Microsoft Copilot Studio Labs

Master Variables, Multi-Agent Architectures, and Channel Deployment

⏱️ 30 minutes 📊 Level 200 🏷️ Local
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Learn how to manage conversation state with variables, build specialized child agents for modular solutions, and deploy your agent across multiple channels to reach users where they work.

🧭 Lab Details

Level Persona Duration Purpose
200 Maker 30 minutes After completing this lab, participants will be able to create and manage both topic-level and global variables to maintain conversation state, create child agents with specialized knowledge and configure parent agent orchestration, and deploy agents to web and Microsoft Teams channels with appropriate security settings.

📚 Table of Contents

🤔 Why This Matters

Agents need memory, specialization, and accessibility to deliver real business value.

Think of variables, child agents, and channels like organizing a company:

  • Without variables: Your agent forgets information between conversation steps, forcing users to repeat themselves - like a team with no shared notes
  • Without child agents: One agent tries to be an expert in everything, leading to confused responses - like a single employee covering every department
  • Without channels: Your perfectly built agent sits behind a locked door - users can't reach it where they work

With all three: Your agent remembers context, delegates to specialists when needed, and meets users in Teams, on the web, and beyond - like a well-organized company with shared knowledge, clear expertise, and open doors.

Common challenges solved by this lab:

  • "My agent forgets what users told it earlier in the conversation"
  • "My agent is overwhelmed trying to be an expert in too many areas"
  • "My agent is ready but I don't know how to make it available to users"
  • "I need my agent in Teams, on our website, and in our mobile app"

In 30 minutes, you'll transform your agent into a sophisticated, memory-enabled, multi-agent system deployed where users need it.

🌐 Introduction

Variables, child agents, and channels are the keys to building enterprise-grade agent solutions. Variables act as your agent's memory - storing user information and conversation context. Child agents enable modular architecture where specialized sub-agents handle specific domains. Channels determine where and how users interact with your agent - whether through Teams, web widgets, or custom applications.

Real-world example: An IT support agent collects a user's employee ID and department at the start of the conversation, storing them in variables for personalized responses throughout the interaction. When the user asks about password policies, the parent agent delegates to a specialized "Security Policies" child agent with deep authentication knowledge. The entire experience is available in Microsoft Teams (where employees chat daily), on the company intranet (for quick access), and through a mobile app (for field workers). Variables maintain context, child agents provide expertise, and channels ensure accessibility.

This lab teaches you how to architect sophisticated agent solutions that scale with your organization's complexity - combining conversation memory, specialized intelligence, and strategic deployment.

🎓 Core Concepts Overview

Concept Why it matters
Topic-Level Variables Store data within a single topic's scope - perfect for collecting and using information during a specific conversation flow without polluting the global namespace
Global Variables Maintain data across the entire conversation and all topics - essential for user preferences, session information, and context that persists throughout the interaction
Set Variable Node Modify variable values during conversation flows - this allows dynamic data transformation, calculations, and state management
Child Agents Specialized sub-agents with focused knowledge and instructions - these enable modular architecture, domain expertise, and scalable agent development
Agent Orchestration Parent agents route conversations to appropriate child agents based on context - this creates seamless multi-agent experiences that leverage specialized knowledge
Channels Distribution points where users interact with your agent - each channel (Teams, web, mobile, custom) has unique capabilities, authentication requirements, and user experiences
Channel Security Authentication and access controls that determine who can interact with your agent and how - essential for protecting sensitive data and ensuring compliance

📄 Documentation and Additional Training Links

✅ Prerequisites

  • Completed Build Intelligent Agents with Knowledge Sources, Tools, and Topics lab - specifically the mailing list topic from Use Case #4, which is the foundation for the variables exercise
  • Access to Microsoft Copilot Studio with tool and channel configuration permissions
  • Access to Microsoft Teams (for Teams channel testing)
  • A document for child agent knowledge (e.g., a prompt engineering guide PDF)

🎯 Summary of Targets

In this lab, you'll implement conversation memory with variables, build a multi-agent architecture with child agents, and deploy your agent across channels. By the end of the lab, you will:

  • Create and configure topic-level and global variables with appropriate data types
  • Use the Set Variable node to transform and concatenate data during conversations
  • Create child agents with specialized knowledge and instructions
  • Configure parent agent orchestration rules for proper conversation routing
  • Deploy your agent to the web channel with security settings
  • Deploy your agent to Microsoft Teams
  • Test multi-channel deployment to verify consistent functionality

🧩 Use Cases Covered

Step Use Case Value added Effort
1 Work with Variables Understand how variables maintain conversation context and how to navigate the variables interface 5 min
2 Create and Orchestrate Child Agents Build specialized sub-agents with focused expertise to create modular, scalable solutions 13 min
3 Deploy Your Agent Across Channels Make your agent accessible across web, Teams, and other platforms with appropriate security 12 min

🛠️ Instructions by Use Case

🧱 Use Case #1: Work with Variables

Explore the variables interface in Copilot Studio to understand how conversation state is managed through topic-level and global variables.

