AZ-400 Configure processes and communications Practice Question
Your team uses Azure Boards with a custom process. You need to ensure that when a bug is closed, it automatically triggers a new release pipeline. Which approach should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse CI triggers (which respond to code changes) with event-driven triggers from work items, or mistakenly think release gates can initiate pipelines rather than just gate ongoing releases.
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
✓
Set up a Service Hook from Azure Boards to Azure Pipelines.
Service Hooks in Azure DevOps allow you to integrate Azure Boards with Azure Pipelines by subscribing to events like 'work item updated' or 'work item state changed'. When a bug is closed (state changed to 'Closed'), a Service Hook can automatically trigger a release pipeline, enabling event-driven automation without polling or custom code. This is the correct approach because it directly connects the work item state change to pipeline execution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure a CI trigger in the release pipeline.
Why it's wrong here
A CI trigger in a release pipeline responds only to source code commits, not to Azure Boards work item state changes, so it cannot initiate a release when a bug is closed. CI triggers are event-driven by code pushes, not by work item updates.
- ✗
Add a release gate that checks for closed bugs.
Why it's wrong here
Release gates are evaluated during or after a deployment to approve or reject an ongoing release; they do not initiate a release when a condition like a bug being closed is met, so they cannot trigger a pipeline from a work item state change.
- ✗
Create an Azure Function that polls work items.
Why it's wrong here
Building an Azure Function to poll Azure Boards work items is an inefficient, non-native pattern that requires custom code and a timer trigger, and it duplicates the event-driven functionality already provided by Service Hooks. Polling introduces latency and operational overhead without being a first-class integration.
- ✓
Set up a Service Hook from Azure Boards to Azure Pipelines.
Why this is correct
Service Hooks in Azure Boards can subscribe to work item state change events and directly trigger an Azure Pipelines release, providing the native, event-driven integration needed to initiate a release when a bug is closed or another work item field is updated.
Visual reference
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to DevOps and Azure DevOps
Key term
Work item
A work item is a digital record in Azure DevOps that tracks a single unit of work, such as a task, bug, or user story, helping teams manage and monitor their progress.
Key term
Release pipeline
A Release pipeline is an automated sequence of steps that takes software from code commit to production deployment, ensuring quality and consistency.
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