In the dynamic realm of enterprise IT, SAP systems are the lifeblood of numerous global organizations, orchestrating everything from finance and supply chain to human capital management. As the industry pivots toward cloud-native infrastructures, the migration and administration of SAP workloads on Microsoft Azure have emerged as critical competencies. The AZ-120 certification — Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads — is a specialty-level credential designed to validate expertise in managing such deployments on Azure.

This study guide offers a meticulous walkthrough of the AZ-120 exam objectives, essential technologies, and real-world considerations, ensuring you’re thoroughly equipped to pursue certification and implement resilient, scalable SAP landscapes on Azure.

Why AZ-120?

As more businesses accelerate digital transformation, cloud adoption for mission-critical systems like SAP has grown exponentially. Azure offers deep integration with SAP environments, bringing automation, high availability, and performance at global scale. The AZ-120 certification is ideal for professionals tasked with planning, migrating, and administering SAP systems in the Azure ecosystem.

This credential is suitable for:

• Cloud architects focused on enterprise workloads

• SAP Basis administrators expanding into cloud solutions

• Azure solution architects seeking SAP domain expertise

• IT professionals responsible for hybrid and cloud-based SAP deployments

Prerequisites and Recommended Knowledge

The AZ-120 exam assumes familiarity with both SAP system architecture and Azure cloud services. Although there are no enforced prerequisites, candidates will benefit greatly from:

• Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)

• Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305)

• Practical experience with SAP ERP, S/4HANA, and SAP NetWeaver

• Working knowledge of virtualization, networking, identity, and security in cloud environments

Exam Overview

• Certification: Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty

• Exam Code: AZ-120

• Number of questions: 40–60

• Duration: Approximately 100–120 minutes

• Format: Multiple choice, drag-and-drop, case studies, lab simulations

• Passing score: 700/1000

• Cost: $165 USD (may vary by region)

Domains and Weightings

The exam blueprint is segmented into four major skill areas:

• Migrate SAP Workloads to Azure (25–30%)

• Design an Azure Solution to Support SAP Workloads (20–25%)

• Build and Deploy Azure SAP Workloads (35–40%)

• Validate Azure Infrastructure for SAP Workloads (10–15%)

Each domain will be analyzed below with focus on critical competencies and exam-relevant details.

1. Migrate SAP Workloads to Azure (25–30%)

This domain evaluates your capacity to assess, plan, and execute the migration of on-premises SAP environments to Azure with minimal disruption and maximum efficiency.

Key Topics

• Assess current SAP landscape readiness for cloud transition

• Inventory SAP components, OS versions, databases, and sizing

• Evaluate and choose appropriate migration tools and strategies:
  • Azure Migrate

  • Database Migration Assistant (DMA)

  • SAP DMO with System Move

  • Backup/restore or replication methods

• Determine migration paths based on source and target configurations

• Align with SAP’s Cloud Appliance Library and Microsoft’s SAP deployment best practices

Study Tips

• Understand SAP certified VM types and configurations on Azure

• Familiarize yourself with high availability and disaster recovery (HA/DR) architecture

• Explore case studies involving large-scale SAP migrations to Azure

• Learn to interpret SAP Notes related to supported operating systems and databases

2. Design an Azure Solution to Support SAP Workloads (20–25%)

This domain measures your ability to design infrastructure and cloud services in Azure that are optimized for SAP systems and aligned with Microsoft’s well-architected framework.

Key Topics

• Design virtual network architectures for SAP workloads

• Select the right Azure VM types (e.g., Edsv5, M-series, Dv5) for HANA and NetWeaver

• Evaluate storage types: Premium SSDs, Ultra Disk, Standard SSDs

• Design for performance, availability, and scalability

• Ensure integration with Azure services like:
  • Azure Load Balancer

  • Azure Backup

  • Azure Site Recovery

  • Azure Monitor and Azure Log Analytics

Study Tips

• Use the SAP Workload Planning and Deployment Checklist

• Understand how to size infrastructure using SAP Quick Sizer and SAP Notes

• Get comfortable with network security configurations including NSGs and UDRs

• Explore deployment scenarios like scale-out for HANA and multi-SID landscapes

3. Build and Deploy Azure SAP Workloads (35–40%)

The most heavily weighted section assesses your proficiency in configuring, deploying, and managing the complete SAP stack on Azure.

