This cheat sheet skips narrative and goes straight to lookup: SAP-on-Azure terms you need cold, the decision tables AZ-120 actually tests, and where to click or type to do each task. Pair it with free AZ-120 practice questions to see which entries need more than a glance.
Exam Snapshot
Passing Score
700 / 1000
Level
Specialty (Intermediate)
Renewal
12 months, free online
Recommended prior cert
AZ-104
Migrate SAP Workloads
25–30%
Infrastructure for SAP
25–30%
HA/DR
20–25%
Maintain SAP Workloads
20–25%
Microsoft does not publish an exact question count, duration, or price on the AZ-120 certification page itself. Confirm current values when you schedule through Pearson VUE.
1. Glossary: SAP-on-Azure Terms Cold
| Term | What it means on this exam |
|---|---|
| SAPS | SAP Application Performance Standard — the throughput unit SAP uses to express application-tier sizing requirements. Certified Azure VM types are documented against SAPS. |
| HANA | SAP High-performance Analytic Appliance — SAP's in-memory database. Its storage and HA/DR requirements drive much of the infrastructure domain. |
| SCS | SAP Central Services — the message and enqueue server component clustered alongside HANA for high availability. |
| Pacemaker | The Linux cluster resource manager used to make HANA and SCS highly available on Azure VMs. |
| STONITH | "Shoot The Other Node In The Head" — the fencing mechanism that forcibly powers off a failed cluster node to prevent split-brain. |
| SBD | STONITH Block Device — a shared-storage-based fencing method, used as an alternative to the Azure fence agent. |
| Azure fence agent | An Azure-native fencing agent that uses Azure APIs to fence a failed cluster node, as an alternative to SBD. |
| Write Accelerator | A managed-disk feature that reduces write latency for HANA log volumes on M-series VMs. |
| Azure NetApp Files (ANF) | A managed NFS/SMB file service used as a high-performance storage option for HANA data and log volumes. |
| RISE with SAP | SAP's managed offering where SAP itself operates the SAP application layer on hyperscaler infrastructure. AZ-120 tests the customer-side integration boundary, not the managed layer itself. |
| ACSS | Azure Center for SAP solutions — the Azure-native service for deploying and managing SAP systems, including starting/stopping systems and managing virtual instances. |
| SDAF | SAP Deployment Automation Framework — Microsoft's open-source automation for deploying and configuring SAP infrastructure on Azure. |
| SAP LaMa connector | The SAP Landscape Management connector for Azure, integrating SAP's own landscape orchestration tool with Azure infrastructure operations. |
| Proximity placement group | An Azure construct that co-locates VMs to minimize network latency between application and database tiers — important for SAP's latency-sensitive traffic. |
Drill these terms in context
See These Terms Tested in Real Scenarios
Scenario questions with rationale for every option, grouped by domain.
Start Free Practice →2. Decision Table: HANA Storage
AZ-120 storage questions describe a latency, throughput, or manageability constraint and expect you to pick the matching option — not a single "default" answer.
| If the question says… | Think… |
|---|---|
| Lowest possible write latency for HANA log volumes on an M-series VM | Enable Write Accelerator |
| High-performance shared file storage for HANA data/log volumes with minimal management overhead | Azure NetApp Files volumes |
| Managed file shares needed but ANF isn't justified by scale/cost | Azure Files volumes |
| Standard managed-disk storage for VM OS or application binaries | Premium SSD / Premium SSD v2 |
| Needing disk striping across multiple disks for higher aggregate throughput | Disk striping (not a single simple volume) |
3. Decision Table: HA Cluster Fencing
Both fencing mechanisms prevent split-brain in a Pacemaker cluster; the exam tests when each applies.
| If the question says… | Think… |
|---|---|
| Fencing should use Azure's own management APIs to fence a failed node | Azure fence agent |
| Fencing must not depend on Azure Resource Manager API calls or rate limits | STONITH Block Device (SBD) with iSCSI target VMs |
| Preventing split-brain in a Pacemaker cluster generally | STONITH (the concept both options above implement) |
| Clustering HANA specifically for automatic failover | Pacemaker + one of the fencing methods above |
4. Decision Table: RISE vs. Customer-Managed
The most-tested ambiguity in the migration domain: who is responsible for what, and which skill applies.
| If the question says… | Think… |
|---|---|
| SAP operates the application layer; you design the customer-side network/identity boundary | SAP RISE integration |
| Your team owns full infrastructure design, deployment, and clustering | Customer-managed IaaS (standard AZ-120 infrastructure domain) |
| Need networking design so RISE-managed and customer-managed environments can communicate | RISE networking design and implementation |
| Integrating identity/security services between your Azure tenant and a RISE landscape | RISE identity/security integration |
5. Portal & CLI Quick Reference
| Task | Where / how |
|---|---|
| Deploy and register an SAP system | Azure Center for SAP solutions > Create SAP system |
| Start or stop a registered SAP system | Azure Center for SAP solutions > Virtual Instance for SAP > Start/Stop |
| Automate infra deployment with the SAP framework | SAP Deployment Automation Framework (SDAF) pipelines |
| Enable Accelerated Networking on an SAP VM NIC | VM > Networking > Network interface > Enable accelerated networking |
| Configure the VM extension for SAP solutions | Azure VM extension: AzureEnhancedMonitoringForLinux / Windows |
| Set up SAP-specific monitoring | Azure Monitor for SAP solutions |
| Configure backup for an SAP database | Azure Backup > Backup policy > SAP HANA in Azure VM |
| Design a regional DR strategy for SAP infra | Azure Site Recovery replication policy |
Reviewed the reference tables? Test yourself.
Take the free AZ-120 readiness quiz or jump into scenario practice questions with full rationale for every option.
Quick Answers
Is this cheat sheet enough to pass AZ-120?
No. It is a fast final-review reference for someone who has already worked through the exam objectives. AZ-120 questions are scenario-based, so you need to understand why a choice fits a constraint, not just recognize a term.
What is the difference between the Azure fence agent and SBD?
Both fence a failed Pacemaker cluster node to prevent split-brain. The Azure fence agent uses Azure Resource Manager APIs to fence the node; an SBD (STONITH Block Device) uses shared storage instead, which avoids dependency on ARM API call limits.
When should I use Azure NetApp Files instead of Azure Files for HANA?
Azure NetApp Files is the higher-performance option for HANA data and log volumes where latency and throughput are the priority. Azure Files is a lighter-weight managed file share appropriate when ANF's scale or cost isn't justified.
What score do you need on AZ-120?
700 out of 1000, per Microsoft's exam scoring page (checked September 7, 2026).
Does the exam test RISE with SAP infrastructure that SAP itself manages?
No — it tests the customer-side integration boundary with a RISE landscape (networking, identity, data integration), not the internal infrastructure SAP operates.
About This Cheat Sheet
MSCertQuiz sells AZ-120 practice-exam access, and this cheat sheet is maintained by the same team that builds that question bank. Terms and decision tables here trace to Microsoft's official AZ-120 study guide and SAP on Azure documentation (checked September 7, 2026).