Use case Value added Estimated effort
Work with Variables Understand how variables maintain conversation context and how to navigate the variables interface 5 minutes

Summary of tasks

In this section, you'll explore existing variables in your mailing list topic, understand variable properties and scope, review how variables are referenced in messages and formulas, and observe variable values during a test conversation.

Scenario: Your mailing list topic (from the previous lab's Use Case #4) already collects user information and stores it in variables. You'll explore how Copilot Studio automatically creates variables, understand the difference between topic-level and global scope, and observe how variables work during a live test conversation.

[!WARNING] This use case is exploration only. Do NOT create, modify, or delete any variables or nodes - doing so could break your existing topic. You are here to navigate the interface and understand how variables work.

Objective

Understand variable types, properties, scope, and behavior by exploring the existing variables interface in your agent.

Step-by-step instructions

Open the Mailing List Topic

  1. Navigate to Copilot Studio.

  2. Select Agents in your left side navigation bar, and select your Copilot Studio Assistant agent you created in the previous lab's Use Case #4.

  3. Select Topics in the agent's top navigation bar.

  4. Select the Join Copilot Studio Mailing List topic that you created in the previous lab's Use Case #4.

    [!NOTE] If you don't have this topic, you can explore variables in any existing topic that has question nodes.

Review Existing Variables

  1. Find the Question node where the user's email address is collected.

  2. Look for the Save response as section. Notice that Copilot Studio automatically created a variable to store the email address when the question node was built.

  3. Note the variable name (likely something like EmailAddress or userEmail).

    [!TIP] Whenever a question node is created, Copilot Studio automatically creates a variable to store the user's response. This variable is scoped to the topic by default.

Explore Variable Properties

  1. Select the variable name to open the variable properties panel.

  2. Review the variable configuration — do not change any values:
    • Variable Name: The variable identifier used in the topic
    • Type: Data type (Text, Number, Boolean, etc.)
    • Usage: Topic-level or Global

  3. Notice that this variable is Topic-level by default, meaning it only exists within this topic.

    [!IMPORTANT] Topic-level variables exist only within a single topic and reset when the topic ends. Global variables persist across all topics and the entire conversation. Global variables use a namespace like Global.emailAddress. Use global variables sparingly — only when you need to share data across multiple topics.

View All Variables

  1. Select Variables in the topics top right tool bar just above the Variable properties panel.

  2. Review the Topic section showing all variables in the current topic.

  3. Review the Global section showing variables available across the entire agent.

  4. Review the Enviornment section showing enviornment variables that, in part, help support ALM to move Agents from one enviornment to another.

    [!NOTE] The Variables view gives you a centralized place to see all variables, their types, and their values during testing.

Understand How Variables Are Used

  1. Return to your topic canvas and scroll through the nodes. Look for places where variables are referenced:
    • Message nodes may use curly braces like {Topic.emailAddress} to dynamically insert variable values into text
    • Set Variable nodes can transform data using formulas like "Text " & Topic.variableName (the & operator concatenates strings)
    • Condition nodes can branch logic based on variable values
  2. Notice the + button between nodes. Select it to see the available node options (but do not add any nodes).
    • Set a variable value: Modify variable values using text, other variables, or formulas
    • Ask a question: Collect user input and automatically store it in a variable
    • Add a condition: Branch conversation logic based on variable values

    [!TIP] Understanding these node types helps you see how variables flow through a topic — from collection (question nodes) to transformation (set variable nodes) to output (message nodes) to logic (condition nodes).

Observe Variables During Testing

  1. In the test panel, start a new conversation.

  2. Trigger the mailing list topic by sending the following prompt to your agent:

     I want to join the mailing list.

  3. Select the agent response in the test chat. This action takes you to the topic and the node that sent the response. Nodes that fired have a colored checkmark and a colored bottom border.

  4. Follow the prompts and provide information when asked (email, name, etc.). As you continue the conversation within the active topic, notice that each node that fires is marked with the checkbox and bottom border, and centered on the canvas.