Key Topics

• Deploy SAP using Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates or automation frameworks (e.g., Terraform, Ansible)

• Understand end-to-end architecture:
  • OS Layer

  • DB Layer (SAP HANA, Oracle, SQL Server, SAP ASE)

  • Application Layer (S/4HANA, NetWeaver)

• Configure Azure virtual machines with Linux (SUSE/RHEL) or Windows Server

• Manage storage for SAP HANA (data, log, shared, backup volumes)

• Set up identity and access control using Azure Active Directory and RBAC

• Implement backup and disaster recovery strategies:
  • Backup SAP HANA with Azure Backup

  • Geo-redundant storage

  • SAP HANA System Replication with Pacemaker clustering

Study Tips

• Review ARM template examples on GitHub under the Azure-SAP repository

• Practice deploying SAP using Azure Center for SAP solutions

• Study the Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions setup and configuration

• Get hands-on experience with SAP HANA Studio and the SAP Management Console on Azure VMs

4. Validate Azure Infrastructure for SAP Workloads (10–15%)

This domain focuses on ensuring the underlying Azure environment meets performance, security, and supportability standards for SAP.

Key Topics

• Perform infrastructure validation using SAP Note 1928533 and SAP Benchmarking tools

• Validate VM SKU compatibility and storage throughput

• Ensure operating system versions and patches are SAP-supported

• Configure telemetry and logging for proactive monitoring

• Use Azure Advisor and Cost Management for performance and cost optimization

Study Tips

• Dive into SAP-specific telemetry data in Azure Monitor and Log Analytics

• Learn to use Azure Automation and Azure Update Manager for OS patching

• Familiarize yourself with Microsoft’s SAP certification requirements for infrastructure

• Understand Microsoft support boundaries and SLA commitments for SAP on Azure

Key Tools and Resources

Acing the AZ-120 exam requires more than theoretical knowledge. Below are essential resources and tools to strengthen your preparation.

Microsoft Learn

Microsoft’s official learning path for AZ-120 provides modular training with real-world labs and assessments. Focus on the following paths:

• Plan and deploy SAP on Azure

• Design SAP workloads for scalability and performance

• Manage operations and cost of SAP workloads in Azure

SAP Notes and Documentation

SAP Notes are authoritative resources for validating supported environments. Important notes include:

• SAP Note 1928533: SAP applications on Azure: Supported products and configurations

• SAP Note 2382421: S/4HANA on Azure VM requirements

• SAP Note 2711036: Azure VM certification for HANA workloads

GitHub: Azure-SAP Repository

Microsoft maintains a repository with example ARM templates, deployment automation scripts, and architectural references for various SAP workloads.

Azure Architecture Center

Study SAP workload blueprints that outline high availability, multi-zone deployment, disaster recovery, and hybrid architecture examples.

Practice Exams

Numerous vendors and platforms offer AZ-120 practice exams and simulators. Look for those aligned with the latest exam objectives and scenarios.

Hands-On Lab Recommendations

Practicing on actual Azure infrastructure is critical. Consider setting up:

• A sandbox Azure subscription (with appropriate cost controls)

• SAP NetWeaver trial installations on certified Azure VMs

• Deploying a two-tier architecture (DB + App) using SUSE or RHEL

• Testing HA/DR configurations using HANA System Replication and Azure Site Recovery

Also, explore the Azure Center for SAP Solutions, which provides an integrated UI and deployment wizards tailored to SAP use cases.

