DevOps YAML Pipeline and variables - powershell

Question

I'm a bit of a beginner with YAMl and PS, so bear with me a bit.
The scenario:
I have SQL in Source Control using Redgate SoC and a build pipeline that contains the Redgate Build Extension, I have a task that checks whether there were any changes to Functions, SP's, Tables etc and a condition in the Redgate Build task that will skip the task if there were no changes to the above folders, when there are only scripts(data changes) that were pushed, and all of this works great. My next challenge (deployment pipeline) was to check if there was a Redgate Build performed to skip the deployment of the Redgate Deployment task.
My thinking here was, create a variable that I can save in the build pipeline and then use in the deployment pipeline (using the Variable Tools extension), under run this task (in the Redgate Deploy Pipeline section, set it to Custom Conditions and then check if the variable is true or not.
Following is my YAML Build pipeline:
trigger:
- dev
variables:
FunctionsFlag: $false
ProceduresFlag: $false
TablesFlag: $false
DataFlag: $false
ViewsFlag: $false
RGDeployFlag: $false
jobs:
- job: AdventureWorks
timeoutInMinutes: 0
pool: Enterprise
cancelTimeoutInMinutes: 1
steps:
- checkout: self
clean: true
- powershell: |
## get the changed files
$files=$(git diff HEAD HEAD~ --name-only)
$temp=$files -split ' '
$count=$temp.Length
echo "Total changed $count files"
For ($i=0; $i -lt $temp.Length; $i++)
{
$name=$temp[$i]
echo "this is $name file"
if ($name -like 'Functions/*')
{
##set the flag variable FunctionsFlagFlag to true
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=FunctionsFlag]$True"
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=RGDeployFlag]$True"
##Set-Variable -Name $(RGDeployFlag) -Value $True
echo "The answer is $(RGDeployFlag)"
}
if ($name -like 'Procedures/*')
{
##set the flag variable StoredProceduresFlagFlag to true
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=ProceduresFlag]$True"
}
if ($name -like 'Tables/*')
{
##set the flag variable TablesFlagFlag to true
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=TablesFlag]$True"
}
if ($name -like 'Data/*')
{
##set the flag variable StoredProceduresFlagFlag to true
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=DataFlag]$True"
}
if ($name -like 'Views/*')
{
##set the flag variable TablesFlagFlag to true
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=ViewsFlag]$True"
}
if (($name -like 'Functions/*') -or ($name -like 'Procedures/*') -or ($name -like 'Tables/*') -or ($name -like 'Data/*') -or($name -like 'Views/*'))
{
##set the flag variable RGDeployFlag to true
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=RGDeployFlag;isoutput=true]$True"
$RGDeployFlag=$True
echo "The answer is $(RGDeployFlag)"
}
echo "The answer is $(RGDeployFlag)"
}
- task: RedgateSqlChangeAutomationBuild#4
inputs:
operation: Build
dbFolder: RootFolder
packageName: AdventureWorks
tempServerTypeBuild: localDB
buildAdvanced: true
compareOptionsBuild: 'NoTransactions, IgnoreFileGroups'
dataCompareOptionsBuild: 'DisableAndReenableDMLTriggers, SkipFkChecks'
transactionIsolationLevelBuild: readCommitted
queryBatchTimeoutBuild: '0'
excludeEnviromentVariables: 'AGENT_*;BUILD_*;SYSTEM_*'
nugetPackageVersionSelector: Specific
nugetPackageVersion: '1.0'
nugetPackageVersionUseBuildId: true
requiredVersionOfDlma: latestInstalled
condition: and(succeeded(), or(eq(variables.FunctionsFlag, true),eq(variables.ProceduresFlag, true),eq(variables.TablesFlag, true),eq(variables.DataFlag, true),eq(variables.ViewsFlag, true)))
- task: CopyFiles#2
inputs:
SourceFolder: '$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)/Scripts'
Contents: '**'
TargetFolder: '$(System.ArtifactsDirectory)/Scripts'
CleanTargetFolder: true
OverWrite: true
preserveTimestamp: true
- task: variabledehydration#0
inputs:
prefixes: 'GITVERSION,BUILD,RGDeployFlag'
outpath: '$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)'
- task: PublishBuildArtifacts#1
displayName: 'Publish Artifact: drop'
inputs:
PathtoPublish: $(System.ArtifactsDirectory)
Release Pipeline
Custom Conditions
So my main problem is setting the variable to be used in the deployment pipeline. Here is where I require some guidance:
Am I supposed to create multiple stages and or jobs in order to do this, or is my YAML structure correct, and that I'm just setting the values incorrectly?
Inside the if statements of my PS section, I have been trying a few tests to manipulate the outcome, but so far with little success.
Regardless of how I set the variable, it keeps evaluating to false.
I look forward to your comments.
Regards
Wic

