Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer ExpertDesign and implement pipelinesHard
A large enterprise is deploying a new version of a critical web application to Azure App Service. The deployment needs to be performed during off-peak hours to minimize user impact, and an approval from the change management board is required before the deployment can proceed. After a successful deployment, an automated smoke test must run, and if it passes, a notification should be sent to the operations team. Which Azure Pipelines features should be configured to meet these requirements?
- ARelease gates, deployment conditions, and service hooks.
- BScheduled release, pre-deployment approval, and post-deployment approval.
- CScheduled trigger, pre-deployment approval, and post-deployment gate.
- DContinuous deployment trigger, manual intervention, and post-deployment condition.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Scheduled trigger, pre-deployment approval, and post-deployment gate.
A scheduled trigger initiates the pipeline at off-peak hours. A pre-deployment approval ensures the change management board's sign-off before deployment. A post-deployment gate (e.g., 'Invoke Azure Function' for smoke tests or 'Query Azure Monitor Alerts') ensures automated smoke tests run and pass before proceeding, and can be configured to send notifications.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Release gates are generally for automated checks, but the 'approval from the change management board' is explicitly manual. Deployment conditions are too generic. Service hooks can send notifications but don't fully cover the automated smoke test gate.
- B. A scheduled release is correct, and pre-deployment approval is correct. However, a 'post-deployment approval' would require manual intervention again, whereas the requirement is for an 'automated smoke test' followed by a notification, which is better handled by a post-deployment gate.
- D. Continuous deployment trigger is for immediate deployments. Manual intervention blocks automation. Post-deployment condition is too broad and doesn't explicitly cover automated gates.
Azure Pipelines Comprehensive Release Control
Combining scheduled triggers, pre-deployment approvals, and post-deployment gates provides robust control over when releases happen, who approves them, and automated verification after deployment.
- Scheduled triggers control release timing.
- Pre-deployment approvals enforce manual sign-offs.
- Post-deployment gates automate verification after deployment.
- Ensures compliance, quality, and timely notifications.
Memory trick: Schedule, Sign-off, Smoke Test, Send Notification.