DevOps with Azure DevOps & Visual Studio 2022
Course Syllabus
Benjamin Day Consulting, Inc.
17 Roberts St #2
Brookline, MA 02445
617-645-0188
https://benday.com
Course Overview
Azure DevOps is more than just version control! This 2-day course will help jump start your team's use of Azure DevOps with Visual Studio 2022. We'll start with Git version control and move on to cover CI/CD pipelines, automated releases, project planning using Work Items, Scrum & Agile Projects, and automated testing. Along the way, we'll also discuss setup, advanced Git features (including branching & merging), and using Visual Studio 2022 & Azure DevOps to enforce code quality through pull requests and automated builds.
What You'll Learn
Azure DevOps & Modern DevOps Overview
- What is DevOps and how can Azure DevOps help?
- Azure DevOps Services vs. Azure DevOps Server
- Organizations, Projects, and Teams
- Security and permissions
- Integration with GitHub
- Cross-platform development support
Git Version Control with Azure DevOps
- Git fundamentals vs. centralized version control
- Azure Repos with Git
- Cloning, committing, pushing, and pulling
- Working with branches and merge strategies
- Git workflows (GitFlow, GitHub Flow)
- Resolving merge conflicts
- Git from Visual Studio 2022
- Git from command line and VS Code
- Repository setup and best practices
Work Item Management & Agile Planning
- Work Items overview and types
- Areas, Iterations, and Teams
- Azure Boards for project planning
- Scrum and Agile planning tools
- Sprint planning and capacity management
- Kanban boards and work visualization
- Burndown and velocity tracking
- Custom work item types and fields
- Queries and reporting
Pull Requests & Code Quality
- Branch policies and protection rules
- Pull request workflows
- Code reviews and collaboration
- Required reviewers and approval policies
- Build validation and status checks
- Merge strategies and options
- Branch protection and quality gates
Azure Pipelines - Build & Release
- CI/CD fundamentals
- YAML pipelines vs. Classic pipelines
- Build pipeline creation and configuration
- Triggers: CI, scheduled, and manual builds
- Build agents: Microsoft-hosted vs. self-hosted
- Pipeline variables and variable groups
- Artifact management and feeds
- Multi-stage pipelines
- Release pipelines and environments
- Deployment strategies (blue-green, canary)
- Pipeline security and service connections
Testing & Quality Assurance
- Unit testing with .NET 8+ and xUnit
- Code coverage reporting
- Integration testing strategies
- Test automation in pipelines
- Test Plans and manual testing
- Load testing capabilities
- Security scanning and compliance
Monitoring & Analytics
- Pipeline analytics and reporting
- Work item analytics and dashboards
- Custom dashboards and widgets
- Integration with Application Insights
- Performance monitoring
Lab Exercises
Throughout the course, students will work on hands-on exercises including:
- Setting up a new Azure DevOps project
- Creating and managing Git repositories
- Implementing branching strategies
- Setting up CI/CD pipelines
- Configuring automated testing
- Managing releases and deployments
- Creating custom dashboards
Prerequisites
- Basic understanding of software development concepts
- Familiarity with Visual Studio or similar IDE
- Basic understanding of version control concepts
- Some experience with .NET development helpful but not required
Course Details
Technologies: Azure DevOps Services/Server, Visual Studio 2022, Git, .NET 8+
Programming Languages: Primarily .NET (C#), but concepts apply to any language
Duration: 2 days, 9am to 5pm
Format: Interactive lectures with hands-on labs
Lab Machine Requirements
Operating System: Windows 10/11 or macOS (latest versions)
Memory: 8GB RAM minimum, 16GB recommended
Required Applications:
- Visual Studio 2022 (Community, Professional, or Enterprise)
- Git for Windows (if on Windows)
- Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Edge)
- Azure DevOps account (free tier available)
Network Requirements: Reliable internet connection for accessing Azure DevOps Services
Student Permissions: Administrative rights on laptop helpful but not strictly required
Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Set up and configure Azure DevOps projects for their teams
- Implement Git-based version control workflows
- Create and manage CI/CD pipelines
- Establish code review processes using pull requests
- Plan and track work using Azure Boards
- Implement automated testing in their development process
- Monitor and improve their DevOps practices
Customization Options
This course can be customized for your organization's specific needs:
- Focus on specific Azure DevOps services
- Integration with existing tools and processes
- Custom pipeline examples using your technology stack
- Shortened format (half-day to 1.5 days)
- Advanced topics (infrastructure as code, container deployments)
Course content is regularly updated to reflect the latest Azure DevOps features and Visual Studio 2022 capabilities.