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Azure AZ-400 practice questions

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Question 1Design and implement processes and communications

A team creates a new project and needs work item types named Product Backlog Item, Bug, Task, Feature, and Epic. Which process should they choose?

  1. Agile
  2. Basic
  3. CMMI
  4. Scrum Correct answer.

Explanation

Each system process ships with a fixed set of work item types. The Scrum process defines Product Backlog Item, Bug, Task, Feature, and Epic, so it matches the requested names without any customization. The other processes use different core backlog types.

Question 2Design and implement processes and communications

Which action can a user with Stakeholder access perform in a private project?

  1. Create and edit work items in Azure Boards Correct answer.
  2. Edit project-level security permissions
  3. Create and manage Git repositories
  4. Create and manage release pipelines

Explanation

Stakeholder is a free, limited access level for private projects. It can view dashboards and backlogs and create or edit work items, but it cannot work with code, builds, or release pipelines, and it cannot administer project settings.

Question 3Design and implement processes and communications

You need a dashboard that appears on the project's Overview page for every team in the project. Which dashboard scope should you use?

  1. A project dashboard Correct answer.
  2. A team dashboard for each team, duplicated
  3. A shared query page pinned for the project
  4. An organization-level dashboard shared with the project

Explanation

Dashboards are scoped either to a project or to a single team. A project dashboard is listed under Overview > Dashboards for everyone with access to the project, while team dashboards are surfaced in that team's own context.

Question 4Design and implement processes and communications

A team member wants to draw a specific colleague's attention to a comment on a work item and have Azure DevOps notify that colleague. What should the team member do?

  1. Tag the work item with the colleague's name
  2. Add the colleague as a reviewer on the work item
  3. Use an @mention of the colleague in a Discussion comment Correct answer.
  4. Assign the work item to the colleague

Explanation

An @mention inside a work item Discussion comment resolves to a specific identity and triggers the mention notification to that person, which is enabled by default. The notification is tied to the mention, not to ownership or labeling.

Question 5Design and implement processes and communications

A team wants documentation stored as Markdown files inside a Git repository folder, versioned with the code, and editable through normal commits. Which wiki should they use?

  1. A README file in the repository root
  2. A Markdown widget on a dashboard
  3. A provisioned wiki
  4. A code wiki Correct answer.

Explanation

A code wiki publishes pages from a folder in a Git repository, so content is versioned with the code and edited through commits and pull requests. A provisioned wiki keeps its pages in a separate hidden repository managed only through the wiki UI.

Question 6Design and implement processes and communications

You need Azure DevOps to POST a JSON message to an external system whenever a build completes. What should you configure?

  1. A service hook subscription Correct answer.
  2. A pipeline completion trigger
  3. A branch policy on the main branch
  4. A notification subscription with an email action

Explanation

Service hooks subscribe to Azure DevOps events and push an HTTP payload to an external consumer such as a webhook endpoint, Slack, Teams, Jenkins, or Service Bus. Notification subscriptions deliver email or team messages inside Azure DevOps rather than posting to an arbitrary URL.

Question 7Design and implement processes and communications

A developer wants an email each time a work item is assigned to them personally. Where should this be configured?

  1. User settings > Notifications, creating a personal subscription Correct answer.
  2. Organization settings > Permissions
  3. Project settings > Notifications for the team
  4. The Discussion section of the work item form

Explanation

Personal subscriptions are created under User settings > Notifications, where a category such as Work item assigned is selected with email delivery. Organization-level default subscriptions exist, but individual preferences are managed at the user level.

Question 8Design and implement processes and communications

A program manager needs a calendar view of work items from several teams plotted against their iterations to spot dependencies. Which feature should they use?

  1. Sprint burndown chart
  2. Query results grid
  3. Velocity chart
  4. Delivery Plans Correct answer.

Explanation

Delivery Plans render calendar-style cards for one or more teams' backlogs across iterations, making cross-team sequencing and dependencies visible. Burndown and velocity charts summarize a single team's sprint data instead.

Question 9Design and implement processes and communications

You must add a field named Customer Tier to the Bug work item type in a single project while leaving every other project unchanged. What should you do?

