SAP to Azure: Complete Feature Mapping
Every SAP component mapped to its Azure equivalent with migration complexity ratings, CSA-in-a-Box integration points, and gap analysis.
How to read this document
Each table maps SAP capabilities to Azure equivalents with the following ratings:
- Migration effort: XS (< 1 week), S (1--4 weeks), M (1--3 months), L (3--6 months), XL (6--12 months)
- Parity: Full (feature-complete equivalent), High (90%+ coverage), Medium (70--90%), Low (< 70%), Different (fundamentally different approach)
- CSA-in-a-Box role: How the CSA-in-a-Box platform integrates with or enhances the Azure equivalent
1. SAP HANA database layer
| SAP HANA capability | Azure equivalent | Parity | Effort | CSA-in-a-Box integration | Notes |
| HANA in-memory columnar store | Azure VMs (M-series, Mv2) running SAP HANA | Full | M | Fabric Mirroring replicates HANA data to OneLake | Same HANA binary, Azure-certified hardware |
| HANA scale-up (single node) | M-series up to 11.4 TB; HLI up to 24 TB | Full | M | N/A | Mv2-series for 6+ TB workloads |
| HANA scale-out (multi-node) | Azure VMs with ANF shared storage | Full | L | N/A | Certified for BW/4HANA scale-out |
| HANA System Replication (HSR) | HSR on Azure VMs (synchronous/asynchronous) | Full | M | N/A | Same HSR, Azure Pacemaker/SLES HA for automation |
| HANA backup (BACKINT) | Azure Backup for SAP HANA (BACKINT-certified) | Full | S | N/A | Streaming backup to Azure Storage, no third-party needed |
| HANA tenant databases | Multi-tenant database containers on Azure VMs | Full | S | Each tenant can mirror to separate Fabric workspace | Same MDC architecture |
| HANA XSA (XS Advanced) | SAP HANA XSA on Azure VMs; consider migration to SAP BTP or Azure App Service | Medium | L | N/A | XSA applications may need refactoring for BTP or Azure PaaS |
| HANA Smart Data Integration (SDI) | ADF SAP connectors + Fabric Mirroring | High | M | ADF provides SAP Table, BW, HANA, ODP connectors | SDI data provisioning maps to ADF + Fabric |
| HANA Smart Data Access (SDA) | Databricks Lakehouse Federation | High | S | Unity Catalog federates queries across SAP HANA and other sources | Virtual access pattern preserved |
| HANA Predictive Analysis Library (PAL) | Azure ML + Databricks ML | High | M | CSA-in-a-Box AI integration layer | PAL algorithms available in scikit-learn, Spark ML |
| HANA Spatial Engine | Azure SQL (spatial) + Databricks (GeoSpark) | Medium | M | CSA-in-a-Box GeoAnalytics patterns | Spatial queries require code migration |
| HANA Graph Engine | Azure Cosmos DB (Gremlin) + Neo4j on Azure | Medium | L | N/A | Graph workloads require architectural redesign |
| HANA Text Analysis | Azure AI Language + Cognitive Services | High | M | Azure AI Foundry integration | Better NLP capabilities than HANA Text |
2. SAP application layer (NetWeaver / S/4HANA)
| SAP capability | Azure equivalent | Parity | Effort | CSA-in-a-Box integration | Notes |
| SAP NetWeaver ABAP stack | Azure VMs (E-series, D-series) | Full | M | Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions | Same SAP kernel, Azure-certified |
| SAP NetWeaver Java stack | Azure VMs; consider migration to Azure App Service | Full | M | N/A | Java stack deprecated in S/4HANA; migrate to ABAP |
| SAP Central Services (ASCS/SCS) | Azure VMs with Pacemaker/WSFC HA | Full | M | N/A | HA cluster using Azure Load Balancer + shared storage |
| SAP Enqueue Replication Server (ERS) | ERS on Azure VMs with HA cluster | Full | S | N/A | ENSA2 recommended for S/4HANA |
| SAP Web Dispatcher | Azure VMs or Azure Application Gateway | Full | S | N/A | Application Gateway provides WAF capabilities |
