AZ-400 Practice Question: Design and implement a source control strategy
This AZ-400 practice question tests your understanding of design and implement a source control strategy. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 team uses GitHub with a monorepo containing frontend and backend code. You need to implement a strategy where changes to the frontend folder trigger a frontend CI pipeline, changes to the backend folder trigger a backend CI pipeline, and changes to both trigger both. You also want to ensure that pull requests include changes only to one area to reduce complexity. What should you do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure separate CI pipelines with path filters so that each pipeline triggers only on changes to its respective folder.
Option B is correct because GitHub Actions and Azure Pipelines support path filters (e.g., `paths` in YAML triggers) that allow you to define separate CI pipelines for frontend and backend folders. When a pull request includes changes to both folders, both pipelines automatically trigger, satisfying the requirement. This approach ensures that each pipeline runs only when its relevant code changes, reducing unnecessary builds and complexity.
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.
✗
Use CODEOWNERS to assign different reviewers for frontend and backend, and rely on manual pipeline triggers.
Why it's wrong here
CODEOWNERS does not trigger pipelines.
✓
Configure separate CI pipelines with path filters so that each pipeline triggers only on changes to its respective folder.
Why this is correct
Path filters allow conditional triggering.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Create branch policies that require specific builds based on the branch name.
Why it's wrong here
Branch policies cannot detect changed paths.
✗
Use a single pipeline that runs all tests on every change.
Why it's wrong here
Inefficient and does not separate concerns.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think branch policies or CODEOWNERS can control pipeline triggers, but only path filters in the pipeline YAML definition can conditionally start a pipeline based on which files changed.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Path filters in GitHub Actions use the `paths` keyword under `on.push` or `on.pull_request` to specify include/exclude patterns (e.g., `'frontend/**'`). Azure Pipelines uses `trigger.paths.include` for the same effect. Under the hood, the CI system compares the changed files in the commit or pull request against the defined path patterns to decide whether to start the pipeline. A subtle behavior is that if a commit touches both frontend and backend files, both pipelines will trigger, which is exactly what the requirement asks for.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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.
Design and implement a source control strategy — This question tests Design and implement a source control strategy — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure separate CI pipelines with path filters so that each pipeline triggers only on changes to its respective folder. — Option B is correct because GitHub Actions and Azure Pipelines support path filters (e.g., `paths` in YAML triggers) that allow you to define separate CI pipelines for frontend and backend folders. When a pull request includes changes to both folders, both pipelines automatically trigger, satisfying the requirement. This approach ensures that each pipeline runs only when its relevant code changes, reducing unnecessary builds and complexity.
What should I do if I get this AZ-400 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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