The .NET ecosystem enables secure, trusted, and cost-effective AI using platforms like GitHub Models, Microsoft Foundry, Foundry Local, and Ollama. These tools help developers choose, host, and run models for both enterprise and local workloads.

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Visual Studio Live! 2026 Promises Hands-On, Deep Technical Training for Modern Devs

At the start of 2026, Microsoft is doubling down on experiential developer education with the launch of VS Live!, a series of immersive events that go beyond standard conference talks. Promising practical, scenario-based learning and direct expert engagements, the initiative aims to equip developers with skills for the evolving Visual Studio and modern development tooling.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Must-watch VS Live playlists

  Over the holidays, the Visual Studio team curated 19 standout VS Live sessions, covering everything from Visual Studio 2026 and C# Source Generators to next-level debugging with GitHub Copilot and advanced .NET techniques.

• What makes VS Live different

  VS Live is built for hands-on learning. You code as you learn, solve real-world problems, and engage directly with experts shaping Visual Studio, .NET, and Azure.

• Choose your immersion in 2026

  Join one of two immersive VS Live events this year: Las Vegas from March 16–20, 2026, or VS Live at Microsoft HQ from July 27–31, 2026.

• Why join VS Live

  Get access to registration discounts (subscriber or not) and connect with the people behind Visual Studio, .NET, Azure, and GitHub Copilot—along with a global developer community.

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Beat Procrastination and Start Building with Copilot in Visual Studio

Got projects you’ve been putting off for months—or even years? A new post from the Visual Studio team explores how AI-powered tools like Copilot can help developers break through procrastination and get back into building mode. Now’s the perfect time to get moving—with Copilot in Visual Studio by your side.

Here are three smart ways to jump-start your next project:

• Build a static website—fast

  Turn documents (like books or guides) into websites. Export your .docx to .txt, open an empty folder in Visual Studio, prompt Copilot with your desired layout and style, and watch it generate a site in seconds.

• Extend a TOON language service

  Use Copilot to make your TOON language service fault-tolerant, improve parsing, and auto-generate unit tests based on specifications. Just click the Cloud Agent, describe your goal, and let Visual Studio plan the rest.

• Create custom color themes

  Provide screenshots and ask Copilot to extract color tokens for the shell, environment, and syntax highlighting—then map them directly to the VS XML theme file.

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Power BI Expands Excel Drillthrough Support to Direct Lake and DirectQuery Models

Microsoft has removed the long-standing limitation that prevented Excel users from drilling into underlying data when connected to Direct Lake and DirectQuery Power BI semantic models. With the update, Excel’s Show Details feature now works consistently across Import, Direct Lake, and DirectQuery connections, enabling deeper data inspection directly from PivotTables without switching modes.

Here’s what’s new:

• What’s new

  Power BI now enables drillthrough for Direct Lake and DirectQuery models, allowing you to double-click a PivotTable cell and view the underlying detail rows—even when connected live. No need to switch to Import mode for deeper analysis in Excel.

• How it works

  Connect to your semantic model as usual using Analyze in Excel. Make sure you’re using explicit measures or fields that support detail rows, then double-click a leaf-level PivotTable cell to explore the data.

• Performance considerations

  Drillthrough performance depends on the source system and query complexity—especially for DirectQuery models connected to external data sources.

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Visual Studio 2026 Introduces AI-Driven Debugging Tools with Copilot Assistance

Visual Studio 2026 is bringing Copilot deeper into its debugging experience, with AI-driven exception analysis, smarter breakpoint handling, and inline insights that help developers understand code behavior in real time. These enhancements are designed to accelerate troubleshooting and reduce repetitive tasks during development.

Here’s what’s new:

• Exception Assistance

  Visual Studio analyzes your entire repository—not just the file you’re in. It reviews past bugs, pull requests, and previous fixes to detect similar issues, highlight affected code paths, and pinpoint where unexpected values may have been introduced.

• Inline in Editor

  No more hunting for errors one by one. Debugging insights appear directly in the editor, clearly showing which part failed and how it impacted the final result.

• Debug with Copilot

  When a test fails, the Debugger Agent reviews the test, its code, and recent changes. It proposes a fix, runs the test, refines the solution, and delivers a clear summary of what changed—and why.

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Power BI Marks a Decade of Innovation in 2025 Holiday Recap

In its 2025 holiday recap, Microsoft Power BI celebrates a decade of innovation, highlighting major product advancements and global community events that defined the year. The Power BI 2025 year-end review underscores landmark moments—from its 10-year anniversary to breakthrough features empowering users to turn data into action faster than ever. Microsoft Power BI closes out 2025 with a celebration of ten years of impact, spotlighting community contests, anniversary initiatives, and powerful new capabilities.

Here are the highlights:

• Leveling Up the Power BI Community

  Power BI launched a two-month learning bonanza with discounted certification vouchers, a nostalgic startup experience in Power BI Desktop, and the Power BI Data Viz Championships — a global competition celebrating data storytelling by the community.

• Build Once, Model Anywhere

  Users can now create and edit semantic models directly in the Power BI service, achieving true parity with Power BI Desktop. This enables end-to-end development in the browser and empowers more users, including those on macOS.

