Yes. Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty renews every 12 months. Renewal is a free online assessment through Microsoft Learn — you do not retake the full proctored exam.

AZ-120 Study Guide: Pass Azure for SAP Workloads

Q: What is the passing score for AZ-120?

A score of 700 or greater out of 1000 is required to pass AZ-120, per Microsoft’s exam scoring and score reports page. This is the same passing threshold Microsoft applies across its certification exams.

To pass AZ-120 (Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads), get comfortable with general Azure administration first, then spend most of your study time on the parts AZ-104 never touches: SAP-certified VM sizing by SAPS, HANA and SCS clustering with Pacemaker and STONITH fencing, storage design for HANA on Azure NetApp Files, and SAP RISE integration. Score 700 or higher across four weighted domains to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty credential.

AZ-120 vs. AZ-104: Do You Need Both?

Should you take AZ-104 before AZ-120? Microsoft's own AZ-120 study guide says candidates should "strongly" consider holding the Azure Administrator Associate certification (AZ-104) first — it is a recommendation, not an enforced prerequisite, and Pearson VUE will let you register for AZ-120 without it. In practice, treat the recommendation as load-bearing: nothing in AZ-120's objectives re-teaches how virtual networks, storage accounts, or Azure AD/Entra ID work at a basic level.

AZ-104 (Microsoft Azure Administrator) is broad and shallow relative to AZ-120: it covers identity, governance, compute, networking, and storage across every workload type an Azure administrator might touch. AZ-120 (Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads) is narrow and deep: every domain assumes you already know how to deploy a VM or configure a VNet, and instead tests whether you can size that VM against SAP's SAPS throughput unit, cluster it with Pacemaker for SAP HANA and SAP Central Services (SCS), and recover it with an SAP-aware backup and disaster-recovery strategy.

Who actually needs AZ-120 on top of AZ-104?

• Azure administrators being assigned to an SAP migration or SAP Basis-adjacent role
• SAP Basis consultants moving their landscape management skills onto Azure specifically
• Solution architects designing landing zones, HA/DR, and RISE integration for SAP customers
• Partners delivering SAP-on-Azure migrations who need a credential that demonstrates SAP-specific depth, not just general Azure competence

If your job never touches SAP HANA, SAP NetWeaver, or SAP Business Suite, AZ-120 is the wrong exam — it will not teach you anything about general Azure administration you have not already covered in AZ-104, and it assumes SAP application knowledge AZ-104 never mentions.

What AZ-120 Actually Tests, Lifecycle by Lifecycle

Where an AZ-104 exam question tends to ask "which service does this," an AZ-120 question tends to ask "which choice fits this SAP workload's specific constraint." The four domains map onto the actual lifecycle of an SAP-on-Azure project: get the workload onto Azure, build the infrastructure it needs to run well, make it resilient, then keep it running. Here is the weighted breakdown, based on Microsoft's AZ-120 study guide (skills measured as of April 17, 2026).

Domain	Weight	What generalist Azure skills DON'T cover here
Migrate SAP workloads to Azure	25–30%	SAPS-based sizing, lift-and-shift vs. lift-shift-migrate vs. lift-shift-migrate-to-HANA, SAP RISE networking design
Design/implement infrastructure for SAP workloads	25–30%	SAP-certified VM selection, Azure Center for SAP solutions, SAP Deployment Automation Framework, Write Accelerator, Azure NetApp Files for HANA
High availability and disaster recovery (HADR)	20–25%	HANA/SCS clustering, Pacemaker, STONITH, Azure fence agent, SBD, SAP-aware Azure Site Recovery design
Maintain SAP workloads on Azure	20–25%	SAP-specific Azure Monitor configuration, starting/stopping SAP systems via Azure Center for SAP solutions, SAP LaMa connector for Azure

Domain 1: Migrate SAP workloads to Azure (25–30%)

This domain starts before a single VM exists. You identify target infrastructure requirements by estimating SAPS-based sizing, mapping compute/storage/network needs, and checking subscription and quota constraints — work an AZ-104 candidate has never done, because AZ-104 doesn't deal with SAP's own performance unit. You then design the Azure environment itself (authorization, Azure Policy governance, SAP landing zones) and, distinctly, design and implement the integration boundary with SAP RISE — networking, compute/storage services, data archiving integration, and identity/security integration with a landscape SAP itself operates.

