AZ-400 Practice Question: Design and implement build and release pipelines
This AZ-400 practice question tests your understanding of design and implement build and release pipelines. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Your build pipeline includes a task that runs unit tests. You want to ensure that if any test fails, the pipeline stops immediately and does not proceed to the next tasks. What should you configure in the pipeline?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "immediately / without restart"
Why it matters: Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Ensure the task control option 'Run this task' is set to 'Only when all previous tasks have succeeded'.
Setting the task control option 'Run this task' to 'Only when all previous tasks have succeeded' ensures that the pipeline stops on failure. Option A is wrong because 'Continue on error' allows the pipeline to continue even if the task fails. Option C is wrong because 'Always run' runs the task regardless of previous failures. Option D is wrong because 'Custom conditions' can be used but are not the simplest way to stop on failure.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Set the 'Continue on error' option to false for the test task.
Why it's wrong here
'Continue on error' true allows continuation; false stops the task but not necessarily the pipeline.
✗
Add a custom condition to the test task to only run if previous tasks succeeded.
Why it's wrong here
While possible, the default behavior already stops on failure; custom conditions are not necessary.
✗
Set the 'Always run' option for the test task.
Why it's wrong here
'Always run' runs the task even if previous tasks failed, which is not desired.
✓
Ensure the task control option 'Run this task' is set to 'Only when all previous tasks have succeeded'.
Why this is correct
This setting prevents the pipeline from running subsequent tasks if a previous task fails.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "immediately / without restart" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-400 question in full detail.
Identify which AZ-400 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Design and implement build and release pipelines — This question tests Design and implement build and release pipelines — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Ensure the task control option 'Run this task' is set to 'Only when all previous tasks have succeeded'. — Setting the task control option 'Run this task' to 'Only when all previous tasks have succeeded' ensures that the pipeline stops on failure. Option A is wrong because 'Continue on error' allows the pipeline to continue even if the task fails. Option C is wrong because 'Always run' runs the task regardless of previous failures. Option D is wrong because 'Custom conditions' can be used but are not the simplest way to stop on failure.
What should I do if I get this AZ-400 question wrong?
Identify which AZ-400 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "immediately / without restart". Time or reboot constraint — the correct answer must take effect right away without requiring a reboot or reload.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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