  1. Edit the field list of the organization's default process so every project inherits it
  2. Create a custom work item type that contains the field and use it for new bugs
  3. Create an inherited process, add the field, and switch the project to it Correct answer.
  4. Create a global list named Customer Tier and reference it from a shared query

Explanation

Customizations are made on a copy of a system process, known as an inherited process, and apply only to projects that use that process. Changing the organization's system process or its field list affects every project built on it.

Question 10Design and implement processes and communications

Two teams work in the same project and must each see only their own items on their backlogs and boards. What should you configure?

  1. Create a shared query filtered by Assigned To for each team
  2. Restrict work item visibility with item-level security permissions
  3. Create a separate project for each team
  4. Assign each team a distinct area path and set it as the team's default area Correct answer.

Explanation

A team's backlogs, boards, and sprint views are filtered by the area paths and iteration paths assigned to that team. Giving each team its own area path and selecting it as the team's default area keeps the views separate inside one project.

Question 11Design and implement processes and communications

You have a shared query that returns open bugs by priority. You want a chart based on it that all project members can see and that reflects current data as work items change. What should you do?

  1. Subscribe to the query with a scheduled email notification
  2. Create a chart from the query and add it to a dashboard Correct answer.
  3. Create a Power BI report and embed it with a dashboard widget
  4. Export the query results to Excel and build a PivotChart from them

Explanation

Charts created from a query are saved with that query and can be pinned to a dashboard as a widget, so the chart re-renders from live query results wherever it is placed. No manual refresh step is required from the dashboard viewer.

Question 12Design and implement processes and communications

You need Power BI reports that show how work item field values changed over time. Which Azure DevOps capability provides that data?

  1. A work item query exported to CSV on a scheduled basis
  2. A dashboard widget configured with a rolling 30-day period
  3. The Work Item Tracking REST API polled every hour by Power BI
  4. Analytics views with historical data enabled Correct answer.

Explanation

Analytics views flatten work item data for Power BI consumption and can include historical data, which is required to show how field values changed over time. Current-state sources cannot reconstruct intermediate values.

Question 13Design and implement processes and communications

Which text in a GitHub commit message links the commit to Azure Boards work item 1234?

  1. AB#1234 Correct answer.
  2. AZ#1234
  3. WI:1234
  4. #1234

Explanation

Azure Boards recognizes the AB# prefix followed by a work item ID in GitHub commit messages, pull request titles and descriptions, and branch names, then adds the link in the work item's Development section. A bare #number refers to a GitHub issue instead.

Question 14Design and implement processes and communications

Team members want to create Azure Boards work items and see work item updates without leaving a Microsoft Teams channel. What should you do?

  1. Install the Azure Boards app for Microsoft Teams in the channel Correct answer.
  2. Create a service hook that posts build events to the channel's incoming webhook
  3. Add a website tab to the channel that points at the Azure DevOps organization URL
  4. Subscribe the channel's email address to the team's work item notification subscriptions

Explanation

The Azure Boards app for Microsoft Teams provides a channel tab and a messaging extension that create and display work items and deliver notifications inside Teams. Service hooks and webhooks send one-way messages and cannot create or browse work items.

Question 15Design and implement processes and communications

A security group must approve every pull request that changes any file under /src/crypto, and pull requests that do not touch that folder must not require their approval. What should you configure?

  1. A comment resolution policy for the crypto folders
  2. An automatically included reviewer with a /src/crypto path filter Correct answer.
  3. A build validation policy that runs a security scan on crypto files
  4. A required reviewer policy applied to all pull requests in the repository

Explanation

Automatically included reviewers support path filters, so the group is added only when files under the specified folder change, and the required setting makes their approval mandatory before completion. A plain required reviewer policy would demand approval on every pull request.

Question 16Design and implement processes and communications

You need to block completion of a pull request when the project's CI build fails. What should you configure?

  1. A comment requirement that the build result be mentioned
  2. A build validation branch policy that selects the CI pipeline Correct answer.
  3. A status policy that requires the pull request author to approve
  4. A required reviewer group containing the build service account

Explanation

Build validation queues a specified pipeline when a pull request targets the protected branch and marks the policy as failed when the build does not succeed, preventing completion while the policy is required. It is configured as a branch policy on the target branch.