| SAP Fiori (UI5) | SAP Fiori on Azure VMs; Azure Front Door for CDN | Full | S | Power BI embedded for analytics tiles | Fiori launchpad runs unchanged |
| SAP Gateway (OData) | SAP Gateway on Azure VMs; API Management for external exposure | Full | S | APIM data mesh gateway pattern | OData services accessible via APIM |
| SAP Batch processing | SAP batch on Azure VMs; autoscale dialog instances | Full | S | N/A | Azure VM autoscale for batch windows |
| SAP Transport Management System (TMS) | TMS on Azure VMs; Azure DevOps for CI/CD integration | Full | S | N/A | Consider SAP Cloud Transport Management for RISE |
| SAP Solution Manager (SolMan) | Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions + Azure DevOps | High | M | CSA-in-a-Box monitoring integration | ACSS replaces most SolMan monitoring; ChaRM maps to Azure DevOps |
| SAP Focused Run | Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions | High | M | N/A | Focused Run monitoring capabilities in ACSS |
| SAP Process Orchestration (PO) | Azure Integration Services (Logic Apps, APIM, Service Bus) | High | L | ADF for data integration; Logic Apps for process integration | See Integration Migration |
| SAP Process Integration (PI) | Azure Integration Services | High | L | N/A | Same migration path as PI/PO |
3. SAP analytics and reporting
| SAP capability | Azure equivalent | Parity | Effort | CSA-in-a-Box integration | Notes |
| SAP BW (Business Warehouse) | Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse + dbt + Databricks | High | XL | OneLake as unified data lake; dbt for transformations | Large BW migrations are multi-year; phase by InfoArea |
| SAP BW/4HANA | Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse + Databricks | High | L--XL | Fabric Mirroring for BW/4HANA tables | BW/4HANA simplifies migration; fewer legacy objects |
| SAP BW InfoCubes | Fabric Lakehouse Delta tables | High | M | dbt models replace InfoCube load logic | Star schema preserved in Delta tables |
| SAP BW DSOs/ADSOs | Fabric Lakehouse Delta tables (staging layer) | High | M | dbt incremental models replace DSO activation | ADSO maps cleanly to incremental Delta tables |
| SAP BW CompositeProviders | Fabric SQL endpoint views / Databricks views | High | M | Unity Catalog views for cross-domain access | Virtual layer maps to SQL views |
| SAP BW Open Hub | ADF SAP BW connector + Fabric pipelines | Full | S | ADF extracts from BW Open Hub Destinations | Direct replacement for data distribution |
| SAP BW Process Chains | ADF pipelines + Fabric data pipelines | High | M | ADF orchestrates extraction; Fabric handles downstream | Process chain logic decomposes into ADF activities |
| SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) | Power BI Premium + Fabric | High | M | Direct Lake mode on OneLake; Copilot for Power BI | SAC planning capabilities require additional consideration |
| SAP BusinessObjects (BO) | Power BI Premium | High | M--L | Power BI semantic models replace BO universes | Universe-to-semantic-model migration |
| SAP Crystal Reports | Power BI paginated reports (SSRS) | High | M | N/A | Pixel-perfect reports via Power BI Report Builder |
| SAP Lumira | Power BI Desktop | Full | S | N/A | Direct replacement for self-service visualization |
| SAP Analysis for Office | Power BI Desktop + Excel (Analyze in Excel) | High | S | N/A | Analyze in Excel provides similar Excel integration |
| SAP HANA Live views | Fabric SQL endpoint + Power BI DirectQuery | High | M | Fabric Mirroring provides real-time data access | Replace HANA Live with Fabric SQL endpoint views |
4. SAP integration and middleware
