Passing the AZ-120 exam, which is about Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads, is a goal for many. It’s a step towards getting a great job once you have the AZ-120 certification. Microsoft Azure is a modern cloud service for businesses. It’s a powerful and flexible platform that combines Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) to help companies save money.
Further, the Azure training provides the candidate knowledge about Azure virtual machines, systems and networks, IaaS (Infrastructure as a service), managing applications, PaaS (Platform as a service), and moving on-premises systems to the cloud. However, in this article, we are discussing the details about the AZ-120 – Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads exam.
The AZ-120 exam, about Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads, teaches IT experts who work with SAP how to use Azure tools. These tools help with things like setting up virtual machines, networks, storage, and Azure Active Directory. It also covers how to use both cloud and on-premises systems together.
Most importantly, candidates for the Microsoft AZ-120 certification exam are architects and engineers who are experts in the SAP Landscape Certification method and industry standards that are special to the long-term operation of an SAP solution. Also, candidates make references on services and adjust resources as suitable for optimal resiliency, scale, performance, provision, size, and monitoring.
To be an Azure for SAP Workloads Architect, you need to know a lot about SAP Applications, like S/4HANA and SAP BW. You also need to understand things like SAP HANA, SAP NetWeaver, OS Servers for SAP, Databases, and many technical topics like ARM templates, Azure Portal, cloud systems, and more. It’s a big job that requires a wide range of knowledge and experience.
About AZ-120 – Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads
With the transition of SAP to the cloud and recognizing the number of enterprises utilizing SAP, the candidate can clearly envision the potential jobs that can appear in this sector. Also, individuals capable of utilizing the security features, reliability, and scalability aspects of the Azure infrastructure for the administration of SAP workloads can guarantee promising career paths foremost of them. Further, the AZ-120 certification exam helps the candidates showcase their capabilities for using Azure infrastructure to accomplish SAP workloads.
It is highly recommended for candidates for AZ-120 – Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads exam to have an Azure Architect or Azure Administrator certification, in addition to SAP HANA and Linux certifications.
Another significant aspect that can improve Microsoft AZ-120 exam preparation is the information of requirements for the exam. So, candidates seeking for the Azure AZ-120 certification should have extensive knowledge and experience in the following general areas:
- SAP Applications
- And, S/4 HANA
- SAP NetWeaver
- Also, OS Servers for SAP Applications and Databases
- SAP HANA
- Further, SAP BW
- Virtualization
- Additionally, disaster recovery design
- Moreover, the ARM templates
- Storage structures
- As well as, the Cloud infrastructure
- Subsequently, data protection concepts
- Of Course, networking
- High availability design
- Lastly, operating systems
Basic Details
The following discussion proffers a comprehensive AZ-120 certification preparation guide. The candidate could find important knowledge associated with the Microsoft AZ-120 certification exam, particularly the domains covered in the exam. In addition, the candidate can also learn about the necessary information pertaining to the exam, such as prerequisites and registration fees. The chief highlight of any AZ-120 exam preparation guide is the framework of the exam objectives. Moreover, candidates should be informed of the specific areas in which they will be examined in the AZ-120 exam.
To begin with, the AZ-120 exam is available just in one language i.e., English. And, the registration price for the AZ-120 exam is $165 USD. The official certification page is like a good buddy for candidates. It’s the best place to keep up with any exam changes. So, candidates can make sure they start their AZ-120 exam prep in the right way.
Course Outline
In the course outline, we are going to discuss the objectives or domains for the Microsoft Azure AZ-120 exam. Further, applicants should also know comprehensively about the subtopics in each region of the exam. Additionally, the detailed study of the domains covered in the exam can benefit candidates to manifest a better opinion of the questions to expect in the exam. Also, the weightage of each domain described in the AZ-120 exam can also assist the exam preparation of a candidate. The Microsoft Azure AZ-120 exam tests the abilities of candidates in the following domains.