  5. While in the test conversation, Select Variables in top navigation bar for the topic. If the topic is no longer showing, select Topics in the agents top navigation bar and select the Join Copilot Mailing List again to reopen.

  6. In the Variables panel, select the Test tab to see a list of the variables and their current values.

  7. Review the current values of all variables in the conversation. Notice how variables populate in real-time as you progress through the conversation.

    [!TIP] Monitoring variables during testing is essential for debugging complex conversation flows and understanding data flow. This is one of the most useful debugging tools in Copilot Studio.

🏅 Congratulations! You've completed Use Case 1!

Test your understanding

Key takeaways:

  • Topic Variables Scope Locally – Topic-level variables exist only within a single topic, preventing namespace pollution and keeping data organized
  • Global Variables Share Context – Global variables persist across all topics and the entire conversation, enabling cross-topic data sharing
  • Variables Are Auto-Created – Copilot Studio automatically creates variables when you add question nodes, so variables are already working in your topics
  • The Test Panel Shows Live Values – Monitoring variables during testing is one of the most powerful debugging tools in Copilot Studio

Lessons learned & troubleshooting tips:

  • If a variable isn't available in a message or node, check its scope - topic variables can't be accessed from other topics
  • Always give variables descriptive names - emailAddress is better than var1
  • Use the Variables panel during testing to verify data is stored correctly
  • Consider variable lifetime - topic variables reset when the topic ends, global variables persist until the conversation ends

Challenge: Apply this to your own use case

  • What user information would your agent need to remember across a conversation?
  • Which variables should be global vs. topic-level in your agent?
  • How could you use the Variables test panel to debug a broken conversation flow?

🔄 Use Case #2: Create and Orchestrate Child Agents

Build specialized child agents with focused knowledge and instructions to create modular, scalable agent architectures.

Use case Value added Estimated effort
Create and Orchestrate Child Agents Build specialized sub-agents with focused expertise to create modular, scalable solutions 13 minutes

Summary of tasks

In this section, you'll learn how to create child agents, configure their specialized knowledge and instructions, set up orchestration rules in the parent agent, and test multi-agent interactions.

Scenario: Your Copilot Studio Assistant needs specialized expertise in prompt engineering frameworks. Instead of overloading the main agent with all knowledge, you'll create a child agent called "CARE Prompt Guidance" that specializes in the CARE framework for prompt writing. This child agent will be automatically invoked when users ask about general prompt guidance.

Objective

Create a specialized child agent and configure the parent agent to orchestrate conversations appropriately.

Step-by-step instructions

Create a Child Agent

  1. In your Copilot Studio Assistant agent, Select Agents in the agent top navigation bar.

  2. Select Add.

  3. In the Create a child agent section, Select New child agent.

  4. Enter CARE Prompt Guidance in the Name field.

  5. Input the following for the Description 
     This agent provides information on the CARE Prompt guidance.

    [!NOTE] The description helps the parent agent understand when to route conversations to this child agent. Be specific and clear.

  6. Select Save to initialize the child agent.

Configure Child Agent Instructions

  1. Once save of the child agent has completed, input the following into the Instructions section. 
     This agent should help users with understanding information about the prompt guidance framework and how they can leverage it to make their agents better.

    [!TIP] Child agent instructions should be focused and specific to their domain of expertise. Avoid generic instructions - be precise about what this agent knows and does.

  2. Select Save to apply the instruction changes to the agent.

Add Knowledge Sources to Child Agent

  1. In the child agent, scroll down to the Knowledge section or select Knowledge in the child agent left navigation.

  2. Select + Add knowledge to add a knowledge source.

  3. Select Upload files as the knowledge source type.

  4. Download the CAREful Prompts Printable Guide (PDF) and upload it to the child agent as a knowledge source.

    [!IMPORTANT] Child agents can have their own dedicated knowledge sources. This keeps knowledge organized and prevents one agent from being overloaded with unrelated content.

  5. Wait for the knowledge source to be indexed.

  6. Select Save to finalize the child agent configuration.

Configure Parent Agent Orchestration

  1. Go to your parent agent (the main Copilot Studio Assistant) by selecting Overview in the top navigation bar.

  2. In the parent agent's Instructions field on the Overview page, select Edit in the upper right corner of the Instructions section.

  3. Add the following orchestration instructions just before the # General Guidlines paragraph of the instructions. Notice the (replace this text) placeholder — you'll replace it with a direct reference to the child agent in the next step.

     # Prompt Guidance
 Use (replace this text) when asked to provide just general guidance around prompt building. Never use it when asked to analyze a prompt.

