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AZ-305 Design Migrations

May 5, 2025•1346 words•7 min read•
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AI summarised

AZ-305 Azure Solutions Architect Expert

Azure Recommendations to Design Migrations

Below are the recommended Azure solutions to design migrations as aligned with the AZ-305 exam objectives.

Design Migrations for Azure Infrastructure Solutions (AZ-305)

1. Evaluate a Migration Solution Using the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF)

The Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) provides a structured approach to migration, ensuring alignment with business outcomes and technical best practices. Key phases include:

  • Assess: Use Azure Migrate to discover and evaluate on-premises servers, databases, and applications. CAF assessments (e.g., Strategic Migration Assessment and Readiness) identify gaps in skills, processes, and tools12.
  • Plan: Prioritize workloads using the 5 Rs (Rehost, Refactor, Rearchitect, Rebuild, Replace). For example:
    • Rehost (IaaS): Lift-and-shift VMs to Azure Virtual Machines.
    • Refactor (PaaS): Migrate apps to Azure App Service or Azure SQL Database.
  • Migrate: Use Azure Migrate, Azure Database Migration Service (DMS), or Azure Data Box for offline data transfers34.
  • Govern: Enforce policies with Azure Policy and monitor with Azure Monitor.

2. Evaluate On-Premises Servers, Data, and Applications

Azure Migrate: Discovery and Assessment evaluates readiness for Azure:

Server Readiness Criteria

PropertyAzure Readiness StatusKey Requirements
Boot TypeNot Ready if UEFI + legacy OSUEFI supported for Windows Server 2012+5.
CoresReady if ≤ 128 coresPerformance-based scaling with comfort factor.
RAMReady if ≤ 3,892 GBUtilized RAM multiplied by comfort factor.
OS CompatibilityConditionally Ready for EOL OSUpgrade Windows Server 2003/2008, non-endorsed Linux5.
Security ReadinessReady for Defender for Servers≥2 vCores, 4 GB RAM, supported OS5.

Applications:

  • Use Azure App Service Migration Assistant for web apps.
  • For dependencies, enable Azure Migrate Dependency Analysis6.

3. Recommend Workload Migration to IaaS/PaaS

Workload TypeIaaS RecommendationPaaS Recommendation
Legacy AppsAzure VMs (VMSS for scalability)N/A
Web AppsN/AAzure App Service (auto-scaling)
DatabasesSQL Server on Azure VMsAzure SQL Database (managed)
MicroservicesAKS (Kubernetes)Azure Container Apps (serverless)

Key Tools:

  • IaaS: Azure Migrate for VM replication, Azure Site Recovery (ASR) for DR6.
  • PaaS: Azure App Service, Azure Functions (serverless), Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

4. Recommend Database Migration Solutions

Azure Database Migration Service (DMS) supports:

  • Offline Migration: Use the Azure SQL Migration Extension for Azure Data Studio for SQL Server to Azure SQL DB74.
  • Near-Zero Downtime: Transactional Replication for SQL Server, syncing changes until cutover7.
  • Managed Instances: For full SQL Server compatibility, migrate to Azure SQL Managed Instance.

Steps:

  1. Assess: Run Azure Migrate SQL Assessment to identify compatibility issues8.
  2. Migrate: Use DMS for homogeneous (SQL-to-SQL) or heterogeneous (Oracle-to-SQL) migrations4.

5. Recommend Unstructured Data Migration Solutions

Azure Data Box and Azure Storage Mover are optimal for large-scale transfers:

  • Offline Migration:
    • Azure Data Box: Securely transfer petabytes via self-encrypting drives. Supports multi-region transfers and cross-tier storage (Hot/Cool/Archive)3.
  • Online Migration:
    • Azure Storage Mover: Sync delta changes after initial Data Box transfer3.
    • Azure Blob Storage: Target for unstructured data (images, logs) with lifecycle management.

Best Practices:

  • Use Azure File Sync for hybrid file shares (on-premises ↔ Azure Files).
  • For NAS migrations, use Data Dynamics StorageX (sponsored by Azure File Migration Program)9.

Summary Table

RequirementAzure SolutionKey Tools/Features
CAF-Aligned MigrationAzure Migrate + CAF assessmentsStrategic Migration Assessment, Dependency Analysis12
Server/App EvaluationAzure Migrate: Discovery and AssessmentOS compatibility checks, security readiness510
IaaS/PaaS Workload MigrationAzure VMs (VMSS), Azure App Service, AKSASR for DR, auto-scaling6
Database MigrationAzure SQL DB/Managed Instance + DMSTransactional replication, near-zero downtime74
Unstructured Data MigrationAzure Data Box + Storage MoverSelf-encrypting drives, delta sync39

By aligning with these recommendations, you ensure secure, efficient migrations while meeting AZ-305 exam objectives and Azure best practices.

Summarised with Perplexity.

Footnotes

  1. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-adoption-framework/ ↩ ↩2
  2. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-adoption-framework/migrate/ ↩ ↩2
  3. https://www.infoq.com/news/2024/08/azure-data-box-new-capabilities/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
  4. https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/database-migration ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
  5. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/concepts-assessment-calculation ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
  6. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/migrate-services-overview ↩ ↩2 ↩3
  7. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/data-migration/sql-server/database/guide ↩ ↩2 ↩3
  8. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/concepts-azure-sql-assessment-calculation ↩
  9. https://www.datadynamicsinc.com/blog-how-does-microsoft-azure-ensure-secured-data-migration-to-the-cloud/ ↩ ↩2
  10. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/tutorial-assess-physical?view=migrate-classic ↩

If you want to get in touch and hear more about this topic, feel free to contact me on or via .

© 2026 Andrei Bodea

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