Exam Day Preparation

Here are some final tips to maximize your performance on exam day:

• Review case studies of SAP deployments across industries

• Understand how licensing works for SAP on Azure (BYOL and PAYG models)

• Read through Microsoft’s documentation on SAP certified infrastructure

• Be ready for performance troubleshooting scenarios and DR simulations

• Manage your time wisely during the exam, especially in case-based questions

Real-World Applications

This certification holds more than academic value. It directly translates to professional scenarios such as:

• Migrating legacy SAP ECC to S/4HANA in Azure

• Designing high-availability SAP systems across Azure Availability Zones

• Automating SAP deployment via Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

• Integrating SAP applications with Azure-native services like Logic Apps, Power BI, and Azure Synapse

Certified professionals can expect roles like:

• Azure SAP Cloud Architect

• SAP Infrastructure Engineer

• Cloud Migration Consultant

• Enterprise Solutions Architect

The AZ-120 exam is both a technical and strategic milestone. It demands mastery over the Azure platform as well as nuanced understanding of SAP architecture. From planning and sizing to deployment and validation, this certification encapsulates the full lifecycle of SAP workloads in the cloud.

As cloud adoption accelerates and SAP transitions toward S/4HANA-centric futures, professionals with validated Azure expertise will be in growing demand. This guide provides a detailed roadmap, but your success will ultimately rest on practical application, continued learning, and strategic thinking.

Embrace this journey as an opportunity to position yourself at the intersection of two enterprise powerhouses — Microsoft Azure and SAP — and prepare to become a key driver in modern digital transformation initiatives.

Transitioning SAP landscapes to the cloud is no longer a conceptual endeavor—it’s an operational necessity. As businesses evolve toward resilience and real-time intelligence, Microsoft Azure has become the destination of choice for hosting SAP systems. While Part 1 of this guide outlined the foundational exam domains, migration strategies, and tools, Part 2 delves into the architectural intricacies, advanced deployment challenges, and practical use cases critical for succeeding in the AZ-120 exam and beyond.

This installment focuses on refining your expertise in workload orchestration, scaling strategies, HA/DR configurations, and cloud-native integrations that enhance SAP performance, governance, and manageability.

Navigating Real-World Azure SAP Deployments

To fully grasp the AZ-120 landscape, candidates must explore how theoretical knowledge transforms into pragmatic engineering. SAP deployments on Azure are not monolithic—they vary based on client scale, industry needs, and compliance factors.

Key considerations include:

• Existing SAP versions and modules (e.g., ECC, S/4HANA, BW/4HANA)

• Database engines (HANA, Oracle, SQL Server, SAP ASE)

• Operating systems (SLES, RHEL, Windows Server)

• Business continuity targets (RTO/RPO)

• Industry-specific compliance standards (HIPAA, GDPR, SOX)

Understanding these variables arms you with the judgment required to build sustainable and performant environments, while aligning with Microsoft and SAP best practices.

Strategic Infrastructure Design for SAP on Azure

Architecting SAP workloads on Azure is an exercise in balancing cost, availability, performance, and security. Azure provides a suite of infrastructure choices, but successful deployment hinges on knowing when and how to use them.

Compute Considerations

Azure offers purpose-built VM families that support SAP-certified configurations:

• M-Series: Ideal for large-memory configurations such as SAP HANA. These VMs offer up to 12 TB RAM and high memory throughput.

• Edsv5-Series: Suited for application servers or smaller HANA instances requiring high storage IOPS.

• Dv5-Series: Common for front-end services or lightweight NetWeaver installations.

You should distinguish between single-node and scale-out configurations. Scale-out clusters for SAP HANA, for instance, require shared volume management and inter-node network optimization.

Storage Architecture

Storage design must factor in IOPS, throughput, latency, and redundancy. Common practices include:

• Data and log volumes on Premium SSD or Ultra Disk for SAP HANA

• Shared volumes for /hana/shared on Premium SSD with zone-redundant storage (ZRS)

• Backup storage on Standard HDD/SSD for cost efficiency

• Azure NetApp Files for high-performance NFS shares in Linux environments

When sizing storage, refer to SAP Note 2407183, which outlines HANA storage requirements by scenario.

