Azure Certified DevOps Engineer Crash Course

Prepare for Microsoft Certification Exam AZ-400

Delivered by

Mike Pfeiffer
Founder of CloudSkills.io
Microsoft Azure MVP
December/2019
Learning path for Azure DevOps Engineer Expert

Application
infrastructure

Dependency Continuous
management feedback AZ-400: Microsoft Azure
DevOps Solutions
Microsoft Certified:
Azure Administrator Associate

Online courses and instructor-led Microsoft Certified:

OR training available to support learning Azure DevOps Engineer Expert

Microsoft Certified:
Start here Azure Developer Associate

DevOps Continuous
strategy integration
Continuous
DevOps delivery
Key
development process
Optional Path
Required Path
AZ-400 exam basics
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/az-400
AZ-400 Exam
• Design a DevOps strategy (20-25%)
• Implement DevOps development processes (20-25%)
• Implement continuous integration (10-15%)
• Implement continuous delivery (10-15%)
• Implement dependency management (5-10%)
• Implement application infrastructure (15-20%)
• Implement continuous feedback (10-15%)
Today’s Session
• DevOps Foundations
• Continuous Integration
• Continuous Delivery
• Azure DevOps Exam Strategy
DevOps Foundations
DevOps is the union of people,
process, and products to enable
continuous delivery of value to
our end users.
DevOps in Practice
DevOps in Practice
• Focus on incremental changes that add value on a consistent
basis.

• Listen closely to the feedback without judgement.

• Stay committed to your desired outcome, but learn, be curious, be

humble, keep an open mind, and adapt to the results.

• Consistently strive to get 1% better on each iteration and embrace

the fact that this is an ever evolving, continuous process that has
no finish-line.
Why Do Teams Need DevOps?

Development Operations
Respond to rapidly changing needs Provide stable services
Regularly add new features to apps Maintain reliability of services
Address and eliminate bugs quickly Reduce failures
Agile Infrastructure vs. Traditional Processes

Value this Over this

Individuals and interactions Processes and tools
Working software Comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration Contract negotiation
Responding to change Following a plan
The Lean Movement (Eliminating Waste)
Codified in the Toyota Production System (1980s)

• Value Stream Mapping

• Kanban Boards
• Major Tenants:
o Short lead time is the best predictor of quality, customer satisfaction,
and employee happiness
o Small batch size is the best predictor of short lead times
What is Scrum?
Scrum is a framework used by teams to
manage their work. Scrum implements the
principles of Agile as a concrete set of
artifacts, practices, and roles.
The Scrum Lifecycle
The following diagram details the Scrum lifecycle. Scrum is iterative. The entire
lifecycle is completed in fixed time-period called a Sprint. A Sprint is typically 2-4
weeks long.
The Task Board
Lists each backlog item the
team is working on, broken
down into the tasks required
to complete it.

Tasks are placed in To Do,

In Progress, and Done
columns based on their
status.

It provides a visual way of

tracking progress for each
backlog item.
Azure DevOps Services
Azure Boards
Deliver value to your users faster
using proven agile tools to plan,
track, and discuss work across
your teams.
Azure Test Plans
Test and ship with confidence
using manual and exploratory
testing tools.
Azure Pipelines Azure Repos
Build, test, and deploy with CI/CD that Get unlimited, cloud-hosted
works with any language, platform, private Git repos and collaborate
and cloud. Connect to GitHub or any to build better code with pull
other Git provider and deploy requests and advanced file
continuously. management.
Azure Artifacts
Create, host, and share packages
with your team, and add artifacts to
your CI/CD pipelines with a single
click.
Design and implement an Agile work management approach

Understand the process choices

• Agile
• Scrum
• CMMI

Understand these terms:

- Cycle time - Kanban Board

- Lead time - Product Backlog
- Velocity - Delivery Plan
- Burndown - Sprint Plan
- WIP Limit
Azure Boards Demo
Group Discussion
• How to prepare for DevOps process questions on your exam
Hands-on Exercise
• Get started with Azure Boards
Continuous Integration
Introduction to Source Control

DevOps is a revolutionary way to

release software quickly and
efficiently while maintaining a
high level of security

Source control (version control)

is a critical part of DevOps
Introduction to Source Control

• Source control is the practice of tracking and managing changes to code

• Source control management (SCM) systems provide a running history of code
development and help to resolve conflicts when merging contributions from
multiple sources
• Source control protects source code from both catastrophe and the casual
degradation of human error and unintended consequences
• Benefits include: reusability, traceability, manageability, efficiency,
collaboration, and learning.
Centralized Source Control
Distributed Source Control
Git and TFVC
Why Git?
Storing files in Git
• Use a package management system for DLLs, library files, and
other dependent files
• Don't commit the binaries, logs, tracing output or diagnostic
data from your builds
• Don't commit large, frequently updated binary assets
• Use diffable plain text formats, such as JSON, for configuration
information
Continuous Integration (CI) is the
process of automating the build and
testing of code every time a team
member commits changes to
version control.
 Committing code triggers an
automated build system to grab the
latest code from the shared repository
and to build, test, and validate the full
master branch (also known as the
trunk or main).
4 Pillars of Continuous Integration
Azure Repos Demo
Git Branching Workflow Types
Feature Branch Workflow
Pull Request Demo
Group Discussion
• How to prepare for continuous integration questions on your
exam
Hands-on Exercise
• Creating a Basic Build Pipeline from a Template
Continuous Delivery
Azure Pipelines
Azure Pipelines Key Terms
Hosted vs Private Agents
Agent Pools
Microsoft Hosted vs Self Hosted Agents
Azure Pipelines Visual Designer
Azure Pipelines YAML Designer
Release vs Deployment
Deployment Patterns
Deployment Patterns
CI/CD Pipeline Demo
Group Discussion
• How to prepare for continuous delivery questions on your exam
Hands-on Exercise
• Build a Basic Release Pipeline
Azure DevOps Exam Strategy
Schedule Your Exam Now

• Travel to testing center • Take exam from home or

office
• Bring two forms of ID
• Validate your computer and
• Research their exam PCs
environment
• Best to make a dedicated
exam area in your home or
office
Mastering the Content: AZ-400 Exam
• Design a DevOps strategy (20-25%)
• Implement DevOps development processes (20-25%)
• Implement continuous integration (10-15%)
• Implement continuous delivery (10-15%)
• Implement dependency management (5-10%)
• Implement application infrastructure (15-20%)
• Implement continuous feedback (10-15%)
Prove your skills with hands-on labs in an Azure simulated
environment
Azure Resources for Hands-on Practice

Azure DevOps Labs

https://www.azuredevopslabs.com/

Azure DevOps Demo Generator

https://azuredevopsdemogenerator.azurewebsites.net/
Practice Exams

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/az-400
Practice Exams
Group Discussion
• How to get hands-on practice to prepare for your exam
Thank you