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Azure Operations, CalmlyCLI & Automation · Rule 4

CLI & Automation

Rule 4Chapter II

what-if runs before every template deployment — no exceptions on prod.

Why this rule exists

what-if is a free preview of adds, changes, and deletes. Reading thirty seconds of output has caught entire categories of "the template also deleted X" incidents.

Azure Operations, Calmly

In practice

az deployment group what-if with the exact parameters of the real run, in the pipeline, with the output attached to the change record. A surprising delete in the preview stops the deploy.

Sources & further reading

Ref

Microsoft Learn — ARM template deployment what-if — The preview operation itself

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