Network Design

Azure’s virtual network (VNet) must support:

• Subnet segmentation (application tier, DB tier, web tier)

• NSG rules for traffic control

• Azure Bastion or Jumpboxes for administrative access

• Site-to-Site VPN or ExpressRoute for hybrid connectivity

• DNS name resolution via Azure DNS or custom BIND services

High-speed communication between HANA nodes requires low-latency, high-throughput network configurations, which is often achieved with Accelerated Networking and Proximity Placement Groups.

High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HA/DR) Patterns

Ensuring SAP systems remain operational in face of failure scenarios is paramount. The AZ-120 exam frequently tests candidates on how to design HA/DR configurations that conform to SAP supportability standards and Azure service-level agreements.

High Availability

SAP workloads typically demand uptime guarantees of 99.9% or higher. The HA design varies depending on the OS, database, and SAP product.

Common HA strategies include:

• SAP HANA on Linux: Leverage HANA System Replication (HSR) with Pacemaker clustering for automated failover

• NetWeaver with SQL Server: Use Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC) with Azure shared disks or Premium File Shares

• Application servers: Deploy behind Azure Load Balancer with autoscaling for redundancy

To validate HA configurations, Microsoft requires the use of Azure Availability Zones or Availability Sets, depending on regional capabilities.

Disaster Recovery

DR plans focus on replicating SAP workloads across Azure regions, ensuring failover in the event of regional outages.

Approaches include:

• Azure Site Recovery: For VM-level replication and orchestrated failover

• Geo-redundant storage: For backups and SAP export files

• Cross-region HANA Replication: Using asynchronous HSR to a secondary region

A crucial design constraint is ensuring that failover systems comply with SAP’s licensing and support requirements post-failover. Also, recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO) should be formally defined in SLA documentation.

Automation and Deployment Frameworks

Automation is central to the efficient provisioning and scaling of SAP workloads on Azure. The exam expects candidates to be conversant with various deployment frameworks that support Infrastructure as Code (IaC).

Azure Resource Manager (ARM) Templates

ARM templates define infrastructure configurations in JSON, enabling repeatable deployments. Microsoft maintains official SAP templates for:

• SAP NetWeaver on Windows/Linux

• SAP HANA single-node or scale-out

• Fully automated high-availability clusters

Templates include preconfigured parameters for VM sizes, disk types, and software versions. Understanding how to customize these is vital.

Terraform and Ansible

Terraform (HashiCorp) enables cross-platform IaC and is widely used in enterprise SAP deployments. It integrates seamlessly with Azure and supports modular design.

Ansible is often used for post-deployment configuration such as:

• Installing SAP prerequisites

• Configuring file systems

• Deploying SAP kernel patches

Some enterprises even employ hybrid models—using ARM for infrastructure and Ansible for application layer provisioning.

Monitoring, Telemetry, and Logging

Once deployed, SAP systems require continuous monitoring for performance, availability, and compliance. Microsoft offers dedicated tools and services for SAP-specific observability.

Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions

This Azure-native solution collects telemetry from various SAP components, including:

• SAP HANA performance counters

• OS-level metrics (CPU, memory, I/O)

• Database replication health

• Cluster availability

It integrates with Azure Log Analytics and enables alerting and dashboarding using Kusto Query Language (KQL).

Other tools and integrations include:

• Azure Monitor Agent (AMA) for VM telemetry

• Azure Application Insights for web-tier tracing

• Integration with SAP Solution Manager or SAP Focused Run

Proficiency in these tools allows candidates to design monitoring solutions that provide actionable insights and reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR).

Cost Optimization and Governance

Running SAP on Azure entails significant operational expenditure. The exam tests whether candidates can design for cost efficiency without compromising resilience or supportability.

Cost Optimization Techniques

• Use Reserved Instances for predictable SAP VMs (up to 72% savings)

• Right-size VM instances based on SAP EarlyWatch recommendations

• Leverage auto-shutdown schedules for non-production environments

• Implement disk tiering for rarely accessed data

• Use Azure Hybrid Benefit for licensing optimization (Windows Server, SQL Server)

Governance Strategies

• Azure Policy to enforce tagging, region constraints, and image types

• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to segment responsibilities (e.g., BASIS admin, network admin)

• Azure Blueprints for consistent environment provisioning across subscriptions

• Azure Cost Management + Billing for cost allocation and forecasting

Being able to model Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and calculate Return on Investment (ROI) scenarios is increasingly relevant for solution architects and is reflected in some AZ-120 case study formats.

