Migrate your existing, on-premises applications into the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. This book covers the best practices to plan, implement, and operationalize the migration of a database application from your organization’s data center to Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform.

Data modernization and migration is a technologically complex endeavor that can also be taxing from a leadership and operational standpoint. This book covers not only the technology, but also the most important aspects of organization culture, communication, and politics that so frequently derail such projects. You will learn the most important steps to ensuring a successful migration and see battle-tested wisdom from industry veterans. From executive sponsorship, to executing the migration, to the important steps following migration, you will learn how to effectively conduct future migrations and ensure that your team and your database application delivers on the expected business value of the project.

This book is unlike any other currently in the market. It takes you through the most critical business and technical considerations and workflows for moving your data and databases into the cloud, with special attention paid to those who are deploying to the Microsoft Data Platform in Azure, especially SQL Server. Although this book focuses on migrating on-premises SQL Server enterprises to hybrid or fully cloud-based Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instances, it also cover topics involving migrating non-SQL Server database platforms such as Oracle, MySQL, and PostgreSQL applications to Microsoft Azure.

What You Will Learn

• Plan a database migration that ensures smooth project progress, optimal performance, low operating cost, and minimal downtime
• Properly analyze and manage non-technical considerations, such as legal compliance, privacy, and team execution
• Perform a thorough architectural analysis to select the best Azure services, performance tiers, and cost-containment features
• Avoid pitfalls and common reasons for failure relating to corporate culture, intra-office politics, and poor communications
• Secure the proper executive champions who can execute the business planning needed for success
• Apply proven criteria to determine your future-state architecture and your migration method
• Execute your migration using a process proven by the authors over years of successful projects

Who This Book Is For

IT leadership, strategic IT decision makers, project owners and managers, and enterprise and application architects. For anyone looking toward cloud migration projects as the next stage of growth in their careers. Also useful for enterprise DBAs and consultants who might be involved in such projects. Readers should have experience and be competent in designing, coding, implementing, and supporting database applications in an on-premises environment.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Azure SQL Data Platform

Chapter 2: Planning Considerations and Analysis

Chapter 3: Budgeting for an Azure Migration

Chapter 4: Azure Cost Management

Chapter 5: Service and Systems Monitoring

Chapter 6: Migrating Data and Code

Chapter 7: Team Success Factors

Chapter 8: Security, Privacy, and Compliance with the Law

Chapter 9: Documenting Data Sources and Metadata in a Data Dictionary

Chapter 10: Moving Your Data to the Cloud

Chapter 11: Data Validation Testing

Chapter 12: Postmigration Tasks

Chapter 13: Post Mortem

About the Authors

Kevin Kline is a noted database expert and software industry veteran. A long-time Microsoft Data Platform MVP and respected community leader in the database industry, Kevin is a founder and former president of the Professional Association for SQL Server, as well as the author of popular IT books such as SQL in a Nutshell. Kevin is a top-rated speaker at industry trade shows worldwide and has a monthly column at Database Trends & Applications magazine (DBTA.com). He tweets at @kekline and blogs regularly. Kevin is a Head Geek at SolarWinds, a leading vendor of management and observability tools for networks, systems, databases, applications, IT team services, and IT security.

Denis McDowell has been designing and implementing technology solutions with Microsoft Data Platform technologies for over 25 years. Denis’ 10 years leading the Application Management practice for a managed services provider and subsequent experience consulting in financial technologies led him to develop broad and deep expertise architecting requirements-driven cloud solutions to meet the business objectives of his customers. Denis is a certified Microsoft Azure Data Platform Engineer and speaks regularly at industry events and conferences around the world. Denis is a consultant at QBE, LLC, a leading management and technology consulting organization for the federal government and defense and intelligence communities and is currently the Principal Cloud Architect for the US.Army’s Enterprise Cloud Management Agency (ECMA).Dustin Dorsey has been architecting and managing SQL Server solutions for healthcare companies for well over a decade. While he has built his career in database administration, he has also spent significant time working in development and business intelligence. During this time, Dustin has gained a keen interest and specialization in cost management around the data platform both on-premise and in the cloud that he has used to save organizations millions of dollars. Dustin is an international speaker and can be seen writing articles on popular SQL websites as well as on his own blog at DustinDorsey.com. He is also active in the community both as a local user group leader and event organizer..

Matt Gordon is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and has worked with SQL Server since 2000. He is the leader of the Lexington, KY Data Technology Group and a frequent domestic and international community speaker. He's an IDERA ACE alumnus and 2021 Friend of Redgate. His original data professional role was in database development, which quickly evolved into query tuning work that further evolved into being a DBA in the healthcare realm. He has supported several critical systems utilizing SQL Server and managed dozens of 24/7/365 SQL Server implementations. Following several years as a consultant, he is now the Director of Data and Infrastructure for rev.io, where he is implementing data governance, DevOps, and performance improvements enterprisewide.