SAP-Certified Virtual Machines on Azure
Learn which Azure VM families are certified for SAP workloads, how to read SAP Note 1928533, understand SAPS benchmarks, and when to use constrained vCPU VMs to save on SAP licensing costs.
Choosing the right VM for SAP
☁️ Mei opens a spreadsheet. “Raj, we validated the migration. Now we need to design the actual infrastructure. Step one: picking the right VMs. And with SAP, you cannot just grab whatever looks big enough — we need VMs that SAP has tested and certified.”
🏗️ Raj frowns. “Certified? What happens if we use a non-certified VM?”
☁️ Mei shakes her head. “SAP will not support you. If you open a ticket for a production issue and your VM is not on the certified list, SAP can refuse to help. That list lives in SAP Note 1928533 — it is the single most important reference for AZ-120.”
Think of it like buying a car seat for a child.
You could technically strap any cushion to the seat, but only crash-tested, certified car seats are approved for safety. If something goes wrong and you used an uncertified seat, insurance will not cover you. SAP-certified VMs work the same way — they have been tested and approved, and using anything else means you are on your own if something breaks.
VM families for SAP workloads
Not every Azure VM family is suitable for SAP. Here are the families you need to know for the exam:
M-series, Mv2-series, and newer Msv3/Mdsv3-series — HANA database tier These are the memory-optimized giants. M-series VMs scale up to 4 TB of RAM, Mv2-series reaches approximately 12 TB, and the newer Msv3/Mdsv3-series extends capacity further. They are purpose-built for in-memory databases like HANA and are the most commonly tested VMs for production HANA.
E-series (Ev4, Ev5) — SAP application tier E-series VMs offer a strong balance of memory and compute. They are the go-to choice for SAP application servers (dialog instances, batch servers, ASCS/SCS) where you need good memory but not the extreme amounts required for HANA.
D-series (Dv4, Dv5) — development, test, and non-HANA production D-series provides general-purpose compute at a lower cost. They are not certified for production HANA but are certified for production SAP non-HANA workloads such as Solution Manager, and work well for non-production SAP systems and sandbox environments.
| Aspect | M-series / Mv2 / Msv3 | E-series (Ev4/Ev5) | D-series (Dv4/Dv5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary role | HANA database tier | SAP application servers | Dev/test, non-HANA production, and non-prod |
| Max memory | Up to ~12 TB (Mv2), higher with Msv3/Mdsv3 | Up to 672 GB | Up to 256 GB |
| HANA certified | Yes — production | No (app tier only) | No (not for HANA, but certified for non-HANA SAP production) |
| Write Accelerator | Supported (for HANA log volumes) | Not supported | Not supported |
| Typical SAP components | HANA DB, BW/4HANA | ASCS, dialog, batch, Web Dispatcher | Sandbox, training, Solution Manager, non-HANA production apps |
| Cost tier | Premium | Mid-range | Cost-effective |
🏗️ Raj does a quick calculation. “Our HANA database is 2 TB. So M-series fits, and we do not even need Mv2.”
☁️ Mei nods. “Correct. An M192ms with 4 TB of RAM gives you plenty of headroom. For the application servers, we will use E-series. And your sandbox can run on D-series to keep costs down.”
Exam tip: Know the family-to-role mapping
The exam loves asking which VM family to use for which SAP component. Remember: M-series/Mv2/Msv3 for HANA, E-series for application servers, D-series for dev/test and non-HANA production workloads. If a question mentions HANA production, only M-series, Mv2-series, or Msv3/Mdsv3-series is correct.
⚠️ Recently changed — exam alert
Azure’s HANA-certified VM portfolio continues to expand. The Msv3 and Mdsv3 series are newer additions beyond the well-known M-series and Mv2-series. Exam questions may reference these newer families. The key principle remains: only memory-optimised VM families (M-series, Mv2, Msv3/Mdsv3) are certified for production HANA. If you see an E-series or D-series VM offered as a HANA production answer, it is wrong regardless of its memory size.
SAPS benchmarks
SAPS (SAP Application Performance Standard) is the unit SAP uses to measure throughput. Every certified VM has a published SAPS rating that tells you how many business transactions per hour it can handle.
When sizing an SAP system:
- Run SAP Early Watch reports or the Quick Sizer tool against your existing system to determine your SAPS requirement
- Look up VM SAPS ratings in SAP Note 1928533
- Pick a VM that meets or exceeds the requirement with at least 20 percent headroom
SAPS is not just CPU speed
SAPS is a composite benchmark that measures end-to-end processing, including CPU, memory, and I/O. A VM with more cores does not automatically have a higher SAPS rating — the benchmark captures real-world SAP transaction performance. Always use published SAPS numbers rather than trying to calculate them from VM specs.
Constrained vCPU VMs
☁️ Mei leans forward. “Here is a licensing trick that can save PrecisionSteel serious money. Some SAP products license by the number of CPU cores. Azure offers constrained vCPU variants of M-series and E-series VMs.”
A constrained vCPU VM has the same memory as the full VM but fewer active cores. For example, the M64ms has 64 vCPUs and 1.7 TB RAM. The constrained M64-32ms has 32 vCPUs and the same 1.7 TB RAM. If your workload is memory-bound (HANA usually is), you get the same memory at half the core count — which means lower SAP licensing costs.
🏗️ Raj grins. “Same memory, fewer cores, cheaper license. I like it.”
Exam tip: Constrained vCPU for licensing
When the exam describes a scenario where SAP licensing is by CPU core and the workload is memory-intensive, constrained vCPU VMs are the right answer. The VM cost stays the same, but the SAP license cost drops because you have fewer countable cores.
Azure VM extension for SAP
The Azure VM extension for SAP (formerly known as the Enhanced Monitoring extension) is mandatory for SAP support. It feeds Azure infrastructure metrics — CPU, memory, disk, network — into the SAP system so that SAP Early Watch and transaction ST06 display accurate data.
Without this extension, SAP Support will ask you to install it before they troubleshoot performance issues.
Key facts:
- Install on every VM running SAP components
- Feeds data to SAP Host Agent which exposes it in the SAP GUI
- Required for SAP support agreements
- Can be deployed via Azure CLI, PowerShell, or ARM templates
Knowledge check
PrecisionSteel needs a VM for their 2 TB production SAP HANA database. Which VM family should Mei recommend?
PrecisionSteel's SAP license is based on CPU core count. Their HANA workload needs 1.7 TB of memory but does not fully utilize 64 cores. What should Mei recommend?
Mei is creating a post-deployment checklist for PrecisionSteel's SAP VMs. Which component must be installed on every Azure VM running SAP to maintain SAP support eligibility?
Summary
You now know how to select the right Azure VMs for SAP: M-series, Mv2, and Msv3/Mdsv3 for HANA, E-series for application servers, D-series for dev/test and non-HANA production, constrained vCPU for licensing savings, and the mandatory VM extension for SAP support. SAP Note 1928533 is your single source of truth.
Next up, we will design the storage layer — because even the fastest VM is useless if the disks cannot keep up with HANA’s I/O demands.
🎬 Video coming soon