Domain 2: Design and implement infrastructure for SAP workloads (25–30%)

Compute, networking, and storage all get an SAP-specific lens. Compute means choosing an SAP-certified VM size for the actual workload, not just any VM, and automating the deployment with the SAP Deployment Automation Framework or Azure Center for SAP solutions rather than a generic ARM/Bicep pipeline. Networking adds Accelerated Networking and proximity placement groups to meet SAP's latency requirements between application and database tiers. Storage is the domain's deepest AZ-104 gap: Write Accelerator for HANA log volumes, disk striping and simple volumes, and choosing between Azure NetApp Files and Azure Files for HANA data — none of which come up in general Azure storage administration.

Domain 3: High availability and disaster recovery (20–25%)

This is the domain most generalist Azure admins underestimate. AZ-104's HA content stops at availability sets, availability zones, and load balancers. AZ-120 goes further: configuring clustering for HANA and SAP Central Services, configuring Pacemaker and STONITH, and choosing between an Azure fence agent and a STONITH Block Device (SBD) for cluster fencing. On the DR side, you design an Azure Site Recovery strategy specifically for SAP infrastructure and validate SAP-aware backup and restore, not a generic VM backup policy.

Domain 4: Maintain SAP workloads on Azure (20–25%)

Day-2 operations get SAP-specific tooling: configuring Azure Monitor for SAP solutions (a purpose-built monitoring integration, distinct from generic Azure Monitor), starting and stopping SAP systems and managing virtual instances through Azure Center for SAP solutions, and implementing the SAP Landscape Management (LaMa) connector for Azure. Cost optimization also gets an SAP lens — resizing and Reserved Instances/Savings Plans decisions specifically for SAP application servers and databases.

Test where your SAP-on-Azure knowledge actually stands

Try Free AZ-120 Practice Questions

Scenario-based questions across all four domains, with rationale for every option. No credit card required.

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Study Plan: From AZ-104 Baseline to SAP-on-Azure Specialist

How long does it take to prepare for AZ-120? If you already hold AZ-104 or have equivalent day-to-day Azure administration experience, plan on 5–7 weeks, since you can skip straight to the SAP-specific material below. Without that baseline, add 3–4 weeks to first close the general Azure administration gap through AZ-104's own learning path before returning here.

A weighted study-hour allocation, assuming roughly 60 total hours and an existing Azure administration baseline:

Domain	Exam weight	Suggested hours
Migrate SAP workloads to Azure	25–30%	16
Infrastructure for SAP workloads	25–30%	17
High availability and disaster recovery	20–25%	15
Maintain SAP workloads on Azure	20–25%	12

Confirm your AZ-104 baseline is solid, not just certified

If VNets, NSGs, managed disks, and Azure AD/Entra ID roles are not second nature, spend a week reinforcing them before touching SAP-specific content. AZ-120 will not re-explain any of it.

Work through SAP on Azure documentation domain by domain

Use Microsoft's SAP on Azure documentation hub and the SAP on Azure architecture center as your primary source, following the four-domain order above rather than reading end to end.

Build the HA/DR domain first if you dread it

Pacemaker, STONITH, and SBD fencing concepts take repetition to stick, especially if you have never worked with Linux clustering outside Azure. Front-load this domain rather than leaving it for the last week.

Practice questions after each domain, not at the end

After each domain, work through scenario questions for that domain specifically. AZ-120 questions describe a customer constraint and ask you to pick the matching Azure/SAP design choice — the same pattern our free AZ-120 practice questions use.

