Initiating Pipeline Execution in Azure
2 min readJan 16, 2024
Azure Pipelines offer a versatile range of options to initiate pipeline execution, catering to diverse development and deployment workflows. These methods include:
Debug Mode:
- Primarily employed during pipeline development to facilitate error identification and rectification.
- Emulates pipeline execution without actual triggering, providing execution status (successful or failed) and failure reasons to guide developers in making necessary adjustments.
On-Demand Trigger:
- Facilitates manual pipeline execution through the “Trigger Now” functionality.
- Executes the pipeline as designed, implementing any intended modifications at the designated destination.
Configured Triggers:
Offer automated pipeline execution based on specified events or schedules.
Scheduled Trigger: Executes pipelines according to a predetermined schedule, supporting flexible intervals (minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months).
- Permits configuration of active start and end dates to confine execution within a defined time period.
Tumbling Window Trigger: Ideal for handling historical data for copying or migration.
- Executes pipelines at specified time slices or periodic intervals.
- Supports a maximum of two dependencies, including self-dependency or dependency on other tumbling window pipelines.
- Self-dependency mandates a negative offset, while offset and window size are optional for other dependencies.
Event-Based Trigger: Initiates pipeline execution in response to designated events, such as new or updated datasets.
- Commonly leveraged for loading incremental data.
- Often implemented using Azure Logic Apps.
Additional Considerations:
- Azure DevOps CLI also enables command-line control for manual pipeline execution.
- Triggers can be configured to respond to events from external services or tools.
- Ensure appropriate permissions are granted for pipeline execution within the project.
