Challenge 3: Assessment

Challenge 3: Assessment

Challenge Snapshot

Field	Value
Duration	45 minutes
Type	Hands-on Lab
Points	20
Deliverable	Azure VM and SQL assessment outputs with readiness findings

Objective

Analyze discovered workloads and create Azure assessments to understand migration readiness, sizing recommendations, and cost estimates.

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The Business Challenge

Now that discovery has run (hopefully over lunch!), Contoso needs answers:

1. Which workloads are ready for Azure? — Any blockers?
2. What Azure resources do we need? — VM sizes, storage types
3. How much will it cost? — Monthly estimates for budgeting
4. What about the SQL database? — Can it go to Azure SQL?

Time to turn raw discovery data into actionable insights!

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Prerequisites

Before starting this challenge, ensure:

• Challenge 2 completed — discovery running
• At least some servers visible in Azure Migrate (check the portal)
• You have access to the Azure portal

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Your Tasks

Part A: Verify Discovered Servers (10 min)

1. Navigate to Azure Migrate → Servers, databases and web apps

2. In the Azure Migrate: Discovery and assessment tile, note:

   • Number of discovered servers
   • Number of SQL instances discovered
   • Number of web apps discovered

3. Click on the Discovered servers count

4. Review the server inventory:

   Expected Server	OS	Status
   ArcBox-Win2K22	Windows Server 2022	Should show
   ArcBox-Win2K25	Windows Server 2025	Should show
   ArcBox-SQL	Windows + SQL	Should show
   ArcBox-Ubuntu-01	Ubuntu 22.04	Should show
   ArcBox-Ubuntu-02	Ubuntu 22.04	Should show

5. Click on any server to see details:

   • Configuration (cores, memory, disks)
   • Performance data (if available)
   • Dependencies (if enabled)

✅ Verify:

• At least 5 servers discovered
• Can view server details

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Part B: Create Azure VM Assessment (20 min)

1. In Azure Migrate, click Assess → Azure VM

2. Assessment settings:

   Setting	Recommended Value	Notes
   Target location	Sweden Central	EU region for GDPR compliance
   Storage type	Automatic	Let Azure recommend
   Savings options	Pay-as-you-go	For initial estimate
   Sizing criteria	Performance-based	Uses collected metrics
   Performance history	1 day	Workshop timeframe
   Percentile utilization	95th	Default, handles spikes
   Comfort factor	1.3	30% buffer for growth
   VM series	Deselect A-series	Exclude burstable

3. Select servers to assess:

   • Click Edit next to “Selected servers”
   • Create a new group: contoso-all-servers
   • Select all 5 discovered servers
   • Click Create assessment

4. Wait for assessment (2-5 minutes)

5. Review assessment results:

   • Click on the assessment name
   • Note the Azure readiness summary
   • Review Monthly cost estimate

✅ Verify:

• Assessment created
• Readiness results visible
• Cost estimate generated

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Part C: Analyze Readiness Results (15 min)

Click into your assessment and explore each section:

Readiness Overview

Status	Meaning	Action
✅ Ready for Azure	Can migrate as-is	Proceed
⚠️ Ready with conditions	Minor issues	Review and remediate
❌ Not ready for Azure	Blockers exist	Investigate
❓ Readiness unknown	Insufficient data	Add credentials/wait

Document for each server:

Server	Readiness	Issues (if any)	Recommended Azure VM
ArcBox-Win2K22
ArcBox-Win2K25
ArcBox-SQL
ArcBox-Ubuntu-01
ArcBox-Ubuntu-02

Cost Breakdown

Review the cost details:

• Compute costs (VM hours)
• Storage costs (disk types)
• Total monthly estimate

Questions to answer:

• What’s the total monthly cost estimate?
• Which server is the most expensive? Why?
• What disk types are recommended?

Confidence Rating

Look at the confidence rating (1-5 stars):

Rating	Meaning
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	All data points available
⭐⭐⭐⭐	Most data available
⭐⭐⭐	Some data missing
⭐⭐	Limited data
⭐	Minimal data

💡 Tip: Lower confidence often means discovery hasn’t run long enough for performance data

✅ Verify:

• Documented readiness for all servers
• Noted cost estimate
• Checked confidence rating

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Part D: Create Azure SQL Assessment (15 min)

1. Return to Azure Migrate dashboard

2. Click Assess → Azure SQL

3. Assessment settings:

   Setting	Value
   Target deployment type	Azure SQL MI, SQL DB, and SQL on Azure VM
   Target location	Same region as VM assessment
   Compute tier	General Purpose

4. Select the server group or individual SQL server

5. Click Create assessment

6. Review SQL assessment results:

   • Target readiness (SQL MI vs SQL DB vs SQL VM)
   • Instance details
   • Database compatibility

Questions to answer:

• What Azure SQL target is recommended?
• Are there any compatibility issues?
• What’s the estimated SQL cost?

✅ Verify:

• SQL assessment created
• Target recommendation noted
• Compatibility reviewed

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Expected Deliverables

1. Click Export assessment to download Excel file

2. Save the file — you’ll reference it in later challenges

3. Key metrics to capture for your team:

   • Total monthly cost estimate
   • Number of ready vs. not-ready servers
   • Recommended VM sizes
   • Any blockers or warnings

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Success Criteria (20 Points)

Criterion	Points	Verification
VM assessment created	5	Assessment visible in portal
SQL assessment created	5	SQL assessment visible
Readiness interpreted correctly	5	Can explain status for each server
Findings documented	5	Exported or captured key metrics
Total	20

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⚠️ Watch out

Issue	Solution
No servers in assessment	Wait longer for discovery, check appliance status
All servers “unknown” readiness	Add server credentials, wait for metadata
No performance data	Need more time (hours) for collection
SQL not discovered	Verify SQL credentials, check SQL instance is running
Cost seems wrong	Check VM series selection, verify region

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💡 Tip

• Performance data improves over time — Initial assessments may have lower confidence
• Review the “Why” not just “What” — Click into each server to understand recommendations
• Cost is estimate only — Actual costs depend on usage, reserved instances, hybrid benefit
• Compare to your Challenge 1 plan — Does reality match your assumptions?

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⚠️ Watch out

• Low-confidence assessments can mislead decisions; validate data quality before finalising recommendations.
• Ensure SQL discovery credentials are correct before assuming incompatibility.

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What Just Happened?

You created assessments that:

1. Analyzed server configurations — CPU, memory, storage
2. Applied sizing algorithms — Matched to Azure VM SKUs
3. Evaluated readiness — Checked for migration blockers
4. Estimated costs — Based on Azure pricing
5. Provided recommendations — Right-sized for your workload

This data drives migration decisions!

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Reflection Questions

• Did the assessment results match your expectations from Challenge 1?
• What surprised you about the readiness results?
• How would you improve the confidence rating?

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Next Step

Bring your assessment findings to Challenge 4: Execute where you’ll design the detailed migration strategy.