AZ-400 Design and implement build and release pipelines Practice Test 30 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are responsible for managing build pipelines in Azure DevOps for a large .NET solution that consists of multiple projects. The build takes approximately 45 minutes, which is too long. The solution has unit tests and integration tests. The integration tests require a database that is provisioned during the build. You need to reduce the build time while maintaining code quality. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Enable incremental build by using the 'Build' task's 'Clean' option set to false, and separate unit and integration tests into different stages.. Option D is correct: Using incremental builds restores and builds only changed projects, and separating unit and integration tests allows faster feedback. Option A is incorrect because removing integration tests reduces quality. Option B is incorrect because using more agents does not reduce the build time of a single build. Option C is incorrect because disabling tests altogether is not acceptable.

Answer

Remove integration tests from the build pipeline and run them only in the release pipeline.

Answer

Increase the number of parallel jobs and use a multi-agent job to build projects in parallel.

Answer

Disable the 'Test' step in the build pipeline and rely on a separate test pipeline.

Question 2

Your organization uses Azure DevOps Server (on-premises) and plans to migrate to Azure DevOps Services. You have hundreds of classic build and release pipelines. You need to design a migration strategy that minimizes downtime and allows for a gradual transition. The team wants to use the new YAML-based pipelines after migration. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Export the classic pipeline definitions as JSON, and manually recreate them as YAML pipelines in Azure DevOps Services.. Option B is correct: Exporting pipeline definitions and converting them to YAML manually allows gradual migration. Option A is incorrect because the migration tool does not convert classic pipelines to YAML. Option C is incorrect because using classic pipelines after migration is not leveraging YAML. Option D is incorrect because recreating from scratch is inefficient and error-prone.

Answer

Recreate all pipelines from scratch using YAML in the new organization.

Answer

Use the Azure DevOps Migration Tools to automatically convert classic pipelines to YAML.

Answer

Migrate all pipelines as-is (classic) and then plan a separate project to convert them to YAML.

Question 3

Your team uses Azure Pipelines to build a Node.js application. The build pipeline runs linting, unit tests, and creates a production build. You want to ensure that the pipeline fails if the test coverage drops below 80%. You need to implement this check. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Add a 'Publish Test Results' task with code coverage enabled, then use a 'Script' task that reads the coverage report and fails if below 80%.. Option A is correct: The 'Publish Test Results' task can publish coverage results, and you can use a 'Check for coverage' task or script to fail the pipeline. Option B is incorrect because the task itself does not enforce a minimum coverage. Option C is incorrect because pipeline variables cannot enforce coverage thresholds. Option D is incorrect because code coverage is not a branch policy.

Answer

Configure a pipeline variable 'CoverageThreshold' and use it in a gate.

Answer

Set a branch policy that requires code coverage to be at least 80%.

Answer

Use the 'Visual Studio Test' task with code coverage enabled and set the 'Minimum coverage' option.

Question 4

Your organization uses GitHub Actions for CI/CD. You have a workflow that deploys to Azure App Service. The deployment uses a publish profile secret stored as a GitHub secret. You want to improve security by using OpenID Connect (OIDC) to authenticate to Azure without storing secrets. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Configure the GitHub workflow to use the 'azure/login' action with OIDC, and set up a federated identity credential in Microsoft Entra ID for the GitHub environment.. Option B is correct: Configuring OIDC with Azure AD (now Microsoft Entra ID) app registration and federated credentials allows token-based authentication without secrets. Option A is incorrect because GitHub secrets are still secrets. Option C is incorrect because Azure AD is not required to be replaced; OIDC works with it. Option D is incorrect because the Azure/login action supports OIDC.

Answer

Remove the secret and use Azure AD Managed Identity directly from the GitHub runner.

Answer

Replace the publish profile secret with an Azure service principal secret stored as a GitHub secret.

Answer

Use the 'Azure App Service Deploy' task with the 'Publish Profile' parameter set to an empty string.