SAP and Azure Integration Use Cases

Modernizing SAP on Azure isn’t just about infrastructure—it enables the convergence of enterprise data and intelligent services.

Here are key integration paradigms to study:

SAP and Power Platform

• Use Power BI for real-time analytics by connecting to SAP HANA

• Deploy Power Automate to trigger workflows based on SAP events

• Create low-code apps with Power Apps pulling from SAP data sources

Azure Logic Apps and SAP

Logic Apps provides enterprise connectors for SAP, allowing:

• EDI-based communication with trading partners

• B2B integration with SAP IDocs

• Automated workflows bridging SAP and Azure SQL, Blob Storage, or Cosmos DB

Azure Synapse and SAP BW

Using Data Factory, enterprises can replicate SAP BW or HANA data into Azure Synapse Analytics for advanced machine learning and predictive modeling.

Understanding these integration patterns helps reinforce how Azure is not just a hosting platform—but a launchpad for business agility and innovation.

Practice Lab Blueprint

For hands-on mastery, construct a controlled lab in Azure that simulates real-world conditions. Here’s a blueprint:

• Deploy a VNet with three subnets: DB, App, Management

• Provision M-Series VM for SAP HANA with SUSE Linux

• Deploy a NetWeaver app server on a Dv5 VM

• Configure HANA System Replication between primary and secondary VMs

• Set up Azure Load Balancer with health probes for application tier

• Implement monitoring via Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions

• Create alerts based on HANA memory thresholds and log disk fill rate

• Test failover by shutting down primary node and ensuring continuity

This environment provides a risk-free venue for applying configuration techniques, troubleshooting steps, and performance tuning—all of which enhance your AZ-120 preparedness.

The journey to mastering AZ-120 is not linear—it’s iterative, contextual, and deeply tied to operational reality. In this segment, you’ve explored:

• Real-world deployment strategies for compute, storage, and networking

• High availability and disaster recovery designs tailored to SAP workloads

• Automation with ARM, Terraform, and Ansible

• Advanced monitoring with Azure-native tools

• Cost optimization and governance through Azure-native controls

• Business process transformation via SAP-Azure integrations

These topics not only serve as high-value exam content, but also equip you for direct client engagements, solution design workshops, and migration projects in the field.

Mastery Through Scenarios, Pitfalls, and Strategic Preparation

As the final installment of this comprehensive journey toward mastering the AZ-120 exam, Part 3 dives into high-level integration patterns, real-world deployment considerations, and the overlooked nuances that often separate certified professionals from seasoned experts. With this final guide, the focus turns to concrete architecture scenarios, common missteps, a rigorously structured 30-day preparation plan, and a strategic conclusion that frames your knowledge in the broader context of enterprise transformation.

Architecting for Real-World SAP Workloads on Azure

Enterprise SAP landscapes are rarely simple. They often involve multiple business-critical systems interconnected across regions, governed by stringent compliance policies, and expected to deliver uninterrupted performance. Azure’s elasticity, global reach, and SAP certification make it a prime candidate for hosting such landscapes—but only when implemented with clarity, foresight, and an understanding of subtle dependencies.

A well-architected SAP on Azure environment considers high availability and disaster recovery as core design elements, not afterthoughts. In regions supporting availability zones, critical components such as HANA databases should be deployed with synchronous HANA System Replication across zones for redundancy. For regional failover, asynchronous replication to a paired region enhances resilience against catastrophic failure. The replication topology must align with SAP’s supported patterns, ensuring configuration compliance and validated support in case of issues.