Answer 1

So I figured out why this did not work:
Firstly, I had to remove the variable 'declaration' from the YAML as I was setting it to be cast in stone:
Added an initialization for my variable.
And lastly added the set variable.
Voila, I am able to use that variable in my release pipeline.
The complete YAML pipeline now looks like:
trigger:
- dev
## Removed the variables section here
jobs:
- job: AdventureWorks
timeoutInMinutes: 0
pool: Enterprise
cancelTimeoutInMinutes: 1
steps:
- checkout: self
clean: true
- powershell: |
## Initialize my variable here
$RGDeployFlag = $false
## get the changed files
$files=$(git diff HEAD HEAD~ --name-only)
$temp=$files -split ' '
$count=$temp.Length
echo "Total changed $count files"
For ($i=0; $i -lt $temp.Length; $i++)
{
$name=$temp[$i]
echo "this is $name file"
if ($name -like 'Functions/*')
{
##set the flag variable FunctionsFlagFlag to true
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=FunctionsFlag]$True"
}
if ($name -like 'Procedures/*')
{
##set the flag variable StoredProceduresFlagFlag to true
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=ProceduresFlag]$True"
}
if ($name -like 'Tables/*')
{
##set the flag variable TablesFlagFlag to true
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=TablesFlag]$True"
}
if ($name -like 'Data/*')
{
##set the flag variable StoredProceduresFlagFlag to true
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=DataFlag]$True"
}
if ($name -like 'Views/*')
{
##set the flag variable TablesFlagFlag to true
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=ViewsFlag]$True"
}
if (($name -like 'Functions/*') -or ($name -like 'Procedures/*') -or ($name -like 'Tables/*') -or ($name -like 'Data/*') -or($name -like 'Views/*'))
{
## set the flag variable RGDeployFlag to true
$RGDeployFlag = $true
}
## Test to see what the variable value is
"RGDeployFlag : $RGDeployFlag"
}
- task: RedgateSqlChangeAutomationBuild#4
inputs:
operation: Build
dbFolder: RootFolder
packageName: AdventureWorks
tempServerTypeBuild: localDB
buildAdvanced: true
compareOptionsBuild: 'NoTransactions, IgnoreFileGroups'
dataCompareOptionsBuild: 'DisableAndReenableDMLTriggers, SkipFkChecks'
transactionIsolationLevelBuild: readCommitted
queryBatchTimeoutBuild: '0'
excludeEnviromentVariables: 'AGENT_*;BUILD_*;SYSTEM_*'
nugetPackageVersionSelector: Specific
nugetPackageVersion: '1.0'
nugetPackageVersionUseBuildId: true
requiredVersionOfDlma: latestInstalled
condition: and(succeeded(), or(eq(variables.FunctionsFlag, true),eq(variables.ProceduresFlag, true),eq(variables.TablesFlag, true),eq(variables.DataFlag, true),eq(variables.ViewsFlag, true)))
- task: CopyFiles#2
inputs:
SourceFolder: '$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)/Scripts'
Contents: '**'
TargetFolder: '$(System.ArtifactsDirectory)/Scripts'
CleanTargetFolder: true
OverWrite: true
preserveTimestamp: true
- task: variabledehydration#0
inputs:
prefixes: 'GITVERSION,BUILD,RGDeployFlag'
outpath: '$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)'
- task: PublishBuildArtifacts#1
displayName: 'Publish Artifact: drop'
inputs:
PathtoPublish: $(System.ArtifactsDirectory)