Team Development with Visual Studio Team Foundation Server

Additional Resources
• For more information, see “Chapter 8 – Setting up a Continuous Integration Build
with Team Build” in this guide.
• For more information about setting up a CI build, see “How To – Set Up a Scheduled
Build with Visual Studio Team Foundation Server” in this guide.
• For more information about how to use the Visual Studio Team System CI solution,
see “Continuous Integration Using Team Foundation Build” at
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms364045(VS.80).aspx
• To download the Visual Studio Team System CI solution MSI, go to
http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/5/e/65e300ce-22fc-4988-97de-
0e81d3de2482/ci.msi
• For more information about agile development and CI in TFS, see “Extend Team
Foundation Server To Enable Continuous Integration” at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/06/03/TeamSystem/default.aspx
How to Determine if You Need a Rolling Build
Building immediately after every check-in is the simplest CI strategy and generally gives
you the most rapid feedback. However, if check-ins occur rapidly enough to overwhelm
the build server, you should use a rolling build approach where you build after a specified
number of check-ins or after a specified time period. To find out if you need to use a
rolling build, determine the following:
• Length of your team build in minutes
• Average frequency of check-ins in minutes
• Time window during which frequent check-ins occur
If the length of the build is longer than the average frequency of check-ins, your builds
run continuously because the first build will not complete before the next check-in
occurs, which starts another build. If check-ins continue to occur before each build is
complete, this impacts the performance of the build server and will block other builds
from being started, such as scheduled builds. Review the time window during which
frequent check-ins occur and determine if CI builds are likely to impact the delivery of
scheduled builds or other important team builds.
Additional Resources
• For more information, see “Chapter 8 – Setting Up a Continuous Integration Build
with Team Build” in this guide.
How to Determine Your Rolling Build Time Interval
It is important to determine the rolling build time interval to ensure an efficient build
process. You will want a timely build while at the same time not overloading the build
process.
To determine the ideal rolling build interval, divide the average frequency of check-ins
by the length of your build. For example, if you have a build that takes 10 minutes and