Final week: timed mock exam plus cheat-sheet review

Take a full timed mock exam under real conditions, then spend remaining time drilling the decision tables (storage choice, fencing choice, RISE vs. customer-managed) in our AZ-120 cheat sheet.

Common Pitfalls for Generalist Azure Admins

Most AZ-120 failures aren't Azure knowledge gaps — they're SAP-specific mechanics that AZ-104 or general Azure experience never covers. These are the traps that come up repeatedly.

Confusing generic HA with SAP-aware HA

Deploying VMs across availability zones is not the same as clustering HANA or SCS. The exam expects you to know when Pacemaker with STONITH or an SBD is required on top of basic Azure redundancy.

Treating SAP RISE like a normal migration target

RISE with SAP means SAP operates the application layer. Questions about RISE test the customer-side boundary — networking, identity, data integration — not a standard lift-and-shift.

Ignoring SAPS as a sizing unit

Sizing questions describe application-tier throughput requirements in SAPS, not vCPU count or RAM alone. Know that SAP-certified Azure VM types are documented against SAPS, not generic Azure VM benchmarks.

Picking the wrong HANA storage option

Azure NetApp Files, Azure Files, Premium SSD, and Ultra Disk all appear as storage choices, each with different latency and throughput trade-offs for HANA data and log volumes. Memorizing one "default" answer will cost you on scenario questions.

Not sure where your SAP-on-Azure gaps are?

Take the free AZ-120 readiness quiz to see which domains need the most work before you book the exam.

Check My Readiness

FAQ

Do I need AZ-104 before I can take AZ-120?

No exam enforces it, but Microsoft's own AZ-120 study guide states candidates should strongly consider holding the Azure Administrator Associate certification first. AZ-120 assumes you already know how to work with virtual machines, virtual networks, storage, and identity in Azure and builds SAP-specific skills on top of that base.

What is the passing score for AZ-120?

A score of 700 or greater out of 1000 is required to pass, per Microsoft's exam scoring and score reports page (checked September 7, 2026). This is the same passing threshold Microsoft applies across its role-based certification exams.

How many domains does AZ-120 cover?

Four: Migrate SAP workloads to Azure (25–30%), Design and implement an infrastructure to support SAP workloads on Azure (25–30%), Design and implement high availability and disaster recovery (20–25%), and Maintain SAP workloads on Azure (20–25%), per Microsoft's AZ-120 study guide (skills measured as of April 17, 2026).

Does AZ-120 expire?

Yes. Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty renews every 12 months, per Microsoft's certification page. Renewal is a free online assessment through Microsoft Learn — you do not retake the full proctored exam.

Is AZ-120 harder than AZ-104?

AZ-120 tests narrower but deeper knowledge. Where AZ-104 covers general Azure administration broadly, AZ-120 assumes that baseline and adds SAP-specific mechanics — HANA and SCS clustering, Pacemaker and STONITH fencing, SAPS-based sizing, and SAP RISE integration — that most Azure administrators have never touched.

Do I need SAP experience to pass AZ-120?

Microsoft's audience profile for the exam expects candidates to have extensive experience and knowledge of SAP applications and databases, including SAP HANA, SAP Business Suite, and SAP NetWeaver. Azure skills alone are not enough — you need working SAP Basis or SAP infrastructure experience too.

What is SAP RISE and why does AZ-120 test it?

RISE with SAP is SAP's managed offering where SAP itself operates the SAP application layer on hyperscaler infrastructure, including Azure. AZ-120 tests it because customer teams still design and implement the networking, compute, storage, identity, and data-integration boundary between their own Azure environment and the RISE-managed landscape.

About This Guide

MSCertQuiz sells AZ-120 practice-exam access, and this guide is written by the same team that builds and maintains that question bank. Every fact in this guide traces to Microsoft's official AZ-120 study guide and certification pages (checked September 7, 2026) — we did not estimate or reuse figures from another certification. Domain coverage in our practice questions is verified against the same live Microsoft Learn SAP-on-Azure documentation cited throughout this guide.