  4. Select the (replace this text) placeholder in the paragraph you just added, then type / to open the dropdown menu. This lists your agent's available tools, topics, child agents, knowledge sources, and more. Select CARE Prompt Guidance from the list to create a direct reference to the child agent, replacing the placeholder text.

    [!TIP] Using / references in your agent instructions creates explicit links to specific items in your agent configuration. This ensures the agent knows exactly which tool, topic, or child agent you're referring to — rather than relying on plain text name matching.

    [!IMPORTANT] Orchestration instructions are critical for proper agent routing. Be explicit about WHEN to use each child agent and WHEN NOT to use them. This prevents confusion and ensures the right agent handles each request.

  5. Select Save to apply the orchestration instructions.

Review Agent Relationships

  1. In the parent agent, select Agents in the top navigation bar for the parent agent.

  2. Verify that the CARE Prompt Guidance child agent appears in the list of available agents.

  3. Check that the child agent is Enabled (toggle should be on).

    [!NOTE] Disabled child agents won't be invoked by the parent agent. Always verify child agents are enabled after creation.

Test the Child Agent

  1. In the parent agent's test panel, start a new conversation.

  2. Ask a question that should trigger the child agent:

     How does the CARE prompt guidance help write prompts?
  3. Observe the agent's response. It should:
    • Recognize that this is a general prompt guidance question
    • Route the conversation to the "CARE Prompt Guidance" child agent
    • Provide an answer grounded in the CARE framework knowledge
  4. Look for indicators in the test panel showing which agent responded (some interfaces show "Responded by: CARE Prompt Guidance" or similar).

Test Orchestration Logic

  1. Now test the orchestration instructions by asking a question that should NOT use the child agent:

     Analyze this prompt for improvements: Write a summary of the quarterly report.

  2. Verify that the parent agent uses the Prompt Analyzer tool (from the previous lab) instead of routing to the child agent.

    [!TIP] This demonstrates proper orchestration - the parent agent understands the difference between "general prompt guidance" (child agent) and "analyze a specific prompt" (tool).

Explore Child Agent Capabilities

  1. Ask several different questions to test the child agent's knowledge:
    • "What is the CARE framework?"
    • "How do I write better prompts?"
    • "What does the A stand for in CARE?"

  2. Verify that the child agent consistently provides accurate answers from its knowledge source.

  3. Return to the child agent's configuration and review how you could:
    • Add more knowledge sources
    • Refine instructions for better responses
    • Create additional child agents for other domains

🏅 Congratulations! You've completed Use Case 2!

Test your understanding

  • When should you create a child agent vs. adding more knowledge to the parent agent?
  • How do orchestration instructions help the parent agent make routing decisions?
  • What happens if orchestration instructions are ambiguous or missing?

Challenge: Apply this to your own use case

  • What specialized domains in your organization would benefit from dedicated child agents?
  • How would you organize knowledge across parent and child agents for optimal performance?
  • What orchestration rules would you write to ensure proper routing in a multi-agent system?

🧱 Use Case #3: Deploy Your Agent Across Channels

Learn how to configure and deploy your agent to channels, understand channel-specific settings, and implement appropriate security controls.

Use case Value added Estimated effort
Deploy Your Agent To Channels Make your agent accessible via Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot 12 minutes

Summary of tasks

In this section, you'll learn how to navigate the Channels interface, configure your agent to deploy to Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot, and understand channel capabilities and limitations.

Scenario: Your Copilot Studio Assistant is ready for users. You need to make it available for your company's users for easy access in Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot where most employees spend their day.

Objective

Deploy your agent to Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot channels with proper configuration and security.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. In your Copilot Studio agent, select Channels in the top navigation bar.

  2. Review the Channels overview page to see available channel options:

    • Microsoft Teams: Native Teams integration
    • Demo website: Test website for quick agent testing
    • Custom website: Embeddable web widget for your sites
    • Mobile app: iOS and Android integration
    • Custom channel: Direct Line API for custom applications
    • Additional channels may include Facebook, Slack, etc.

    [!NOTE] Available channels depend on your Copilot Studio license and environment settings. Some channels require additional configuration or premium licenses.

Explore Channel Capabilities

  1. Review the description and capabilities of each channel type:
    • Teams: Full authentication, rich adaptive cards, deep Microsoft 365 integration
    • Web: Customizable appearance, flexible security, easy embedding
    • Mobile: Native app experience with push notifications
    • Custom: Full API control for advanced integrations

    [!TIP] Choose channels based on where your users already work. Don't force users to adopt new tools - bring the agent to their existing environment.