Question 5

Your team uses Azure Pipelines to deploy a multi-tier application to Azure. The application consists of a web frontend, an API backend, and a database. You need to deploy the database schema changes using a DACPAC file. The deployment should be idempotent and support rollback. You must use the Azure SQL Database deployment task. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Use the 'Azure SQL Database deployment' task with the 'Deploy' action, specifying the DACPAC file and setting the 'Additional Arguments' to include 'p:BlockOnPossibleDataLoss=False' for safety.. Option A is correct: The 'Azure SQL Database deployment' task supports incremental deployment from a DACPAC and allows rollback via additional steps. Option B is incorrect because SQL scripts do not provide the same level of idempotency as DACPAC. Option C is incorrect because executing the DACPAC manually is not automated. Option D is incorrect because the task does support DACPAC deployment.

Answer

Use the 'Azure SQL Database deployment' task with the 'Query' action to run schema changes.

Answer

Use a 'PowerShell' task to run 'SqlPackage.exe' with the DACPAC file.

Answer

Use the 'Azure SQL Database deployment' task with the 'Run SQL Script' action, and execute the schema changes as SQL scripts.

Question 6

Your organization uses Azure Pipelines and wants to implement a continuous feedback loop by collecting user analytics from the production environment and automatically creating work items in Azure Boards for critical issues. You need to design a solution that integrates monitoring data with the pipeline. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Set up Azure Monitor alerts based on Application Insights data, and configure the alerts to invoke a webhook that calls the Azure Boards REST API to create a work item.. Option C is correct: Azure Monitor alerts can trigger webhooks that call Azure DevOps REST API to create work items. Option A is incorrect because release logs are not for user analytics. Option B is incorrect because manual creation is not automated. Option D is incorrect because Power BI is for reporting, not automated issue creation.

Answer

Use Power BI to visualize Application Insights data and set up data-driven alerts that send emails to the team.

Answer

Configure the release pipeline to output logs to Azure Monitor and use Log Analytics to create work items.

Answer

Use Azure Application Insights to collect user analytics, and manually review dashboards to create work items.

Question 7

You are designing a build pipeline for a .NET Core application. The pipeline must run on a self-hosted agent in a private network without internet access. Which TWO actions are required to ensure the build can download NuGet packages?

Accepted Answer

Install the NuGet tool on the self-hosted agent machine.. Option A is correct because the self-hosted agent needs network access to the NuGet feed. Option D is correct because the NuGet tool must be installed on the agent. Options B, C, and E are not required.

Answer

Disable the NuGet restore step in the pipeline.

Answer

Use a Microsoft-hosted agent instead.

Answer

Use the NuGet Authenticate task to authenticate with Azure Artifacts.

Question 8

Your release pipeline deploys a web app to Azure App Service. You need to implement safe deployment practices that minimize downtime and enable quick rollback. Which THREE strategies should you recommend?

Accepted Answer

Deploy to a staging slot first, validate, then swap.. Option A is correct because slot swapping allows zero-downtime deployment. Option C is correct because deployment slots enable testing before swapping. Option E is correct because monitoring alerts trigger automatic rollback. Options B and D are not safe deployment practices.

Answer

Use rolling deployment with manual step to approve each instance.

Answer

Deploy directly to the production slot.

Question 9

Your team uses GitHub Actions to build a multi-container application. The build must produce container images that are scanned for vulnerabilities and signed. Which THREE actions are required in the workflow?

Accepted Answer

Add a step to run a container scan tool like Trivy.. Option A is correct because Docker Build Push action creates images. Option C is correct because container scanning uses tools like Trivy or Grype. Option E is correct because signing requires a step to sign images. Options B and D are not required for the given tasks.

Answer

Use the docker/login-action to authenticate with Docker Hub.

Answer

Use the actions/checkout action to checkout the code.

Question 10

You are configuring a YAML pipeline in Azure Pipelines. The pipeline must trigger only when changes are pushed to the main branch. Which TWO settings should you configure?

