AZ-400 Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions Exam

Automate Generation and Publication of Release and API Documentation

Automating the generation and publication of release and API documentation is a crucial aspect of effective DevOps practices in Azure. It enhances consistency and efficiency, ensuring updates are consistently communicated and accessible.

Configure Release Documentation

Release documentation, including release notes and API documentation, is essential for tracking changes and communicating updates to stakeholders. Use tools like Azure CLI to manage API releases effectively. Commands such as az apim api release create allow you to add notes to a release, making it easier to document changes. The --notes parameter lets users specify details about the update, ensuring these notes are visible in change logs and output reports.

Automating Documentation with Azure DevOps

To streamline the documentation process, integrate Azure DevOps pipelines with tools like Swagger/OpenAPI generators. This integration allows for the automatic creation of API reference documentation. Templating tools can generate versioned release notes, which are automatically updated with each release, ensuring that documentation is always current.

Publishing Pipelines

Configure pipeline tasks in Azure DevOps to publish generated documentation automatically. This can include:

• Code repositories: Store versioned documentation directly alongside your codebase.
• Wikis: Automatically update internal or external wikis with new documentation.
• Azure API Management portals: Ensure that users have access to the latest API documentation through the API Management portal.

Using Azure CLI for Documentation Management

The Azure CLI is a powerful tool for managing and updating API releases:

• The command az apim api list helps identify API IDs needed for releases.
• Use az apim api release list and az apim api release update to view and update existing releases.

Best Practices

To ensure a robust documentation process:

1. Automation: Implement automation to reduce manual efforts and errors.
2. Version Control: Use version control to track changes in your documentation.
3. Consistency: Regularly update documentation as part of your deployment pipeline.

Overall, automating the generation and publication of release and API documentation not only improves communication but also enhances operational efficiency, allowing teams to focus on building and deploying new features.