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Hello Hassanrs,
Thank you for your detailed feedback and insight regarding Azure Migrate and Azure Database Migration Service (DMS). Your points about Azure Migrate’s capability to migrate entire VMs—including the OS, SQL Server, the application (PHIInvManage), and configurations—are valid and reflect its strength as a lift-and-shift migration tool.
However, in the context of the original scenario, the recommended migration path focuses specifically on migrating AppDB (the database) to Azure while keeping the PHIInvManage application running on the same server as the database after migration. The scenario emphasizes improving scalability and reducing hardware maintenance costs by migrating the database to Azure, but it requires the application to remain tightly integrated with the database.
Here’s why Azure Database Migration Service (DMS) is considered the correct choice in this context:
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Azure DMS is explicitly designed to migrate large databases with minimal downtime and administrative overhead. It handles schema and data migration effectively while preserving the database integrity and real-time transaction capability, which aligns with the need for continuous integration with PHIInvManage.
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SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines enables running the full SQL Server environment in Azure, which supports keeping PHIInvManage on the same VM post-migration. DMS facilitates migrating the database to this environment efficiently.
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While Azure Migrate’s Server Migration tool allows migration of entire VMs—including OS and apps—it implies lifting and shifting the whole server “as-is” without inherently improving scalability or optimizing Azure-managed services. This approach may replicate existing hardware dependencies and maintenance overhead, somewhat contradicting the goal of reducing hardware management.
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Additionally, Azure Migrate is primarily positioned as a discovery, assessment, and lift-and-shift orchestration tool, rather than a specialized database migration service. Its Server Migration is suitable when moving the entire VM wholesale. Still, when the focus is on migrating the database workload to an Azure VM or managed service with minimal disruption and administrative effort, DMS provides a more streamlined and purpose-built solution.
In summary, if the requirement is strictly to migrate the database while keeping the application tightly coupled on the same server post-migration, using SQL Server on Azure VM combined with Azure DMS offers the best balance of scalability, operational efficiency, and minimal administrative effort. Azure Migrate could move the entire VM as-is, but that approach may not meet the goal of optimizing and reducing maintenance in Azure.
We appreciate your perspective and hope this clarifies why Azure DMS is favored for this scenario’s specific requirements. We will update the scenario to better align with Azure DMS as the correct migration service.
Feel free to reach out if you still have further questions.
Regards,
Nikee @ Tutorials Dojo
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