Originally reported by devclass.com. Original publication date: 22 August 2019.
Azure DevOps Server 2019 Update 1 Is Generally Available
Microsoft has released the final version of Azure DevOps Server (ADS) 2019 Update 1 as generally available. The release — targeting the on-premises product formerly known as Team Foundation Server — delivers a new Basic process template, analytics improvements, enhanced GitHub integration, and a range of pipeline and repository quality-of-life upgrades.
New Basic Process Template
Prior to this update, teams starting a new project had to choose from three process templates: Agile, Scrum, and CMMI. Each carries a learning curve, particularly for smaller teams or those new to structured project tracking. The new Basic process template offers a simpler entry point with three core work item types:
- Issues — for tracking features, bugs, and user stories
- Epics — for grouping related Issues together
- Tasks — for granular planning and day-to-day tracking
This stripped-back model suits teams that want to get started quickly without configuring the full Agile or Scrum field sets.
Improved GitHub Integration
ADS 2019 Update 1 deepens the connection between Azure DevOps and GitHub in two important areas:
GitHub Release Task for Azure Pipelines
A new GitHub Release task is available in Azure Pipelines. Teams can add this task to a pipeline to automate the creation of GitHub releases and generate accompanying release notes, reducing manual steps in the release process.
Azure Boards and GitHub Cross-Linking
The Azure Boards GitHub Integration now supports creating links between Azure Boards work items and GitHub pull requests, issues, and commits. A practical example: a team can accept bug reports through GitHub Issues while tracking the remediation work on a linked Azure Board. This keeps engineers working in GitHub while giving project managers full visibility in Boards.
Pull Request and Repository Enhancements
The repository experience has received several targeted improvements:
- Automatic queuing of expired builds — builds that expired before running are now automatically re-queued.
- Fast-forward and semi-linear merge strategies — additional merge options are available when completing pull requests, giving teams more control over their Git history.
- Target branch filter — a new filter makes it easier to find pull requests targeting a specific branch in repositories with high PR volume.
- Draft pull requests — developers can now create a PR in draft state by selecting Create as draft from the Create button dropdown. This is useful for work in progress or when preparing for review without triggering notifications prematurely.
YAML Pipeline Authoring Improvements
Writing and maintaining YAML pipelines is easier in this release thanks to two additions in the pipeline web editor:
- IntelliSense support — when enabled in the YAML editor, IntelliSense surfaces syntax errors and provides inline suggestions, reducing the feedback loop on pipeline authoring mistakes.
- Task assistant — accessible via the Edit option for YAML-based pipelines, the task assistant helps users build common pipeline task definitions without needing to memorise YAML schemas.
Pipeline Deployment and CI Skip Options
Automatic Rollback on Deployment Failure
Azure Pipelines can now be configured to automatically redeploy the last successful deployment if a deployment stage fails. This reduces the manual intervention needed when a bad deployment reaches a stage environment, helping teams recover faster.
Skipping CI on a Commit
To skip the continuous integration pipeline for a specific commit, include [skip ci] in the HEAD commit message. This works for both Azure Repos Git and GitHub Enterprise Server repositories.
git commit -m "Update README [skip ci]"Code language: JavaScript (javascript)Azure Boards Updates
Several Azure Boards improvements ship with this update:
- Board status badges — boards can now be shared as embeddable badges, similar to build-status badges, giving external stakeholders a quick visual summary.
- Time-based query macros — new macros allow users to query what has changed since the start of the current day, week, month, or year, simplifying recurring reporting tasks.
- Edit and delete work item comments — a highly requested feature: users can now edit or delete comments they made in work item discussion threads.
Analytics Now Built In
Previously, accessing analytics in ADS required installing a separate Analytics extension. With ADS 2019 Update 1, analytics can be enabled directly from the Project Collection settings, removing the extension dependency and streamlining the setup process for administrators.
Where to Find the Full Release Notes
The changes summarised here cover the most impactful updates for development and DevOps teams. Microsoft publishes a complete list of enhancements and bug fixes in the official ADS 2019 Update 1 release notes on the Azure DevOps documentation site.