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Welcome to the concise review of pipeline health, optimization, and migration in Azure DevOps. This summary will reinforce the key concepts you need for the AZ-400 exam and real-world DevOps practices.

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1. Discovering Pipeline Health

Pipeline health ensures reliable, predictable releases. Focus on tracking the right metrics and using Azure DevOps analytics tools.

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Key Metrics to Monitor

MetricDescriptionExample Threshold
Build Success RatePercentage of successful builds≥ 95%
Test Pass RateRatio of passed vs. total tests≥ 98%
Mean Time to RepairAverage time to fix a broken build or test≤ 30 minutes
Flaky Test CountNumber of tests that intermittently fail0
The image is a slide titled "Discovering Pipeline Health" with a list of topics related to pipeline health monitoring, including key metrics, analytics tools, and strategies for handling flaky tests.

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Analytics Tools in Azure DevOps

  • Azure DevOps Dashboards: Custom charts and widgets for real-time insights.
  • Analytics Views & Widgets: Prebuilt reports on build trends and test outcomes.
  • Azure Test Plans:
    • Organize, execute, and track test suites.
    • Integrates seamlessly with CI/CD to isolate flaky tests.
Use Azure Test Plans to tag and quarantine flaky tests. Consistent test results improve confidence in your releases.

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2. Optimizing Pipeline Concurrency

Concurrency controls how many jobs or tasks run in parallel. Proper tuning accelerates delivery and reduces costs.
The image is a presentation slide titled "Optimizing Pipeline Concurrency for Performance and Cost," with a list of topics related to pipeline concurrency, each marked by a colored dot.

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Concurrency Concepts

FeaturePurposeExample
Parallel JobsRun multiple stages or jobs simultaneouslypool: vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
Agent PoolsShare agents across teams for better utilizationCreate dedicated pools for high-priority jobs
Concurrency LimitsPrevent overload and control spendingmaxParallel: 4 in YAML

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Sample YAML Snippet

jobs:
- job: Build
  pool: 
    name: 'Default'
    demands:
      - ubuntu
  strategy:
    parallel: 3            # Run 3 agents in parallel
    maxParallel: 3
  steps:
    - script: npm install
    - script: npm run build
Limiting maxParallel helps avoid agent contention and unexpected billing spikes.
Continually monitor queue times and agent utilization to adjust your concurrency settings.

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3. Migrating Pipelines from Classic to YAML

YAML pipelines offer versioning, flexibility, and better collaboration. Follow a structured checklist for a seamless migration.
The image is a slide titled "Migrating a Pipeline From Classic to YAML in Azure Pipelines," listing topics such as introduction, YAML and classic pipelines, reasons to migrate, a pre-migration checklist, and a step-by-step migration process.

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Classic vs. YAML Comparison

AspectClassic PipelinesYAML Pipelines
Definition StorageGUI-basedCode repository
Version ControlLimitedFull Git history
ExtensibilityUI ExtensionsCustom templates and parameters
CollaborationManual export/importPull requests, code reviews

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Pre-Migration Checklist

  1. Inventory existing Classic pipelines and variable groups.
  2. Identify custom tasks or extensions.
  3. Review environment configurations and security permissions.

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Step-by-Step Migration Process

  1. Create initial YAML file
    • Export existing pipeline settings as reference.
  2. Reproduce Classic settings
    • Define pools, variables, triggers, and tasks in YAML.
  3. Validate incrementally
    • Run small sections of the pipeline using az pipelines run.
trigger:
  branches:
    include:
      - main

variables:
  - name: buildConfiguration
    value: Release

jobs:
- job: BuildAndTest
  pool: 'azure-pipelines'
  steps:
    - task: DotNetCoreCLI@2
      inputs:
        command: 'build'
        projects: '**/*.csproj'
    - task: DotNetCoreCLI@2
      inputs:
        command: 'test'
        projects: '**/*Tests.csproj'
Watch for YAML indentation and syntax errors. A single space can break your pipeline!
By mastering pipeline health metrics, optimizing concurrency, and migrating Classic to YAML pipelines, you’ll be fully prepared for the AZ-400 exam and ready to enhance your organization’s DevOps workflows.

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