AZ-400 Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions Exam

Design and Implement a Retention Strategy for Pipeline Artifacts and Dependencies

Configure and Automate Artifact Retention Policies

Artifact retention policies are essential for managing the storage and lifecycle of build and release artifacts in Azure DevOps. Implementing these policies helps to optimize storage, ensure compliance, and improve governance.

Backup and Retention with Azure Backup

Azure Backup provides a robust solution for long-term data retention, making it a viable alternative to traditional tape storage. It integrates with System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM), enabling:

• Scheduled Backups: Configurable to meet organizational needs.
• Extended Retention: Storage of backup data for prolonged periods.
• Cloud Integration: Utilizes Azure for long-term retention.

A key consideration when using Azure Backup is the impact of disk optimizations, such as trimming in the guest OS, which might result in larger backup sizes due to reset incremental blocks.

Creating and Configuring Retention Policies

Retention policies determine how long backups are stored before they are deleted. Different policies can be set based on backup schedules:

• Daily Backups: For frequent recovery points, often retained for 90 days.
• Quarterly Backups: For audits, retained for longer durations.

For example, a Protection Policy might include:

• Daily Points: Stored for seven days.
• Weekly Points: Preserved for four weeks.
• Monthly Points: Maintained for 12 months.
• Yearly Points: Kept for up to 10 years.

Automation of Cleanup Tasks

Automating cleanup tasks ensures outdated backups are purged according to the defined policies, optimizing storage and maintaining compliance. This can be achieved by:

• Utilizing custom tasks available in Azure DevOps Marketplace, such as Post Build Cleanup.
• Configuring deployment pipelines to handle cleanup activities automatically.

Using Azure Pipelines

Azure Pipelines facilitate continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), and can be used to automate the deployment process, including:

• Creating Deployment Pipelines: Configuring pipelines from YAML files stored in Azure Repos.
• Automating Tasks: Integrating custom tasks for cleanup post-deployment.

Conclusion

By implementing artifact retention policies, organizations can manage the lifecycle of pipeline artifacts efficiently. Key benefits include compliance with organizational requirements, optimized storage through automated cleanup, and streamlined governance. Leveraging tools like Azure Backup and Azure Pipelines supports these goals effectively.