AZ-400 Practice Question: Design and implement build and release pipelines
Your team wants to implement automated testing in the build pipeline. You need to ensure that tests run and results are published. Which TWO tasks should you include?
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
✓
Visual Studio Test task
The correct tasks are Visual Studio Test task (option C) which runs the tests, and Publish Test Results task (option D) which publishes the test results to Azure Pipelines. Option A (Publish Build Artifacts) publishes build outputs but not test results. Option B (Copy Files) copies files between locations and does not run tests. Option E (Azure PowerShell) runs PowerShell scripts and is not for testing.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Publish Build Artifacts task
Why it's wrong here
The Publish Build Artifacts task uploads build outputs (e.g., binaries, packages) to Azure Pipelines for downstream consumption or deployment, but it neither executes tests nor reads test result files. It is purely a file-staging mechanism, not a test runner.
- ✗
Copy Files task
Why it's wrong here
The Copy Files task copies files from a source directory to a destination on the build agent, commonly used to prepare deployment artifacts or organize outputs. However, it has no ability to invoke test frameworks, collect test outcomes, or generate test result reports, making it irrelevant for automated testing.
- ✓
Visual Studio Test task
Why this is correct
The Visual Studio Test task is the correct choice because it uses vstest.console.exe to run unit tests from test assemblies (MSTest, xUnit, NUnit) and produces test result data (e.g., TRX). It is the built-in Azure Pipelines task that actually executes tests during the build.
- ✓
Publish Test Results task
Why this is correct
The Publish Test Results task consumes test result files (TRX, JUnit, etc.) and uploads them to Azure Pipelines, making test summary, pass/fail rates, and coverage visible on the Tests tab. It typically runs after a test execution task like Visual Studio Test to report the outcome.
- ✗
Azure PowerShell task
Why it's wrong here
The Azure PowerShell task runs PowerShell scripts in an Azure authentication context for managing Azure resources or automating cloud operations. It lacks any integration with test frameworks and cannot emit standardized test result payloads for Azure Pipelines, so it is not intended for test automation.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to DevOps and Azure DevOps
Key term
Azure Pipelines
Azure Pipelines is a cloud-based CI/CD service from Microsoft that automatically builds, tests, and deploys code to any platform or cloud.
Key term
Pipeline
A pipeline is an automated series of steps that takes code from development to production, ensuring quality and speed.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-400 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-400 exam.