Question 17Design and implement processes and communications

A shared query must return only the work items assigned to whoever runs it. Which clause should you use?

  1. Assigned To = $(User)
  2. Assigned To = @Me Correct answer.
  3. Assigned To = @CurrentUser
  4. Assigned To = [Me]

Explanation

@Me and @Today are query macros resolved at run time, so @Me becomes the identity of the person executing the query. Placeholder strings that are not macros are matched literally as text.

Question 18Design and implement processes and communications

A team's sprint burndown chart stays at a horizontal line at total scope while tasks are being closed each day. The iteration dates and the team's sprint selection are correct. What is the most likely cause?

  1. Remaining Work has not been entered on the tasks Correct answer.
  2. The chart is bound to a query that the team does not own
  3. The team's capacity has not been set for the sprint
  4. The tasks are children of Features instead of Product Backlog Items

Explanation

Sprint burndown plots the sum of Remaining Work on tasks for each day of the sprint. If tasks are closed without Remaining Work ever being set, the plotted scope never drops and the line stays flat.

Question 19Design and implement processes and communications

A manager wants a chart that compares, for recent sprints, the effort each team committed to at planning with the effort actually completed. Which chart should they use?

  1. Cumulative flow diagram
  2. Sprint burndown
  3. Cycle time chart
  4. Velocity chart Correct answer.

Explanation

The Velocity chart compares, sprint by sprint, the effort committed at planning with the effort completed, which supports forecasting. Burndown shows a single sprint's daily remaining work rather than cross-sprint totals.

Question 20Design and implement processes and communications

A team wants its board to show custom columns and work-in-progress limits that differ from the process defaults, without affecting other teams. What should you configure?

  1. Add a swimlane for each state in the team's board settings
  2. Edit the work item type states in the inherited process
  3. Change the project's process to one with the required states
  4. Configure the team's board columns in team settings Correct answer.

Explanation

Board columns, swimlanes, and WIP limits are per-team settings that map onto the states defined by the process. Teams can choose which states appear as columns and in what order without changing the process for anyone else.

Question 21Design and implement processes and communications

In an inherited process, work items must be prevented from moving to the Done state unless a field named Resolution is filled in. What should you configure?

  1. A shared query that the team reviews before closing work items
  2. A branch policy that blocks pull requests referencing Done items
  3. A custom rule conditioned on the state change to Done Correct answer.
  4. Make the Resolution field required for every state of the work item type

Explanation

Inherited process rules combine a condition, such as a state change to Done, with an action, such as making a field required or setting a value. The rule is evaluated when the work item is saved, so the transition is blocked until Resolution is supplied.

Question 22Design and implement processes and communications

A program manager wants a parent Feature to display the sum of the Original Estimate of all its child items and refresh automatically. What should you configure?

  1. A calculated column in Power BI written back to the work item
  2. An Excel pivot table connected to the work item query
  3. A rollup column on the Feature work item type Correct answer.
  4. A query that sums the estimate and a dashboard chart built from it

Explanation

Rollup columns sum or count child and descendant work items on the parent, are enabled per work item type in an inherited process, and recalculate automatically as children change; Analytics must be enabled for the organization.

Question 23Design and implement processes and communications

Developers push commits containing AB#1234 to a GitHub repository, but the referenced work items show no links in their Development sections. What should you verify first?

  1. The commit authors have Basic access to Azure DevOps
  2. The referenced work items are in a state that allows linking from commits
  3. The Azure Boards app for GitHub is authorized for the repo Correct answer.
  4. The GitHub repository is configured as a mirror of an Azure Repos repository

Explanation

Commit and pull request links appear only when the Azure Boards app for GitHub is installed and authorized for the repositories involved. Without that authorization the mention syntax is never processed, however correct it is.

Question 24Design and implement processes and communications

A release often fails overnight, and the on-call distribution list must be notified without maintaining one subscription per person. What should you configure?

  1. A dashboard widget that lists failed releases
  2. A separate personal subscription for each team member
  3. A service hook that posts to an SMTP relay endpoint
  4. A notification subscription that delivers to a custom email address Correct answer.