1. Migrate SAP workloads to Azure (25—30%)
Identify requirements for target infrastructure
- Estimate target sizing for SAP workloads (Microsoft Documentation: SAP workloads on Azure: planning and deployment checklist)
- Identify supported scenarios for SAP deployments on Azure
- Identify compute, storage, and network requirements for SAP workloads
- Assess constraints imposed by subscription models and quota limits (Microsoft Documentation: Azure subscription and service limits, quotas, and constraints)
- Identify software licensing requirements for target workloads
- Identify cost implications for target workloads
- Specify an Azure support plan for target infrastructure (Microsoft Documentation: Configure infrastructure)
- Choose between lift and shift, lift-shift-migrate, and lift-shift-migrate to HANA
- Choose an appropriate SAP workload migration strategy and tools
Design and implement an Azure environment to support SAP workloads
- Design and implement authorization and access control for SAP workloads (Microsoft Documentation: SAP workloads on Azure: planning and deployment checklist)
- Design and implement governance and compliance by using Azure Policy (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Policy)
- Design and implement authentication for SAP workloads
- Design and implement authentication for SAP software as a service–based (SaaS-based) applications (Microsoft Documentation: integrating SaaS applications with Azure Active Directory)
- Design and implement a management hierarchy, including management groups, subscriptions, and resource groups
- Design Azure landing zones for SAP
2. Design and implement an infrastructure to support SAP workloads on Azure (35—40%)
Design and implement a compute solution for SAP workloads
- Choose an SAP-certified Azure virtual machine for a given SAP workload (Microsoft Documentation: Use Azure to host and run SAP workload scenarios)
- Configure the Azure VM extension for SAP solutions (Microsoft Documentation: Implement the Azure VM extension for SAP solutions)
- Deploy an operating system by using an Azure Marketplace image (Microsoft Documentation: Find and use Azure Marketplace VM images with Azure PowerShell)
- Create a custom image and deploy it to an Azure virtual machine (Microsoft Documentation: Create a golden image in Azure)
- Automate the deployment of Azure virtual machines by using IaC, including Bicep and Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates (Microsoft Documentation: Use infrastructure automation tools with virtual machines in Azure)
- Automate deployment by using the SAP on Azure Deployment Automation Framework
- Automate deployment by using Azure Center for SAP solutions
Design and implement networking for SAP on Azure Virtual Machines
- Design and implement virtual networks and subnets (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Virtual Network)
- Implement Accelerated Networking for Azure Virtual Machines (Microsoft Documentation: Create a Linux virtual machine with Accelerated Networking using Azure CLI)
- Design and configure proximity placement groups (Microsoft Documentation: Proximity placement groups)
- Design networking to meet SAP workload latency requirements
- Design and implement network flow control (Microsoft Documentation: Traffic flow security in Azure)
- Design and implement network security (Microsoft Documentation: Design and implement network security)
- Design and implement service endpoints and private endpoints for Azure Storage (Microsoft Documentation: Use private endpoints for Azure Storage)
- Design name resolution for integration with Azure DNS (Microsoft Documentation: Name resolution for resources in Azure virtual networks)
- Design and configure Azure ExpressRoute for hybrid connectivity (Microsoft Documentation: Extend an on-premises network using ExpressRoute)
- Design and configure load balancing for a reverse proxy (Microsoft Documentation: Set up and configure reverse proxy in Azure Service Fabric)
Design and implement a storage solution for SAP on Azure Virtual Machines
- Choose a storage type
- Specify when to use disk striping and simple volumes (Microsoft Documentation: Volume Object)
- Design for storage security considerations (Microsoft Documentation: Security recommendations for Blob storage)
- Design and implement data protection (Microsoft Documentation: Data protection considerations)
- Design and implement caching for disks (Microsoft Documentation: Caching guidance)
- Configure Write Accelerator (Microsoft Documentation: Enable Write Accelerator)
- Configure encryption for storage, disks, and data (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Storage encryption for data at rest)
- Design and implement volumes by using Azure NetApp Files
- Design and implement volumes by using Azure Files
3. Design and implement high availability and disaster recovery (HA/DR) (15—20%)
Design and implement a high-availability solution for SAP on Azure Virtual Machines
- Design for service-level agreement (SLA) considerations (Microsoft Documentation: Using business metrics to design resilient Azure applications)
- Design and deploy SAP workloads into availability sets and availability zones (Microsoft Documentation: SAP workload configurations with Azure Availability Zones)
- Design and implement load balancing for high availability (Microsoft Documentation: High Availability and Disaster Recovery)
- Configure clustering for HANA and SAP Central Services (SCS) (Microsoft Documentation: Cluster an SAP ASCS/SCS instance on a Windows failover cluster)
- Configure clustering for SQL
- Configure Pacemaker and STONITH (Microsoft Documentation: Set up Pacemaker on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in Azure)
- Configure an Azure fence agent or STONITH Block Device (SBD)
- Design and configure storage-level replication for SAP workloads (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Storage types for SAP workload)
- Configure restart of SAP systems, instances, and HANA databases
Design and implement a disaster recovery solution for SAP on Azure Virtual Machines
- Design and implement an Azure Site Recovery strategy for SAP infrastructure (Microsoft Documentation: Set up disaster recovery for a multi-tier SAP NetWeaver app deployment)
- Design a disaster recovery solution with regional considerations (Microsoft Documentation: Create business continuity and disaster recovery solutions with Azure Data Explorer)
- Specify network configurations for disaster recovery (Microsoft Documentation: Set up disaster recovery for Azure VMs)
- Design a backup strategy to meet SLA requirements
- Implement policies for backups and snapshots (Microsoft Documentation: Backup cloud and on-premises workloads to cloud)
- Configure and validate snapshots and backups for SAP workloads (Microsoft Documentation: Perform backups and restores for SAP workloads on Azure)
- Perform backup and restore (Microsoft Documentation: Back up and restore environments)
- Test disaster recovery (Microsoft Documentation: Run a test failover (disaster recovery drill) to Azure)
4. Maintain SAP workloads on Azure (10—15%)
Optimize performance and costs
- Optimize performance and costs for an SAP workload by using Azure Advisor recommendations (Microsoft Documentation: Introduction to Azure Advisor)
- Analyze and optimize network performance (Microsoft Documentation: Plan and optimize network performance for Teams Phone)
- Optimize costs by configuring snoozing and deploying reserved instances
- Optimize performance and cost by resizing Azure Virtual Machines (Microsoft Documentation: Optimize costs from recommendations)
- Optimize storage costs (Microsoft Documentation: Optimize storage performance and costs using Blob storage tiers)
- Optimize performance and cost of SAP application servers and databases (Microsoft Documentation: SAP workloads on Azure: planning and deployment checklist)
Monitor and maintain SAP on Azure
- Monitor Azure virtual machines by using Azure Monitor (Microsoft Documentation: Monitor Azure virtual machines)
- Monitor high availability by using Azure Monitor (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Monitor overview)
- Monitor networking by using Azure Monitor and Azure Network Watcher
- Configure Azure Monitor for SAP solutions
- Manage backups by using Azure Backup
- Start and stop SAP systems by using Azure Center for SAP solutions
- Manage virtual instances by using Azure Center for SAP solutions
- Implement the SAP Landscape Management (LaMa) connector for Azure
The only way to show you’re good at using SAP on Azure is by passing the AZ-120 certification exam. It’s the only test that gets you the Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads specialty certification. There are no other tests like AZ-120, so you can concentrate all your effort on getting ready for it.