| SAP capability | Azure equivalent | Parity | Effort | CSA-in-a-Box integration | Notes |
| SAP PI/PO (Integration) | Azure Logic Apps + API Management + Service Bus | High | L | APIM data mesh gateway for SAP API exposure | Interface-by-interface migration |
| SAP Cloud Integration (CPI/CI) | Azure Logic Apps or retain CPI on BTP | Full | S--M | N/A | CPI can coexist with Azure Integration Services |
| RFC connections | SAP .NET Connector + Azure Functions | Full | S | N/A | RFC calls from Azure Functions/Logic Apps |
| IDoc processing | Logic Apps SAP connector (IDoc send/receive) | Full | S | ADF for bulk IDoc extraction | Logic Apps native IDoc support |
| BAPI calls | Logic Apps SAP connector + Azure Functions | Full | S | N/A | Synchronous BAPI calls from Logic Apps |
| SAP Event Mesh | Azure Event Grid + Service Bus | High | M | Event Hubs for high-volume SAP events | SAP Business Events map to Event Grid topics |
| SAP BTP Integration Suite | Coexist with Azure Integration Services | Full | S | N/A | BTP and Azure integration can run in parallel |
| SAP Data Intelligence | Azure Data Factory + Databricks | High | M--L | Full CSA-in-a-Box data engineering layer | DI pipelines migrate to ADF + dbt |
| OData services (SAP Gateway) | API Management + Azure Functions | Full | S | APIM policies for rate limiting, caching | OData passthrough or transformation |
| SAP Master Data Governance (MDG) | Purview + custom MDM on Azure | Medium | L | Purview data catalog for master data governance | MDG business rules require custom implementation |
5. SAP security and identity
| SAP capability | Azure equivalent | Parity | Effort | CSA-in-a-Box integration | Notes |
| SAP user authentication | Microsoft Entra ID (SAML 2.0 SSO) | Full | M | Entra ID as unified identity plane | SAML SSO for Fiori, Web GUI, HANA Studio |
| SAP authorization (roles/profiles) | SAP roles unchanged; Entra ID for authentication | Full | S | N/A | Authorization remains in SAP; authentication moves to Entra |
| SAP GRC Access Control | Entra ID Governance + PIM | High | L | Purview data access governance | GRC access risk analysis maps to Entra PIM |
| SAP GRC Process Control | Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager | Medium | L | CSA-in-a-Box compliance control mappings | Process control rules require re-implementation |
| SAP GRC Risk Management | Microsoft Purview + Defender for Cloud | Medium | L | N/A | Risk frameworks require custom mapping |
| SAP Identity Management (IdM) | Microsoft Entra ID + SCIM provisioning | High | M | N/A | Entra ID replaces SAP IdM for identity lifecycle |
| SAP Single Sign-On (SSO) | Entra ID SAML/OAuth + Conditional Access | Full | M | N/A | Conditional Access adds MFA, device compliance |
| SAP Cloud Identity Services (IAS/IPS) | Entra ID (identity) + Entra ID Governance | High | M | N/A | IAS/IPS can federate with Entra ID |
| SNC (Secure Network Communications) | Azure Private Link + Private Endpoints | Full | M | N/A | Network-level encryption replaced by Azure networking |
| SAP HANA encryption (data at rest) | Azure Key Vault (BYOK/CMK) | Full | S | N/A | HANA TDE with Azure Key Vault managed keys |
| SAP HANA encryption (data in transit) | TLS 1.2/1.3 (Azure enforced) | Full | XS | N/A | Azure enforces TLS by default |
| SAP audit logging | Azure Monitor + Log Analytics + Sentinel | High | M | CSA-in-a-Box monitoring and compliance layer | SAP audit logs stream to Log Analytics |
6. SAP monitoring and operations
| SAP capability | Azure equivalent | Parity | Effort | CSA-in-a-Box integration | Notes |