Explanation

Notification subscriptions can deliver to a custom email address in addition to individual users, groups, and teams. Pointing the subscription at a distribution list lets membership change outside Azure DevOps while everyone on the list still receives the failure notice.

Question 25Design and implement processes and communications

A team cannot create a chart from a saved query whose type is Work items and direct links. What is the reason?

  1. The query must be shared with the team first
  2. The user must have Basic access instead of Stakeholder
  3. Only flat-list queries can be charted Correct answer.
  4. Analytics must be enabled for the organization

Explanation

Query charts require a flat-list query; tree and direct-link query types cannot be rendered as charts. Changing the query type to Flat list makes the Charts tab available.

Question 26Design and implement processes and communications

A team wants to publish project documentation that is version-controlled, presented with a hierarchical table of contents, and editable directly in the Azure DevOps web portal. What should they use?

  1. A project wiki Correct answer.
  2. A discussion thread on a work item
  3. A README.md file stored in the root of the repository
  4. A Markdown widget added to the team dashboard

Explanation

A wiki in Azure DevOps is backed by its own Git repository, so every page edit is versioned and can also be cloned and edited offline. Pages are rendered with a hierarchical table of contents that users navigate in the portal, which is what makes it suitable for multi-page project documentation.

Question 27Design and implement processes and communications

Each time a team member creates a Bug from the team's board, several fields must already contain the team's standard values and the description must start with a short checklist. What should you configure?

  1. Required field rules on the Bug work item type
  2. Work item templates saved for the team Correct answer.
  3. A shared query that filters bugs by the team's area path
  4. Default value rules on the Bug fields in the inherited process

Explanation

Work item templates store predefined field values plus a description, and they are applied when a work item is created from that team's backlog, board, or sprint view. Because templates are team-scoped, other teams in the same project keep their own creation experience.

Question 28Design and implement a source control strategy

Which merge strategy combines all commits from a feature branch into a single new commit on the target branch?

  1. Semi-linear merge
  2. Squash merge Correct answer.
  3. Basic merge
  4. Rebase and fast-forward

Explanation

A squash merge takes every change from the source branch and records it as one new commit on the target branch, so the individual feature commits never appear in the target history. The other merge types keep either the individual commits or an explicit merge commit.

Question 29Design and implement a source control strategy

What is the purpose of a .gitignore file?

  1. It removes matching files from the working directory on commit.
  2. It controls which users may push changes to matching paths.
  3. It tells Git which untracked paths to exclude from version control. Correct answer.
  4. It stores large binaries outside the repository object database.

Explanation

A .gitignore file lists path patterns that Git should not report as untracked and should not stage automatically. It has no effect on files that are already tracked, and it does not enforce permissions or move data elsewhere.

Question 30Design and implement a source control strategy

With Git LFS, what is stored inside the Git history for a tracked large file?

  1. A binary diff against the previous version
  2. A pointer file that references external storage Correct answer.
  3. A submodule reference to external storage
  4. A compressed copy of the entire file

Explanation

Git LFS commits a small text pointer in place of the binary content; the actual file bytes live in separate LFS storage and are fetched on demand. This keeps the Git object database small and clones fast.

Question 31Design and implement a source control strategy

A developer must copy one specific commit from a release branch onto main without bringing the other commits. Which Git command should they use?

  1. git revert
  2. git cherry-pick Correct answer.
  3. git rebase
  4. git merge

Explanation

git cherry-pick applies the changes introduced by a single commit onto the current branch as a new commit. It does not merge branch histories or undo changes, which is what merge, revert, and rebase do.

Question 32Design and implement a source control strategy

Which branch policy guarantees that a set number of reviewers have approved a pull request before it can be completed?

  1. Require a minimum number of reviewers Correct answer.
  2. Check for linked work items
  3. Require comment resolution
  4. Build validation

Explanation

The minimum reviewers policy blocks completion until the configured count of reviewers has voted approve. The other policies govern work item linkage, comment threads, and automated build results rather than approval counts.

Question 33Design and implement a source control strategy

Which statement describes trunk-based development?

  1. Each developer keeps a private fork and merges it once per quarter.
  2. Every feature is developed on a long-lived branch merged at release time.
  3. Developers merge small, frequent changes into one shared mainline. Correct answer.
  4. Each release is cut from a branch that never receives new commits.

