Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty (AZ-120) Practice Test

This certification is designed for cloud architects and engineers who specialize in designing, implementing, and managing SAP landscapes on Azure. Ideal candidates come from backgrounds in SAP Basis administration, enterprise infrastructure architecture, or cloud solutions engineering, and are responsible for decisions spanning compute sizing, network topology, storage configuration, high availability clustering, and disaster recovery planning for SAP systems.

Candidates typically hold roles such as Azure SAP Architect, SAP on Azure Consultant, or Cloud Infrastructure Engineer, and often serve as the technical bridge between SAP application teams and Azure cloud operations. Those targeting this certification are generally mid-to-senior professionals who already possess hands-on experience with SAP technologies and are expanding their expertise into Azure-native tooling. Microsoft strongly recommends holding the Azure Administrator Associate certification before sitting for AZ-120.

There are no mandatory prerequisites to register for AZ-120, but Microsoft strongly recommends that candidates hold the Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) certification before attempting this exam. Familiarity with the Azure portal, Azure Marketplace, and infrastructure-as-code tools such as ARM templates and Bicep is expected.

On the SAP side, candidates should have extensive hands-on experience with SAP HANA, SAP Business Suite, and SAP NetWeaver, as well as knowledge of SAP-specific concepts such as STONITH, Pacemaker clustering, SAP Central Services (SCS), and Write Accelerator. Solid understanding of virtualization, cloud networking (including ExpressRoute and proximity placement groups), storage architectures (including Azure NetApp Files and Azure Files), and high availability and disaster recovery design patterns is also expected before attempting this specialty exam.

Exam AZ-120 is a proctored assessment with a 100-minute time limit, delivered through Pearson VUE either online or at a testing center. The exam includes interactive components in addition to traditional question formats such as multiple choice, multi-select, drag-and-drop, and case studies. Microsoft does not publish the exact number of questions, but the format is consistent with other Azure specialty exams, typically ranging between 40–60 scored items.

The passing score is 700 out of 1000. Scores are reported immediately upon completion via Pearson VUE, and a detailed score report is provided. If a candidate fails, they may retake the exam after 24 hours; subsequent retakes are subject to Microsoft's standard retake policy. The exam is available in English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese. Microsoft certifications earned through AZ-120 expire annually and can be renewed at no cost via an online assessment on Microsoft Learn.

• 1.Migrate SAP Workloads to Azure (25–30%): Covers estimating target sizing, identifying supported SAP deployment scenarios on Azure, assessing subscription quotas and licensing requirements, choosing between migration strategies (lift-and-shift vs. lift-shift-migrate to HANA), designing Azure landing zones for SAP, implementing authorization and governance via Azure Policy, and designing and implementing integration with SAP RISE including networking, identity, and data management services.
• 2.Design and Implement an Infrastructure to Support SAP Workloads on Azure (25–30%): Covers selecting SAP-certified Azure VM SKUs, configuring the Azure VM extension for SAP, deploying OS images from Azure Marketplace, automating deployments via Bicep/ARM templates and the SAP Deployment Automation Framework, designing virtual networks with Accelerated Networking and proximity placement groups, configuring ExpressRoute for hybrid connectivity, choosing and configuring storage types (managed disks, Azure NetApp Files, Azure Files), implementing Write Accelerator and disk caching, and configuring storage encryption.
• 3.Design and Implement High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR) (20–25%): Covers designing for SLA requirements, deploying SAP workloads across availability sets and zones, configuring load balancing for HA, setting up Pacemaker and STONITH (including Azure fence agent and STONITH Block Device) for HANA and SAP Central Services clustering, configuring SQL clustering, implementing storage-level replication, designing Azure Site Recovery strategies for SAP, specifying network configurations for DR, and configuring and validating backups and snapshots for SAP workloads.
• 4.Maintain SAP Workloads on Azure (20–25%): Covers optimizing performance and costs using Azure Advisor, analyzing and improving network performance, configuring VM snoozing and reserved instances, resizing VMs and optimizing storage costs, monitoring Azure VMs and SAP workloads using Azure Monitor and Azure Monitor for SAP solutions, configuring Azure Network Watcher, managing backups with Azure Backup, starting and stopping SAP systems via Azure Center for SAP solutions, managing virtual instances, and implementing the SAP LaMa connector for Azure.

• Use the official AZ-120 Study Guide on Microsoft Learn (https://aka.ms/AZ120-StudyGuide) as your primary syllabus—it lists every measurable objective organized by domain and includes direct links to the relevant Azure and SAP documentation sections.
• Prioritize hands-on lab work with Azure Center for SAP solutions and the SAP Deployment Automation Framework, as these tools are explicitly called out in the January 2026 exam objectives and represent a shift toward automation-focused questions.
• Study SAP HANA high availability architecture on Azure in depth, including Pacemaker cluster configuration, STONITH/SBD setup, and Azure fence agent—these clustering topics span both the HADR and Infrastructure domains and are consistently tested.
• Review the SAP on Azure architecture center (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/reference-architectures/sap/sap-overview) to understand reference architectures for SAP HANA, SAP NetWeaver, and S/4HANA on Azure, including storage layouts, VM types, and network topologies.
• Take the official MindHub practice test (https://www.mindhub.com/p/MU-AZ-120) to simulate exam conditions and identify knowledge gaps, particularly around Azure NetApp Files sizing, proximity placement groups, and disaster recovery failover design.
• Review Microsoft's documentation on RISE with SAP integration on Azure, as this is a dedicated section in the January 2026 objectives covering networking, identity, compute, and data management services—topics that are new compared to prior exam versions.
• Use the Exam Sandbox (https://aka.ms/examdemo) to familiarize yourself with interactive question types such as lab simulations and drag-and-drop tasks before exam day, as AZ-120 explicitly includes interactive components.

The AZ-120 certification positions professionals for highly specialized and well-compensated roles at the intersection of enterprise SAP ecosystems and Azure cloud infrastructure. Common job titles include Azure SAP Architect, SAP on Azure Consultant, and Cloud Infrastructure Engineer, with average U.S. salaries in the range of $120,000–$160,000 annually depending on seniority and location. Given that SAP systems underpin core operations at the majority of large enterprises—and that Microsoft Azure is used by over 95% of Fortune 500 companies—demand for professionals who can bridge both platforms remains strong and is expected to grow as organizations accelerate S/4HANA migrations and adopt SAP RISE on Azure.

Compared to broader Azure certifications such as the Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305), the AZ-120 is a narrower but deeper credential that signals rare cross-domain expertise combining SAP application knowledge with Azure infrastructure architecture. Microsoft data indicates that certified professionals earn on average 15% more than non-certified peers and are often considered for senior advisory and leadership roles. The certification renews annually via a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn, keeping holders current with rapidly evolving Azure-SAP integration features.