Introduction

Migrating an on-premises SQL Server database is an important task and should be planned to perfection. An ideal migration methodology should be like the one shown in the following diagram:

Figure 2.1: Migration methodology

Finding the Migration Benefits

You should first analyze and find out the benefits of migrating an on-premises SQL database to an Azure SQL database. Migration involves a lot of time, effort, and cost, and it shouldn't be done just for the sake of having a cloud database.

Finding the Blockers

The next step is to find out the compatibility issues that may stop you from migrating to Azure SQL Database.

Selecting a Service Model

The next step is to find out whether the database will be deployed individually, in an elastic pool, or as a SQL managed database instance. This is important as the service model will affect the overall pricing, service tier, performance, and management of the Azure SQL Database.

Selecting a Service Tier

The next step is to...