• From Insight to Action—Inside the Report

  With translytical task flows, users can now take action directly from reports—writing data back to source systems and turning insights into outcomes without leaving the experience.

• Ask Questions. Get Answers. Instantly.

  Power BI introduced a full-screen “Chat with your data” experience, allowing users to ask natural-language questions and receive instant, secure answers from their reports, datasets, and apps.

• Your Files, Now Analytics-Ready

  OneDrive and SharePoint shortcuts in OneLake (Preview) make it easy to analyze familiar files—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDFs —alongside structured data, creating a single source of business context without duplication.

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Microsoft Pulls Back the Curtain on Visual Studio’s Feedback Engine

Microsoft has published a detailed behind-the-scenes look at how the Visual Studio feedback system works, explaining how bug reports and feature requests from the Developer Community become actionable engineering tickets. The post highlights how community engagement — including votes and comments — influences prioritization and resolution timelines, ensuring developer voices help shape the future of the IDE.

Here’s how it works:

• How it starts

  Every bug report or feature request submitted via the Developer Community becomes a tracked ticket. It’s mirrored in Microsoft’s internal Azure DevOps system and routed to the right product team.

• How your feedback is prioritized

  Community feedback is triaged alongside internal work. If an issue is impactful and aligns with product direction, it’s prioritized—no matter who submitted it.

• What makes feedback impactful

  Engagement matters. Votes, comments, severity, and overall community traction increase a ticket’s score, helping Microsoft identify what users care about most.

• Rollback scenarios

  If a new release disrupts your workflow, rollback-related feedback is treated as high priority to restore stability quickly.

• Tips for submitting effective feedback

  Speed up resolution with a clear title, detailed reproduction steps, screenshots or recordings, and—when possible—a minimal reproducible project.

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Power Apps Enhances Planning with Visual Process Maps Now Generally Available

Microsoft has announced the general availability of Process Maps in Power Apps, expanding how teams plan and design business solutions. The update allows makers and stakeholders to visually map workflows directly within Power Apps plans, helping align requirements earlier in the development process. This release reinforces Microsoft’s focus on improving clarity and collaboration before apps are built.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Why use Process Maps?

  Whether you’re building a new app or refining an existing one, process maps help teams align on steps, roles, and decision points early, reducing rework and misalignment.

• What’s new?

  Process Maps are now built into Plans, allowing you to visually design end-to-end workflows, collaborate with clearer user story mapping, and update processes using AI-assisted edits validated for consistency.

• Why it matters for business solutions

  Visualizing processes upfront helps teams identify bottlenecks, reduce miscommunication, and minimize delivery risks—leading to faster decisions, smoother implementations, and better outcomes.

• Business impact

  Organizations using process maps report faster project cycles, higher solution adoption, and stronger ROI.

• How to get started

  Open the Plan Designer in Power Apps, create or select a plan, navigate to Process Maps, and start visualizing your workflows.

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Power BI Streamlines Azure Data Factory-to-Fabric Migration with New Assessment Tool

Power BI has released a new assessment tool designed to help organizations evaluate their Azure Data Factory pipelines before migrating to Fabric Data Factory. The tool identifies which pipelines are migration-ready, which require updates, and which features aren’t yet supported—enabling Power BI users to plan their transition with greater clarity and confidence.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Why Perform a Migration Assessment?

  The assessment tool highlights pipelines and activities that are ready, need updates, or aren’t yet supported, helping you plan and track your migration with confidence.

• How to Run the Assessment

  Open your Azure Data Factory in the Azure Portal and select Run upgrade assessment (preview) from the authoring canvas toolbar to begin the evaluation.

• Reviewing the Results

  A side pane will display your pipelines and activities, allowing you to expand each item for status details and required remediation.

• Exporting the Assessment Summary

  Export the results as a CSV to view each pipeline’s migration status—Ready, Needs review, Coming soon, or Not compatible.

• What’s Next?

  Use the PowerShell upgrade tool for early migration, plan remediation for flagged items, and stay informed as Fabric Data Factory continues to expand feature support.

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Visual Studio 2026 Brings a Faster Git Experience

Visual Studio 2026 makes switching branches, stashing changes, committing, and managing pull requests far more seamless — all inside the IDE, without dropping into external tools. Even complex workflows like juggling bug-fixes and code reviews are now more fluid, thanks to performance optimizations and integrated tooling for Git.

Here’s what’s new and how it helps you work smarter:

• Create topic branches fast

  Right-click main in the Git Repository Window → New Local Branch From → name it fix/auth-race-1. You’re switched instantly, with the new 2026 Git status bar keeping you updated on branch and sync status at a glance.

• Stash changes and stay flexible

  Head to the Git Changes Window → select modified files → Stash All with a note like “WIP: Auth fix before demo.” Your working directory stays clean while you move between tasks.

• Pop stashes and review effortlessly

  Restore your work via the Stash tab → Pop Stash. Add a quick quality check by hitting the Copilot Code Review button to generate helpful inline comments.

• Commit faster with AI-generated messages

  Click Generate Commit Message in Git Changes. It auto-formats to your team’s standards and links to DevOps—saving you time and keeping history clean. One click to push and you’re good.

• Create PRs and review inline

  After pushing, follow the banner in Git Changes to create a pull request. Add reviewers from the dropdown, click Create, and your work is ready for feedback.

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