Explanation

Trunk-based development keeps a single shared mainline that everyone integrates into with small, frequent commits, often behind feature flags. Long-lived divergent branches and infrequent merges are the patterns it is meant to avoid.

Question 34Design and implement a source control strategy

What is the effect of creating a pull request as a draft in Azure Repos?

  1. It runs build validation but skips reviewer assignment.
  2. It hides the change from everyone except the author.
  3. It cannot be completed until it is marked ready for review. Correct answer.
  4. It merges automatically once all policies are satisfied.

Explanation

A draft pull request is visible for early feedback but is blocked from completion until the author marks it ready for review. Policies still evaluate normally while it is a draft.

Question 35Design and implement a source control strategy

Which Git feature should be used to mark a specific commit as the release version 2.4.0?

  1. A Git tag Correct answer.
  2. A stash entry
  3. A branch named release-2.4.0
  4. A .gitattributes rule

Explanation

A Git tag is an immutable label attached to a commit and is the standard mechanism for marking release points such as 2.4.0. Branches move as new commits are added, so they are unsuitable as permanent version markers.

Question 36Design and implement a source control strategy

Which merge type replays each source-branch commit onto the target tip and then fast-forwards, preserving the individual commits without a merge commit?

  1. Basic merge
  2. Squash merge
  3. Semi-linear merge
  4. Rebase and fast-forward Correct answer.

Explanation

The rebase and fast-forward option rewrites the feature commits on top of the target branch tip and advances the target branch, producing linear history with no merge commit. Squash merge also avoids a merge commit but discards the individual commits.

Question 37Design and implement a source control strategy

A team wants build validation on main to run only when files under /src/api change. What should be configured?

  1. A required reviewer group that contains the API team
  2. A path filter on the build validation policy Correct answer.
  3. A separate repository for each folder
  4. A .gitignore entry for the other folders

Explanation

Build validation policies support path filters, so the required build is triggered only when the pull request touches the specified paths. Reviewer groups and repository layout do not affect whether the validation build is queued.

Question 38Design and implement a source control strategy

Which policy prevents a pull request from being completed while any comment thread is still active?

  1. Comment resolution Correct answer.
  2. Merge type restriction
  3. Minimum number of reviewers
  4. Check for linked work items

Explanation

The comment resolution policy blocks completion until every comment thread on the pull request is resolved. The other policies concern approvals, work item linkage, or merge strategy, none of which inspect comment threads.

Question 39Design and implement a source control strategy

Which branch policy enforces that every pull request is associated with at least one work item?

  1. Comment resolution
  2. Automatically included reviewers
  3. Check for linked work items Correct answer.
  4. Build validation

Explanation

The check for linked work items policy requires an association between the pull request and a work item before completion. It is distinct from reviewer, comment, and build policies.

Question 40Design and implement a source control strategy

A security team must review every pull request that modifies anything under /infra. Which configuration accomplishes this?

  1. A manually added required reviewer per pull request
  2. A branch permission that denies contribute on /infra
  3. An automatically included reviewer policy for /infra Correct answer.
  4. A build validation policy that runs a linter

Explanation

The automatically included reviewers policy can be scoped with a path filter so the designated group is added as required reviewers whenever matching files change. Manual addition depends on the author remembering, and the other options do not add reviewers.

Question 41Design and implement a source control strategy

Why would a team create a release branch from main?

  1. To replace pull requests with direct pushes
  2. To store large binary build outputs
  3. To stabilize a release while main keeps taking new work Correct answer.
  4. To prevent main from receiving any further commits

Explanation

A release branch isolates the stabilization and hotfix work for a specific version while main continues to receive new development. Main is never frozen by the existence of a release branch, and branches are not storage for build artifacts.

Question 42Design and implement a source control strategy

A bad commit has already been pushed to a shared main branch. Which action undoes it without rewriting shared history?

  1. git reset --hard to the previous commit and force push
  2. Deleting and recreating the main branch
  3. git revert of the bad commit Correct answer.
  4. git commit --amend and force push

Explanation

git revert creates a new commit that applies the inverse of the bad change, so the shared history stays intact and other clones are unaffected. Rewriting history on a shared branch forces everyone else to repair their local copies.