SAP application layers, often more horizontally scalable, benefit from VM scale sets and Azure Load Balancers. Leveraging these services allows dynamic adjustment to workload demands while maintaining consistent user experiences. These app tiers often operate under tight SLAs during fiscal closings, promotions, or operational peaks. Properly designed auto-scaling mechanisms trigger based on custom telemetry such as user session thresholds or CPU bottlenecks—fine-tuned through Azure Monitor.

Security and compliance remain paramount in SAP environments. Azure’s ability to integrate encryption at rest and in transit, governed by Azure Key Vault-managed keys, ensures control and transparency. Sensitive datasets processed by SAP are often subject to regional legal constraints such as GDPR or HIPAA, making Azure’s granular access control, region pinning, and policy enforcement indispensable.

Recognizing and Avoiding Common Architectural Pitfalls

Even experienced architects encounter traps in SAP on Azure implementations. These missteps, often arising from assumptions or legacy habits, can result in significant delays, outages, or failures in compliance audits. Among the most frequently observed pitfalls are:

• Misaligned VM selection – Deploying SAP HANA on unsupported or underperforming VM types, such as general-purpose series, can lead to noncompliance with SAP’s support standards and introduce performance bottlenecks.

• Insufficient disk throughput – Overlooking storage performance limits, particularly IOPS and throughput, leads to latency spikes during data-intensive operations. Premium SSDs or Ultra Disks should be matched to SAP’s I/O requirements.

• Improper placement of HA components – Distributing HANA scale-out nodes without using Proximity Placement Groups often results in higher network latency, impacting replication performance and failover reliability.

• Incorrect or absent tagging – Failing to implement and enforce resource tagging undermines cost tracking, automation, and policy management. Tags such as environment, application, owner, and cost center are foundational in enterprise governance.

• Weak automation discipline – Manual deployments using Azure Portal limit reproducibility and introduce drift. Instead, robust Infrastructure-as-Code practices using ARM templates, Bicep, Terraform, or Ansible are vital for consistent, auditable builds.

• Overlooking monitoring integration – Deploying SAP workloads without Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions results in poor visibility into KPIs, leading to reactive rather than proactive operations.

• Compliance blind spots – Ignoring encryption and retention settings that align with industry standards can result in data breaches or legal penalties. Configurations should leverage disk encryption, Azure Backup retention, and secure key management from inception.

Understanding these pitfalls helps not only during exam preparation but when orchestrating production-grade environments that must meet business-critical expectations. Recognizing where most projects falter sharpens your readiness and mitigates operational risks.

Automation and Infrastructure-as-Code: Scaling with Discipline

SAP environments require consistency, repeatability, and scalability. These characteristics are best achieved not through manual configuration but via automation. Azure supports a multitude of tools for declarative and imperative automation, and the most effective SAP implementations leverage a blend of these technologies.

ARM templates and Bicep allow for fine-grained, native Azure resource deployments with parameterization, enabling the consistent rollout of SAP virtual machines, networking, and storage. Terraform, with its provider-agnostic syntax, adds portability and multi-cloud compatibility—especially useful for clients operating hybrid SAP landscapes. Complementary to these is Ansible, which facilitates post-deployment configuration of guest operating systems, SAP kernel installation, and patching routines.

A robust deployment pipeline includes:

• Versioned infrastructure templates stored in source control

• Parameterized inputs for environment-specific customization

• Integration with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions)

• Validation steps that simulate deployments in sandbox environments

• Compliance scans via tools like Checkov or Azure Policy before production

Automation extends beyond deployment. Azure Automation and Logic Apps can orchestrate routine SAP operations—such as restarting services, adjusting VM sizes based on usage metrics, or initiating backups. Scheduled runbooks and alert-triggered scripts ensure your SAP environment remains nimble, efficient, and cost-effective.

Monitoring, Insights, and Operational Excellence

Visibility into workload performance is critical for SAP operations teams. Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions provides real-time telemetry tailored to SAP landscapes. It aggregates metrics from VM agents, Azure resources, and SAP’s own logs into a coherent view, enabling pattern recognition and intelligent alerting.

