Most ERP users sit on a goldmine of information but often struggle to extract it in insightful ways. Maybe you have an abundance of queries, and you aren’t sure which will best answer the business question in front of you. Maybe users have trouble seeing the ‘big picture’ from a large set of data. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just ask an ERP your business question, and have it search the data for you?

Well, in Acumatica’s 2026 R1, you can do just that. The newest version introduces AI Assistant; a chat window where you can ask your business questions, in plain English, and get fast, concise results. With AI Assistant, Acumatica is no longer just an ERP system, but an intelligent partner. Type your questions into the chat box using the same language you would use with colleagues, such as “What customers have the highest overdue AR balances?” or “How much unbilled revenue does Branch A have?”

The AI Assistant will query a set of defined generic inquiries and return the data to you, all in the same chat window. No need to page through various reports to get to the nitty-gritty. If the answer includes specific record IDs or profile names, these are displayed as links, allowing users to drill into the source of the information.

You may be wondering, “Where does the AI Assistant get the data and how do I know it’s right?”

I’m glad you asked! Your system administrator can control what generic inquiries are available to the AI Assistant. This means you have control over your AI Assistant and what it can see. This gives you the opportunity to scrub inquiries for accuracy before adding the information to the pool of data the AI Assistant can draw from.

On top of that, the new AI Assistant User role gives you control over who can utilize the AI Assistant feature. This allows you to roll out AI in stages across your user base or allocate the ability to those who can benefit from it most!

The introduction of AI Assistant marks a fundamental change in how we interact with our data. At its core, this feature is about reclaiming time. By removing barriers between business questions and data-driven answers, your team can finally focus on strategy rather than navigation and extraction.

We know that the power of any AI is only as good as the data it sits upon. By leveraging these new administrative controls, you can ensure your ‘intelligent partner’ is providing the most accurate insights possible. With granular control over both the data sources and the user base, 2026 R1 allows you to embrace the future of AI at a pace that fits your organization.

As you prepare for the 2026 R1 release, now is the perfect time to audit your existing inquiries and security roles. Are you ready to turn your data goldmine into actionable answers? We’re here to help you bridge that gap. Reach out to our team at info@polaris-business.com.