Accepted Answer

Set the trigger to include the main branch.. Option A is correct because trigger defines branches to trigger on. Option D is correct because setting trigger to none disables CI triggers for other branches. Options B, C, and E are not required.

Answer

Set the PR trigger to include main.

Answer

Set the pipeline to run on every push regardless of branch.

Answer

Use a schedule trigger with cron expression.

Question 11

Your release pipeline uses a deployment group to deploy to multiple on-premises servers. You need to ensure that only healthy servers receive the deployment and that deployment history is retained. Which THREE actions should you include?

Accepted Answer

Set a retention policy to keep deployment history for a specified number of days.. Option A is correct because tagging servers by role enables targeted deployments. Option C is correct because deployment groups include health checks. Option E is correct because retention policies preserve history. Options B and D are not needed.

Answer

Use a single deployment group for all servers.

Answer

Disable parallel deployment to avoid conflicts.

Question 12

You are designing a multi-stage YAML pipeline for an application that requires approval for production deployment. The pipeline must run automatically for non-production stages. Which TWO configurations should you use?

Accepted Answer

Set the pipeline trigger to include branches used for non-production stages.. Option B is correct because approval gates can be added to the production stage. Option D is correct because the trigger should be set for CI triggers on non-production branches. Options A, C, and E are not correct.

Answer

Use a release pipeline instead of a YAML pipeline.

Answer

Set the pipeline to require manual approval for every stage.

Answer

Use a single-stage pipeline with conditional approval.

Question 13

Your team uses Azure Pipelines to build a Java application. The build must produce a JAR file and publish it as a pipeline artifact. Which THREE steps should be included in the build pipeline?

Accepted Answer

Use a Maven or Gradle task to compile and package the application.. Option A is correct because Maven or Gradle builds the JAR. Option C is correct because Copy Files task moves the JAR to a staging directory. Option E is correct because Publish Build Artifacts uploads the artifact. Options B and D are not required.

Answer

Use the DotNetCoreCLI task to build the application.

Answer

Use the NuGetCommand task to pack the JAR.

Question 14

Your company is migrating from on-premises Jenkins to Azure Pipelines. You have a Jenkins pipeline that builds a C++ application using MSBuild. The build environment requires specific Visual Studio components and SDKs. You need to set up a build agent in Azure Pipelines that matches the Jenkins environment. You want to minimize administrative overhead and ensure the agent is always up to date with the latest patches. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Use a Microsoft-hosted agent with the 'windows-2022' image that includes Visual Studio Build Tools.. Option C is correct because Microsoft-hosted agents come with Visual Studio pre-installed and are automatically maintained. Option A is incorrect because custom images require maintenance. Option B is incorrect because Azure VM agents require manual updates. Option D is incorrect because container agents need custom image management.

Answer

Use a self-hosted agent on an Azure VM with a custom image that includes Visual Studio and SDKs.

Answer

Deploy a container-based agent using a Docker image that includes Visual Studio.

Answer

Provision a self-hosted agent on an Azure VM and install required components manually.

Question 15

You are implementing a release pipeline for a web application deployed to multiple Azure App Service instances across different regions (West US, East US, and North Europe). The deployment must follow a phased rollout: first West US, then East US, then North Europe, with a manual approval gate between each region. Each region should have its own slot for staging and production. You need to design the pipeline to minimize duplication of stages and tasks. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Use a single stage with a deployment group job that targets agents tagged with region names, and use deployment group tags to control phased rollout.. Option A is correct because a deployment group job with deployment group tags allows targeting regions and reusing tasks. Option B is incorrect because each region would need separate stages. Option C is incorrect because environment-based strategy requires separate environments. Option D is incorrect because parallel deployment does not support phased rollout with approvals.

Answer

Use a multi-stage YAML pipeline with environment per region and a manual approval on each environment.

Answer

Create three separate stages (one per region) and duplicate the deployment tasks in each.

Answer

Use a single stage with parallel deployment to all regions and add manual approvals before each region's deployment.