Dashboards can track key indicators such as:

• HANA memory consumption and swap activity

• SAP application server queue lengths

• Disk I/O latency on database tiers

• CPU saturation during nightly jobs or peak transactions

Integration with Log Analytics empowers teams to create custom queries using Kusto Query Language (KQL), correlating SAP logs with infrastructure events. This fusion allows root cause analysis that considers both platform and application context, improving mean time to resolution.

Coupled with proactive alerts—triggered on anomalies or thresholds—Azure Monitor arms SAP Basis teams with the insights needed to prevent outages and continuously optimize performance.

Governance, Compliance, and Cost Control

Enterprises operating SAP on Azure must navigate complex regulatory landscapes while controlling costs. Azure’s governance framework offers the tools to enforce discipline across environments.

Azure Policy ensures resource compliance, such as restricting VM types, enforcing location constraints, or mandating tag presence. It acts as both guardrail and remediation engine, ensuring environments adhere to internal standards.

Azure Blueprints bundle policies, ARM templates, and role assignments into reusable governance packages. SAP project teams can use Blueprints to scaffold development, QA, and production environments with consistent configurations and access models.

On the cost side, Azure Cost Management and budgets allow finance and operations teams to monitor spend, forecast usage, and set threshold alerts. Reserved Instance purchases for long-lived SAP VMs and storage optimization (e.g., lifecycle policies for infrequently accessed data) contribute to cost predictability.

Access control via RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) ensures only authorized personnel can make changes. Assigning least privilege roles—such as SAP Basis, network engineer, or backup administrator—prevents accidental disruptions and satisfies audit requirements.

30-Day Study Calendar for AZ-120 Exam Preparation

The following is a curated 30-day plan tailored for professionals preparing for the AZ-120 certification. It assumes prior experience with Azure infrastructure and basic SAP familiarity.

Week 1: Foundation and Core Architecture

• Review SAP supported architectures in Azure

• Study VM sizing guidelines and HANA certified VM series

• Dive into storage types, throughput, and IOPS planning

• Examine networking essentials: ExpressRoute, PPGs, DNS

• Explore migration methodologies: backup/restore, DMO, Azure Migrate

Week 2: HA/DR and Infrastructure Automation

• Investigate high availability setups: zones, HSR, Pacemaker

• Understand disaster recovery configurations across regions

• Deploy sample SAP architecture using ARM or Terraform

• Explore Azure Backup and restore scenarios with SAP data

Week 3: Monitoring, Security, and Governance

• Configure Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions

• Create Log Analytics queries using KQL

• Review security models: disk encryption, TDE, identity federation

• Study cost control: tagging, budgets, Reserved Instances

• Enforce compliance using Azure Policy and Blueprints

Week 4: Integration, Exam Preparation, and Review

• Analyze integrations with Logic Apps, Synapse, Power BI

• Conduct hands-on labs replicating business scenarios

• Take full-length practice assessments

• Identify weak areas and review associated Microsoft Learn modules

• Finalize logistics: exam registration, system check, exam interface familiarization

This plan structures preparation across learning domains while balancing theory, practice, and exam readiness. Use it as a flexible framework, adjusting based on your existing knowledge and time availability.

Conclusion:

The AZ-120 certification is not merely a validation of your technical knowledge—it is a demonstration of your ability to architect, operationalize, and maintain complex SAP systems in the cloud with confidence and strategic insight.

Through this three-part guide, you have developed a deep understanding of:

• Azure’s core infrastructure patterns for SAP workloads

• SAP migration tools and techniques

• High availability and disaster recovery blueprints

• Monitoring and logging frameworks tailored for SAP

• Governance, automation, and cost optimization

• Integration capabilities enabling data synergy across platforms

But perhaps more importantly, you have cultivated a mindset: one that prizes clarity over complexity, discipline over improvisation, and architecture that serves both technical integrity and business value.

As you approach the AZ-120 exam, bring with you not just knowledge, but intent—intent to transform legacy systems into scalable, secure, and performant cloud-native architectures. Let this certification serve as a gateway, not a finish line. The true mark of your capability lies in how you wield your expertise to lead SAP transformations that empower organizations in the digital era.