Team Foundation Server 2013 Advanced Topics

Course Duration 2 days

Training Overview

This two-day, instructor-led course dives deep into Team Foundation Server (TFS). Students will explore areas of process templates, template customization, advanced version control, parallel development, Team Foundation Build, extending Team Foundation Server, and a variety of preferred practices. This course provides students with the knowledge and skills to effectively understand, customize, and leverage these features and capabilities.

Audience

This course is intended for students with a working-knowledge of Team Foundation Server or who have attended comparable training classes.

Prerequisites

Before attending this course, a student should have experience using Team Foundation Server. Additionally, students should:

Have familiarity with their team’s software development process
Have experience developing and supporting multiple versions of a software product
Have experience working with multiple developers on a software development team
Have experience with the types of conflicts that can arise from a multi-developer project
Be able to read and understand C# .NET code (all source code will be provided)
Understand the Microsoft Windows operating system and security basics

At Course Completion

At course completion, attendees will have had exposure to:

Process template architecture
Modifying a process template
Creating and altering work item types
Customizing TWA agile planning tools
Using the process editor power tool
Creating and using global lists
Parallel development concepts and challenges
Parallel development support in TFS
Branching and merging patterns and strategies
Selecting an appropriate branching strategy
Version control workspace types and usage
Setting up and managing workspaces
Using branch and merge commands
Forward integration and reverse integration
Using shelve and unshelve commands
Detecting and resolving conflicts
Securing folders and files in version control
Using the TF and TFPT command line utilities
Installing and using the MSSCCI provider
Using alternate compare and merge tools

Team Foundation Build architecture
Setting up a build controller and agent
Running tests during a build
Queuing a build in different ways
Implementing Continuous Integration
Supporting code coverage and code analysis
Using gated check-in builds and private builds
Build security and build permissions
Team Foundation Build community projects
Customizing a build process template
Selecting and using a build workflow activity
Client and server object models
Extending work item tracking
Extending version control
Creating a custom check-in policy
Extending Team Foundation Build
Using a custom Team Build workflow activity
Team Foundation Services
Team Foundation Server eventing service
People, process, and tools: preferred practices

Course Outline

1. PROCESS TEMPLATE CUSTOMIZATION

This module discusses process templates and the tools and techniques used to tailor them for a team’s specific needs.

Lessons

Customizing vs. extending
Process template architecture
Modifying a process template
Customizing work item types
Using global lists
Customizing process guidance
Customizing Agile planning tools

Hands-On

Explore an existing process template
Customize a process template
Customize a work item type
Modify Agile planning tools behavior
Create and use a global list
Use work item templates (optional)

2. MANAGING CHANGE DURING PARALLEL DEVELOPMENT

This module offers an advanced discussion of Team Foundation Version Control, relating to multiple users working on code in the same team project.

Lessons

Introduction to parallel development
Workspace and locking models
Branch, merge, shelve and unshelve
Branching patterns
Conflict detection and resolution
Securing folders and files
The TF.exe command line utility
TFS Power Tools

Hands-On

Shelve and unshelve changes
Branch code and manage branches
Understand and resolve conflicts
Merge changes between branches
Secure artifacts under version control
Use an alternate merge tool (optional)
Use the MSSCCI provider (optional)

3. ADVANCED TEAM FOUNDATION BUILD

This module is a deep dive into Team Foundation Build, including a more technical look into the build process and how to customize it.

Lessons

Team Foundation Build architecture
Automating and securing Team Build
Implementing Continuous
Integration
Gated check-ins and private builds
Tagging build agents
Team Build community projects
Customizing build process templates
Team Foundation Build FAQ

Hands-On

Configure Team Foundation Build
Override a build’s default behavior
Configure additional build agents
Configure a gated check-in build
Configure a private build
Customize the build process template
Install additional build activities

4. EXTENDING TEAM FOUNDATION SERVER

This module explores the APIs that are available to developers wanting to extend TFS.

Lessons

Extending Team Foundation Server
Relevant object models
Extending work item tracking
Extending version control
Extending Team Build
Team Foundation Services

Hands-On

Extend work item tracking extensibility by creating a custom work item utility
Explore version control extensibility by creating a custom check-in policy
Explore TFS events by creating and registering a custom WCF application

5. PREFERRED PRACTICES

This module reviews many of the practices that TFS teams prefer to use.

Lessons

Team projects, areas, iterations, work Item tracking, and licensing
Version control, branching, shared code, dependencies, and builds
Collaboration, productivity, code reviews, feedback, and getting done!

Hands-On

This module contains no hands-on activities

Course Designer

This course was designed by Richard Hundhausen, a Visual Studio ALM MVP, Microsoft Regional Director, and an experienced software developer and trainer. For more information about his company, or to see other courses that they offer, visit www.accentient.com.