AZ-400 Question #560: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

Question

You are developing an Azure Pipelines pipeline. You need to configure a check in the pipeline that will query Azure Boards to ensure that there are no active work item issues before the pipeline deploys a build to production. Which type of check should you implement?

Options

• Apost-deployment approvals
• Bmanual validations
• Cpre-deployment gates
• Dpre-deployment approvals

Explanation

Pre-deployment gates (Option C) are automated checks that run before a deployment begins, and they can query external systems - like Azure Boards - to validate conditions are met before allowing the pipeline to proceed. Gates are specifically designed for automated, condition-based queries (e.g., "are there zero active bugs?"), making them the ideal tool for this scenario.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A (Post-deployment approvals): These occur after a deployment, so they cannot prevent a flawed build from reaching production.
• B (Manual validations): These require a human to manually confirm a step, rather than automatically querying Azure Boards programmatically.
• D (Pre-deployment approvals): These also require human sign-off before a deployment, not an automated system query.

Memory Tip: Think of Gates = Automated and Approvals = Human. If the question involves querying a system or checking a condition automatically, the answer is almost always a gate. If it involves a person reviewing or approving, it's an approval. The prefix "pre-" vs "post-" simply tells you when it runs relative to the deployment.

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