Microsoft AZ-120 Exam Preparation Guide
While getting ready for the Microsoft Azure AZ-120 exam, you’ll learn by doing different things like scenarios, ideas, steps, and practical labs. You’ll find out how to plan and do the move of an SAP solution to Azure. You’ll also get help with things like subscriptions, making and growing virtual machines, setting up storage, arranging virtual networks, keeping data safe, connecting Azure to your own servers, controlling network traffic, using Azure Active Directory, keeping identities safe, and watching over the solution. So, here are the steps you should take:
Learn the Objectives
The most important step in the preparation guide is to learn and understand the objectives. The candidate should go through the objectives as they are the foundation of the exam. However, we have already discussed domains in the course outline, despite here are the objectives:
- Migrate SAP Workloads to Azure (10-15%)
- Design an Azure Solution to Support SAP Workloads (20-25%)
- Build and Deploy Azure for SAP Workloads (35-40%)
- Validate Azure Infrastructure for SAP Workloads (10-15%)
- Operationalize Azure SAP Architecture (10-15%)
Study Guide
The study guide is assuredly the best protector a candidate can have while preparing for the AZ-120 exam. The Microsoft AZ-120 study guide is free on the official certification page of Microsoft. Candidates can download the AZ-120 exam study guide. The study guide is useful for AZ-120 exam prep because it shows what skills and abilities the test checks. It also helps candidates manage their time better while preparing.
Enroll in Online Training Courses
The most significant tool that can assist the preparations for the AZ-120 exam refers to training courses. Microsoft AZ-120 training courses on safe online learning platforms can help candidates strengthen their preparations considerably. Also, candidates could choose the free online training tracks on the Microsoft official website or paid classes on trusted learning platforms. The free AZ-120 exam learning path on Microsoft’s official website combines two courses titled “Planning Azure for SAP workloads” and “SAP certified offerings for Azure.” Let’s discuss the training programs offered by Microsoft itself:
Course AZ-120T00-A: Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads
- Introduction
- Also, foundations of SAP on Azure
- SAP Certified Offerings on Azure
- Then, SAP on Azure Reference Architecture
- Further, planning for Implementing SAP Solutions on Azure
- Planning for Migrating SAP Workloads to Azure
- In addition, implementing Azure VM-based SAP Solutions
- Deploying HANA Large Instances (HLI)
- And, migrating SAP Workloads to Azure
- Maintaining SAP on Azure
- Lastly, monitoring and troubleshooting SAP on Azure
Practice Tests can be Highly Beneficial
Getting ready for the Microsoft AZ-120 exam can be challenging. But you can boost your confidence by practicing with practice tests. These tests are a great way to check your skills and how well you might do on the real exam. Use Microsoft AZ-120 practice tests to do better and find out where you need to study more. They also help you get better at managing your time during the exam. Further, regularly practicing within a particular time interval and simulated conditions favoring the actual exam helps candidates familiarise themselves with the format of the exam. Therefore, candidates will have limited trouble in navigating through the exam with ease. The candidate can try the free practice test here.
To Conclude!
One special thing about Microsoft Azure is that it lets you move SAP work to its cloud. Because of this, the need for people who can handle Microsoft Azure for SAP work is going up fast. So, if you want to take the AZ-120 exam, it’s important to find good ways to learn and get ready. Also, the next important factor that candidates should keep in mind is the consequence of online training courses and practise tests in certification preparation. Enroll right now and start preparing for the AZ-120 exam! CLICK HERE FOR AZ-120 PRACTIcE TEST!
Make yourself stand out and become a Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty. Start preparation Now!