  2. Consider the limitations of each channel:
    • Some features (like certain adaptive cards) may not work on all channels
    • Authentication requirements vary by channel
    • Customization options differ across channels

Deploy to Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot

  1. Before you can deploy to a channel, you must first publish your agent. Select Publish from the top right corner of the screen. Follow the prompts.

  2. Return to the Channels page and select Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot.

  3. Review the Agent preview section that shows how users will see your agent.
    • App name: How the agent appears in Teams
    • App icon: Visual branding in Teams
    • Availability: Who can access the agent

  4. Select Edit details and make adjustments. For example, change the short description to something like Assist users building agents

  5. Select Save to save your changes.

  6. Select Publish to publish your agent and make it available.

  7. Select Turn on Teams or Enable to activate the Teams channel.

  8. Select Availability options and review what is available:

  9. After reviewing the options select the back arrow to return to the prior panel.

  10. Select See agent in Teams, this will load a new browser tab with the Teams web application.

  11. If prompted to Open Microsoft Teams?, select Cancel and after the dialog closes select the Use the web app instead

  12. If this is your first visit to Teams, you may be prompted with some other dialogs, after you dismiss them you may have to go back to Copilot Studio and re-select See agent in Teams

  13. You should now see a dialog presenting your agent for you to review before you add it to your Teams session. After reviewing the details, select Add

  14. You should next see a Added successfully message select Open to use your agent.

  15. Once your agent loads, ask it a question like How do I build a good prompt?

  16. Compare the experience between Teams and the web demo site:
    • Notice how the UI differs
    • Test the same questions on the channel

    [!TIP] Always test your agent on each deployed channel. Some features or formatting may work differently across channels.

🏅 Congratulations! You've completed Use Case 3!

Test your understanding

Key takeaways:

  • Channels Enable Access – Deploy to channels where your users already work to maximize adoption and minimize friction
  • Security Settings Matter – Always configure appropriate authentication and domain restrictions to protect data and ensure compliance
  • Channel Capabilities Vary – Test thoroughly on each channel and design agents that work within the limitations of your target platforms
  • Demo Sites Accelerate Feedback – Use demo websites for quick testing and stakeholder review before full production deployment

Lessons learned & troubleshooting tips:

  • If your agent doesn't appear in Teams after deployment, check with your IT admin about app approval policies
  • Domain restrictions prevent unauthorized embedding - always configure allowed domains for production
  • Test authentication flows on each channel to ensure proper security enforcement
  • Some rich UI features may not work on all channels - design for compatibility

Challenge: Apply this to your own use case

  • Which channels would provide the most value for your users?
  • What security settings are appropriate for your agent's data sensitivity?
  • How would you roll out your agent - pilot with a team first or organization-wide immediately?

🏆 Summary of learnings

True learning comes from doing, questioning, and reflecting—so let's put your skills to the test.

To maximize the impact of variables, child agents, and channels in Copilot Studio:

  • Variables Provide Memory – Use topic-level variables for localized data and global variables for shared context. This creates agents that remember user information and maintain conversation continuity.
  • Scope Variables Appropriately – Don't make everything global. Topic variables keep data organized and prevent namespace pollution while global variables enable cross-topic coordination.
  • Child Agents Enable Specialization – Build focused child agents with dedicated knowledge and instructions rather than overloading a single agent with all content.
  • Orchestration Instructions Matter – Clear, explicit orchestration rules in the parent agent ensure proper routing and prevent confusion between child agents.
  • Deploy Where Users Work – Meet users in their existing environments (Teams, web, mobile) rather than forcing them to adopt new tools. This maximizes adoption and minimizes friction.
  • Security Comes First – Always configure appropriate authentication and domain restrictions based on data sensitivity. Test security settings thoroughly before production deployment.

Conclusions and recommendations

Variables, child agents, and channels golden rules:

  • Use descriptive variable names that clearly indicate their purpose and content
  • Choose the appropriate variable scope - default to topic-level unless you need global access
  • Create child agents when knowledge domains are distinct and specialized
  • Write explicit orchestration instructions that clarify when to use each child agent
  • Deploy to channels where users already spend their time - don't ask users to go somewhere new
  • Always configure security settings appropriate for your data sensitivity level
  • Test multi-agent interactions and multi-channel deployment thoroughly before production rollout

By following these principles, you'll build sophisticated agent solutions that scale with your organization's complexity - combining conversation memory, specialized intelligence, and strategic deployment to deliver accurate, contextual, and valuable user experiences wherever your users need them.

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