---
id: video/Vo5DgXnKiPo
type: video
title: "Microsoft presents: Large scale development with AL-Go"
summary: "Managing many AL-Go repositories at scale: custom jobs in workflow YAML, custom template repositories that propagate settings and jobs, and AL-Go telemetry in Application Insights with an Azure Data Explorer dashboard. Also shows GitHub Copilot CLI app for dashboards and CI/CD investigation."
tier: community
language: en
tags:
  - al-go
  - devops
  - large-scale development
  - custom templates
  - workflow management
  - repository management
  - custom jobs
  - broken window theory
  - pipeline consistency
  - telemetry
  - application insights
  - github copilot cli
system: platform
review:
  state: reviewed
  by: opus
  at: "2026-10-07T23:17:38.753Z"
  flags: []
generated:
  at: "2026-10-07T23:17:38.813Z"
  pipeline: 0.2.0
  prompts:
    extract-video: 1
    summarize-video: 2
  input_hash: 2f687c8cfcd6b91de27f81cf405287820d6f94502a0750fb401e305ef5b2e50e
evidence:
  - kind: video
    url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=950s
    title: "AL-Go telemetry module: generally available"
    date: "2026-10-01T05:38:51.000Z"
    commit: null
    t: 950
    quote: AL Go ships with a telemetry module as well, so you can hook into that and and emit telemetry to application insights
  - kind: video
    url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=21s
    title: "Microsoft presents: Large scale development with AL-Go"
    date: "2026-10-01T05:38:51.000Z"
    commit: null
    t: 21
    quote: talking about large-scale development with Elgo and like internally we have about 100 different repositories
  - kind: video
    url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=34s
    title: "Microsoft presents: Large scale development with AL-Go"
    date: "2026-10-01T05:38:51.000Z"
    commit: null
    t: 34
    quote: The biggest one has about 100 a bit of over 100 PRs per day.
  - kind: video
    url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=130s
    title: "Microsoft presents: Large scale development with AL-Go"
    date: "2026-10-01T05:38:51.000Z"
    commit: null
    t: 130
    quote: if you left a building with a broken window unrepaired over time, people would assume no one cared, no one would look after it,
  - kind: video
    url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=163s
    title: "Microsoft presents: Large scale development with AL-Go"
    date: "2026-10-01T05:38:51.000Z"
    commit: null
    t: 163
    quote: if small issues are left unfixed in software over time, the team implicitly kind of accepts a lower standard on the code
  - kind: video
    url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=244s
    title: "Microsoft presents: Large scale development with AL-Go"
    date: "2026-10-01T05:38:51.000Z"
    commit: null
    t: 244
    quote: about 12% of you guys of the organizations out there, they have more than 50 repositories, Elgo repositories.
links:
  learn: []
  objects: []
  features: []
  topics: []
  localizations: []
  videos: []
  posts: []
  guidelines: []
video_id: Vo5DgXnKiPo
channel: yt-mibuso
source_name: mibuso.com / BC TechDays
url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo
published_at: "2026-10-01T05:38:51.000Z"
duration_s: 1713
captions: derived
audience:
  - developer
  - administrator
  - partner
chapters:
  - t: 0
    title: Scale challenges and repository management
  - t: 71
    title: The broken window theory in software
  - t: 163
    title: Broken windows at scale and telemetry data
  - t: 283
    title: Managing consistency through settings
  - t: 442
    title: Custom jobs and AL-Go workflow extensions
  - t: 567
    title: Custom templates for repository management
  - t: 895
    title: Telemetry with Application Insights
  - t: 1096
    title: AL-Go telemetry dashboard in Azure Data Explorer
  - t: 1181
    title: GitHub Copilot CLI and custom dashboards
  - t: 1438
    title: "Q&A: templates, settings, and configuration"
  - t: 1604
    title: "Q&A: template variations and hierarchies"
features:
  - name: AL-Go custom jobs
    status: unclear
    t: 442
    verified: false
    status_source: video
  - name: AL-Go custom templates
    status: unclear
    t: 567
    verified: false
    status_source: video
  - name: AL-Go organizational settings
    status: unclear
    t: 343
    verified: false
    status_source: video
  - name: Template file propagation
    status: unclear
    t: 836
    verified: false
    status_source: video
  - name: AL-Go telemetry module
    status: ga
    t: 950
    verified: true
    status_source: video
  - name: Partner telemetry connection string setting
    status: unclear
    t: 978
    verified: false
    status_source: video
  - name: AL-Go Azure Data Explorer dashboard
    status: unclear
    t: 1060
    verified: false
    status_source: video
  - name: GitHub Copilot CLI desktop app
    status: unclear
    t: 1223
    verified: false
    status_source: video
  - name: Custom Copilot canvas UIs
    status: unclear
    t: 1283
    verified: false
    status_source: video
  - name: Agent-assisted CI/CD investigation
    status: unclear
    t: 1335
    verified: false
    status_source: video
  - name: Versioning strategy configuration via GitHub organization variables
    status: unclear
    t: 1565
    verified: false
    status_source: video
  - name: AppSource and beer tenant extension templates
    status: unclear
    t: 1631
    verified: false
    status_source: video
objects_mentioned:
  - other Code Cop
  - other copilot instructions
  - other algo settings file
  - other AL-Go template repo settings do not edit.json
quotes:
  - t: 21
    text: talking about large-scale development with Elgo and like internally we have about 100 different repositories
    check: exact
  - t: 34
    text: The biggest one has about 100 a bit of over 100 PRs per day.
    check: exact
  - t: 130
    text: if you left a building with a broken window unrepaired over time, people would assume no one cared, no one would look after it,
    check: exact
  - t: 163
    text: if small issues are left unfixed in software over time, the team implicitly kind of accepts a lower standard on the code
    check: exact
  - t: 244
    text: about 12% of you guys of the organizations out there, they have more than 50 repositories, Elgo repositories.
    check: exact
---

# Microsoft presents: Large scale development with AL-Go

> Managing many AL-Go repositories at scale: custom jobs in workflow YAML, custom template repositories that propagate settings and jobs, and AL-Go telemetry in Application Insights with an Azure Data Explorer dashboard. Also shows GitHub Copilot CLI app for dashboards and CI/CD investigation.

[Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo) · mibuso.com / BC TechDays · 2026-10-01 · 28:33 · tier community · reviewed (checked by Opus)

## Overview

The session starts from Microsoft's own scale: about 100 internal repositories, the largest with over 100 PRs per day. It uses the broken window theory to argue that small unfixed issues in pipelines lower standards over time, and notes that about 12% of organizations have more than 50 AL-Go repositories.

The demos cover three ways to keep repositories consistent: custom jobs added to workflow files that system updates do not overwrite, custom template repositories that push shared jobs, scripts and settings to end repositories through update ecosystem files, and AL-Go telemetry sent to Application Insights and viewed in a starter Azure Data Explorer dashboard. The final part shows the GitHub Copilot CLI desktop app building custom dashboards and handing CI/CD failure investigation to an agent. A Q&A covers template choice, settings and template hierarchies.

## Key points

- AL-Go for GitHub lets you add your own custom jobs to workflow YAML files; they are not wiped when AL-Go system files are updated. Caveats: jobs you depend on may disappear in later versions, and your job names may clash with names AL-Go picks later.
- A custom template repository can be set as the template for multiple end repositories; changes propagate when you run update AL-Go system files. Such a template repository should typically not contain AL-Go code. Existing repositories can be pointed to a new template after the fact.
- Settings can live at user, project, repository and organization level; moving them to organization level or templates helps keep consistency.
- AL-Go ships a telemetry module that emits to Application Insights (workflow outcomes, action durations, errors, test results). It needs a partner telemetry connection string, which can be set in templates.
- The Azure Data Explorer dashboard is a starter only: about 5 minutes of setup and a manual import of a JSON file. It shows workflow status, pipeline performance, errors, runner types and AL-Go version across repositories.
- Deprecated AL-Go settings are emitted as warnings in telemetry.
- Templates are preferred over GitHub organization variables for versioning strategy because they are version controlled. AppSource and PT templates are about 95% the same; nested template hierarchies were not an original design goal.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=0s) Scale challenges and repository management
- [1:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=71s) The broken window theory in software
- [2:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=163s) Broken windows at scale and telemetry data
- [4:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=283s) Managing consistency through settings
- [7:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=442s) Custom jobs and AL-Go workflow extensions
- [9:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=567s) Custom templates for repository management
- [14:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=895s) Telemetry with Application Insights
- [18:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=1096s) AL-Go telemetry dashboard in Azure Data Explorer
- [19:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=1181s) GitHub Copilot CLI and custom dashboards
- [23:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=1438s) Q&A: templates, settings, and configuration
- [26:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=1604s) Q&A: template variations and hierarchies

## Features

| Feature | Status | At | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| AL-Go custom jobs | status not stated, demoed | [7:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=442s) |  |
| AL-Go custom templates | status not stated, demoed | [9:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=567s) |  |
| AL-Go organizational settings | status not stated | [5:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=343s) |  |
| Template file propagation | status not stated, demoed | [13:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=836s) |  |
| AL-Go telemetry module | generally available, demoed | [15:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=950s) | "AL Go ships with a telemetry module as well, so you can hook into that and and emit telemetry to application insights" ([15:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=950s)) |
| Partner telemetry connection string setting | status not stated, demoed | [16:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=978s) |  |
| AL-Go Azure Data Explorer dashboard | status not stated, demoed | [17:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=1060s) |  |
| GitHub Copilot CLI desktop app | status not stated, demoed | [20:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=1223s) |  |
| Custom Copilot canvas UIs | status not stated, demoed | [21:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=1283s) |  |
| Agent-assisted CI/CD investigation | status not stated, demoed | [22:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=1335s) |  |
| Versioning strategy configuration via GitHub organization variables | status not stated | [26:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=1565s) |  |
| AppSource and beer tenant extension templates | status not stated | [27:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=1631s) |  |

## AL objects mentioned

As heard in the captions. A name that matches one object page by exact type and name links to it; the others stay as named.

- other "Code Cop" at [6:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=386s)
- other "copilot instructions" at [11:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=685s)
- other "algo settings file" at [11:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=664s)
- other "AL-Go template repo settings do not edit.json" at [13:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=836s)

## Quotes

- [0:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=21s) "talking about large-scale development with Elgo and like internally we have about 100 different repositories"
- [0:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=34s) "The biggest one has about 100 a bit of over 100 PRs per day."
- [2:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=130s) "if you left a building with a broken window unrepaired over time, people would assume no one cared, no one would look after it,"
- [2:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=163s) "if small issues are left unfixed in software over time, the team implicitly kind of accepts a lower standard on the code"
- [4:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=244s) "about 12% of you guys of the organizations out there, they have more than 50 repositories, Elgo repositories."

## Disclaimers in the video

- [19:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo5DgXnKiPo&t=1181s) other: from time to time we also have to deprecate some settings in Ailgo and when we do that we'll emit telemetry uh, as warnings

Presenters (as heard): Yonas, Alex.