AZ-120 · Question #109
Drag and Drop Question A customer has an on-premises SAP environment. The customer plans to migrate SAP to Azure. You need to prepare the environment for the planned migration. Which three actions…
The correct answer is Run a compatibility assessment and resolve any issues.; Deploy the core networking components to Azure.; Create an ExpressRoute connection. SAP to Azure Migration: Pre-Migration Sequence Why This Order? The three correct steps follow a logical assess → build → connect pattern. You must understand your workload before building infrastructure, and build the network foundation before establishing the dedicated…
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Correct arrangement
- Run a compatibility assessment and resolve any issues.
- Deploy the core networking components to Azure.
- Create an ExpressRoute connection.
Explanation
SAP to Azure Migration: Pre-Migration Sequence
Why This Order?
The three correct steps follow a logical assess → build → connect pattern. You must understand your workload before building infrastructure, and build the network foundation before establishing the dedicated connection.
Step-by-Step Breakdown
Step 1: Run a compatibility assessment and resolve any issues.
This is always first. Before touching Azure at all, you must know whether your SAP workload can run on Azure as-is. SAP has strict OS, DB, and VM size certification requirements (SAP Note 1928533 for Azure). If you skip this and build infrastructure first, you may have to redesign or rebuild everything. Resolve blockers now - unsupported OS versions, deprecated SAP components, sizing gaps - while the cost of change is zero.
Step 2: Deploy the core networking components to Azure.
Once you know the workload is compatible, you build the Azure-side network foundation: Virtual Networks (VNets), subnets, Network Security Groups, and route tables. This must exist before ExpressRoute because ExpressRoute connects into a VNet via a Virtual Network Gateway. You cannot create the connection without the target network existing first.
Step 3: Create an ExpressRoute connection.
ExpressRoute provides a private, dedicated, high-bandwidth link between on-premises and Azure - which SAP workloads require (SAP explicitly recommends ExpressRoute over VPN for production). This is the final pre-migration step: once connectivity is established, the actual migration data transfer can begin.
Why the Other Items Are Excluded
| Item | Reason Excluded |
|---|---|
| Create a conditional access policy | This is an identity/security governance task, not a migration prerequisite - it can be configured at any point. |
| Build Azure virtual machines | VMs are built during migration, not before it. |
| Back up the infrastructure | A good practice, but backing up on-premises infrastructure is not part of the Azure-side pre-migration sequence this question is asking about. |
Common Misconceptions
- "Back up first" - Backup feels like a safety step you'd do first, but it's not part of the Azure preparation sequence. It's an on-premises concern, not an Azure migration task.
- "Create ExpressRoute before networking" - ExpressRoute requires a Virtual Network Gateway in a deployed VNet. Attempting it without core networking already in place will fail.
- "Skip the assessment" - SAP on Azure has a very specific certified configuration matrix. Skipping the assessment is the most common real-world cause of failed or costly SAP migrations.
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