Question 43Design and implement a source control strategy

A contributor works from a fork and needs the latest upstream changes in their local main branch. What should they do?

  1. Open a pull request from upstream into their fork
  2. Push their fork's main branch to the upstream repository
  3. Delete the fork and create a new one each release
  4. Add upstream as a remote, fetch, and then merge Correct answer.

Explanation

Adding the original repository as a second remote, fetching from it, and merging or rebasing into the local branch is the standard way to synchronize a fork. Contributors normally cannot push to the upstream repository directly.

Question 44Design and implement a source control strategy

A cross-platform team wants all text files checked out with LF line endings. What should they configure?

  1. A .gitignore rule for *.txt files
  2. A .gitattributes rule such as * text=auto eol=lf Correct answer.
  3. A Git LFS tracking rule for text files
  4. A branch policy that blocks Windows users

Explanation

The .gitattributes file controls how Git normalizes and checks out content, and eol=lf forces LF in the working directory. .gitignore affects tracking, not line endings, and LFS is intended for large binaries.

Question 45Design and implement a source control strategy

Which statement about Git submodules is correct?

  1. Submodules are supported only in Azure Repos, not in GitHub.
  2. Submodule contents are copied into the parent repository on commit.
  3. Submodules always track the latest commit of the remote branch.
  4. A submodule records a specific commit of another repository. Correct answer.

Explanation

A submodule stores a reference to a particular commit of another repository, so the parent pins an exact version rather than mirroring the content. Moving the pointer forward is an explicit commit in the parent repository.

Question 46Design and implement a source control strategy

How can a team standardize the description authors fill in when they open a pull request in Azure Repos?

  1. Commit a pull request template to the default branch Correct answer.
  2. Add a required reviewer group to the branch policy
  3. Enable comment resolution on the target branch
  4. Set the merge type to squash

Explanation

Azure Repos uses a pull request template file stored in the default branch (for example pull_request_template.md in the repository root or in a .azuredevops folder) to prefill the description. Reviewer, comment, and merge settings do not affect the description.

Question 47Design and implement a source control strategy

A team must stop developers from rewriting history on main while still allowing them to merge pull requests. Which permission should be denied on main?

  1. Create branch
  2. Manage permissions
  3. Contribute
  4. Force push Correct answer.

Explanation

The Force push permission specifically controls rewriting published history on a branch, so denying it blocks force pushes while normal merges remain possible. Contribute covers ordinary pushes and merges, so denying it would break the merge workflow.

Question 48Design and implement a source control strategy

What does the semi-linear merge option produce on the target branch?

  1. A single squashed commit with no branch history
  2. Only a merge commit with the original feature commits
  3. Rebased feature commits followed by a merge commit Correct answer.
  4. A fast-forward with no new commits created

Explanation

Semi-linear merge rebases the source commits onto the target tip and then creates a merge commit, giving linear reviewable commits plus an explicit record that the pull request was merged. It differs from both squash merge and rebase with fast-forward.

Question 49Design and implement a source control strategy

A repository holds millions of files, but developers need only a subset in their working directory. Which approach reduces local disk and network cost?

  1. Sparse checkout combined with partial clone Correct answer.
  2. Cloning with --depth 1 only
  3. Git LFS tracking for all source files
  4. A separate branch for each developer

Explanation

Partial clone avoids downloading all objects up front, and sparse checkout limits the working directory to the selected paths, together cutting disk and network usage. Shallow clone limits history only, and LFS helps with large binaries rather than file counts.

Question 50Design and implement a source control strategy

A hotfix must ship while the validation build on main is failing. Which approach completes the pull request in a controlled, auditable way?

  1. Pause the validation pipeline until the build passes
  2. Complete the PR using an account with bypass policies permission Correct answer.
  3. Delete the branch policy, complete the PR, then re-add it
  4. Force push the fix directly to the main branch

Explanation

Completing with the bypass policies permission records that policies were deliberately overridden, which keeps an auditable trail and avoids permanently weakening the branch. Deleting policies or force pushing destroys the control and the record of why it was skipped.