What's changed: Created AZ-120 Chapter 2 (Domain 2: compute (SAP-certified VMs, VM extension for SAP solutions, Marketplace/custom images, Bicep/ARM IaC, SDAF, Azure Center for SAP solutions); networking (VNet, Accelerated Networking, proximity placement group PPG, SAP latency requirements, ExpressRoute, private/service endpoints, Azure DNS); storage (disk types, striping vs simple, Write Accelerator for HANA log, Azure NetApp Files, Azure Files, Azure Disk Encryption)).
2.1Compute (SAP-certified VMs and automated deployment)
Understand choosing SAP-certified Azure VMs, the Azure VM extension for SAP solutions, image deployment, Bicep/ARM templates, the SAP Deployment Automation Framework, and automated deployment via Azure Center for SAP solutions.
Run the SAP compute tier on SAP-certified Azure VMs. Choose the SKU by performance (SAPS/HANA memory) and supportability, and make deployment reproducible via automation rather than manual work.
2.1.1SAP-certified VMs and the VM extension
Choose an SAP-certified VM matching the workload (app server / HANA DB; e.g., memory-optimized M-series for HANA). After deployment, configure the Azure VM extension for SAP solutions to provide SAP-required monitoring data (infrastructure metrics)—effectively required for SAP support. Deploy the OS from an Azure Marketplace image or build a custom image for standardization.
2.1.2IaC and SAP-specific automated deployment
Generic IaC uses Bicep / ARM templates to declaratively deploy VMs/network/storage. For SAP specifically, use the SAP Deployment Automation Framework (SDAF) (Terraform + Ansible to build entire SAP systems) or Azure Center for SAP solutions to deploy/manage SAP as a virtual instance consistently. Distinguish "declarative generic resources" = Bicep/ARM, "build a whole SAP system" = SDAF, "manage SAP as a virtual instance" = Azure Center for SAP.
Cues: "choose SAP-certified VM by workload" (HANA = memory-optimized). "provide SAP monitoring data" = VM extension for SAP solutions (effectively required for support). "generic IaC" = Bicep/ARM. "build the whole SAP system" = SDAF. "deploy/manage SAP as a virtual instance" = Azure Center for SAP solutions.
Watch the mix-ups: (1) Non-certified VMs are unsupported. (2) Without the VM extension for SAP solutions, SAP support is harder. (3) SDAF (build the whole SAP system) vs Azure Center for SAP (virtual-instance management). (4) Bicep/ARM are generic and do not automate SAP-specific practices.
2.1.3Section summary
- Choose an SAP-certified VM by workload; provide monitoring data via the VM extension for SAP solutions
- Generic IaC = Bicep/ARM; whole-SAP build = SDAF; virtual-instance management = Azure Center for SAP
- Deploy the OS from a Marketplace image or a custom image for standardization
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Quick check
(just a quick review)Q1. You want to choose an Azure VM for an SAP HANA DB. Most appropriate approach?
Q2. You want to provide SAP-required infrastructure monitoring data to SAP. Best?
Q3. You want to build an entire SAP system (VMs, OS, SAP/DB config) automatically with Terraform and Ansible. Best?
Q4. You want to deploy/manage SAP as a virtual instance consistently on Azure. Best?
Q5. You want to deploy generic Azure resources (VMs/network/storage) declaratively and reproducibly. Best?