Review parent deletion even when an ARM resource type is marked nondeleting

Source facts

Microsoft’s complete-mode deletion reference says resource types marked No are not automatically removed solely because they are absent from the template. However, they are removed when their parent resource is deleted. The table’s individual entry therefore has to be read with the resource hierarchy. Microsoft Learn.

Applicability

Apply this review to an existing proposal for an ARM complete-mode deployment. Identify the exact resource types and their parent resources. This article explains the deletion reference; it does not recommend choosing complete mode for a new deployment process.

DSE recommendation

DSE recommends listing the children of every parent proposed for removal before approving the deployment. Have the responsible service owner classify the consequences and the available recovery route. Review the current deployment guidance and inspect what-if output against that inventory. Hold the change if a dependent resource has no agreed disposition or recovery evidence.

Verification

In a disposable representative environment, compare the proposed template, resource hierarchy and predicted deletions. If an approved rehearsal is appropriate, inspect both parents and children afterward and compare their state with the prediction. Keep the hierarchy and prediction in the change record; a surviving independent resource does not prove that dependent children were protected.

Official references

Microsoft Learn: Complete mode deletion.