Design and implement build and release pipelines →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

AZ-400 Practice Question: Design and implement build and release pipelines

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

```json
{
  "parameters": {
    "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentParameters.json#",
    "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
    "parameters": {
      "appName": {
        "value": "myapp"
      },
      "location": {
        "value": "eastus"
      },
      "sku": {
        "value": "S1"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

The exhibit shows a parameters file for an ARM template deployment. During a release pipeline, the deployment fails with the error 'The provided value for the template parameter 'sku' is not valid'. The ARM template defines the 'sku' parameter as an allowed value set of ['F1', 'D1', 'B1', 'S1']. What could be the issue?

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

✓

The parameter file contains an extra space or hidden character in the 'sku' value.

The error indicates that the value provided for the 'sku' parameter is not within the allowed set ['F1','D1','B1','S1']. Even if the exhibit appears to show 'S1', the actual value might contain invisible characters (e.g., leading/trailing spaces, newline, tab, or a BOM) or a typographical variation (like a different dash or letter), causing it to not exactly match 'S1'. Option B is incorrect because a missing '$schema' property would produce a different error about the parameter file schema, not about parameter value validation. Option C is incorrect because defining 'sku' in the variables section would be a template error (or a different parameter-related error), and the error explicitly mentions the parameter 'sku', so it exists as a parameter. Option D is incorrect because an API version mismatch would cause a resource-manager-specific error about the API or resource, not the parameter value.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✓
The parameter file contains an extra space or hidden character in the 'sku' value.
Why this is correct
Even though 'S1' appears correct, hidden characters can cause the value to not match the allowed values.
✗
The parameter file is missing the '$schema' property.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit explicitly includes the '$schema' property, so this option incorrectly claims it is missing. In ARM parameter files, '$schema' is a required metadata URI that identifies the parameter file schema, but its absence would produce a schema validation error, not a value-matching failure for the 'sku' parameter. The reported error is about the value not being in the allowed list, which is independent of the '$schema' property.
✗
The 'sku' parameter is defined in the 'variables' section instead of 'parameters'.
Why it's wrong here
In a parameter file, there is no 'variables' section; parameters are always declared under the top-level 'parameters' object, and the exhibit correctly does that. The error is a value validation failure, not a structural placement issue, because the ARM template's parameter definition for 'sku' specifies allowed values that the provided value does not match. Placing the parameter in 'variables' would be syntactically invalid in a parameter file and would cause a different error, not the one described.
✗
The ARM template expects a different API version for the resource.
Why it's wrong here
An API version mismatch typically produces errors like 'The resource type could not be found' or 'Unsupported api-version', not parameter value validation errors. The error here is specifically about the 'sku' parameter value not matching the allowed values defined in the template's parameters section, which is a template logic issue rather than an API version problem. Even if the API version changed, the allowed values for 'sku' are defined by the parameter declaration and would remain the same unless the template itself is updated.

Go deeper

AZ-400 Practice Question: Design and implement build and release pipelines

Exhibit

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

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