| SAP Solution Manager monitoring | Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions (ACSS) | High | M | CSA-in-a-Box monitoring integration | ACSS provides HANA + NetWeaver + OS monitoring |
| SAP EarlyWatch alerts | Azure Monitor alerts + ACSS health checks | High | S | N/A | ACSS quality checks replace EarlyWatch for infrastructure |
| SAP CCMS (Computing Center Mgmt) | Azure Monitor + Log Analytics | High | M | N/A | CCMS metrics stream to Azure Monitor |
| SAP HANA cockpit | HANA cockpit on Azure VMs + ACSS monitoring | Full | S | N/A | HANA cockpit runs unchanged; ACSS adds Azure-native view |
| SAP Landscape Management (LaMa) | Azure Center for SAP Solutions | High | M | N/A | ACSS provides deployment and lifecycle management |
| SAPS benchmarking | Azure VM SAPS ratings (published by SAP) | Full | XS | N/A | SAP certifies and publishes SAPS for each VM family |
| SAP HANA backup monitoring | Azure Backup for SAP HANA + ACSS | Full | S | N/A | Backup alerts in Azure Monitor |
| SAP transport logging | Azure DevOps + SAP Cloud TMS | High | M | N/A | CI/CD integration for transport management |
7. SAP industry solutions
| SAP capability | Azure equivalent | Parity | Effort | CSA-in-a-Box integration | Notes |
| SAP S/4HANA Finance | S/4HANA Finance on Azure VMs | Full | M | Fabric Mirroring for financial data; Power BI for financial reporting | Same application, Azure infrastructure |
| SAP S/4HANA Supply Chain | S/4HANA Supply Chain on Azure VMs | Full | M | Azure AI for demand forecasting on SAP data | Same application, Azure infrastructure |
| SAP SuccessFactors | SuccessFactors (SaaS, unchanged) | Full | XS | Fabric Mirroring for HR analytics | Cloud SaaS; no migration needed |
| SAP Ariba | Ariba (SaaS, unchanged) | Full | XS | Fabric for procurement analytics | Cloud SaaS; no migration needed |
| SAP Concur | Concur (SaaS, unchanged) | Full | XS | N/A | Cloud SaaS; no migration needed |
| SAP Fieldglass | Fieldglass (SaaS, unchanged) | Full | XS | N/A | Cloud SaaS; no migration needed |
| SAP for Defense & Security | S/4HANA on Azure Government | Full | L | Federal compliance mappings | See Federal Migration Guide |
| SAP for Public Sector | S/4HANA on Azure Government | Full | L | Federal compliance mappings | Grants management, funds management on Azure Gov |
| SAP IS-Utilities | S/4HANA Utilities on Azure VMs | Full | L | Fabric for utility analytics | Industry-specific modules run unchanged |
| SAP IS-Oil & Gas | S/4HANA for Oil & Gas on Azure VMs | Full | L | N/A | Industry-specific modules run unchanged |
8. SAP development and extensibility
| SAP capability | Azure equivalent | Parity | Effort | CSA-in-a-Box integration | Notes |
| ABAP development (SE80, ADT) | ABAP on Azure VMs (unchanged); ABAP Cloud for clean core | Full | XS | N/A | Same ABAP workbench, Azure infrastructure |
| SAP BTP (ABAP Environment) | SAP BTP (SaaS) alongside Azure | Full | S | BTP connects to CSA-in-a-Box via Integration Services | BTP runs independently; integrates with Azure |
| SAP CAP (Cloud Application Programming) | SAP CAP on BTP or Azure App Service | Full | S | N/A | Node.js/Java CAP apps can deploy to Azure App Service |
| SAP Fiori Elements | Fiori Elements on Azure VMs | Full | XS | N/A | UI5 apps run unchanged |
| SAP Build (low-code) | Power Apps + Power Automate | High | M | Power Platform integrates with CSA-in-a-Box data layer | Power Platform provides broader low-code capabilities |
| SAP HANA XSA applications | Migrate to SAP BTP or Azure App Service | Medium | L | N/A | XSA apps require refactoring |
| ABAP RESTful Application Programming (RAP) | RAP on Azure VMs (unchanged) | Full | XS | N/A | RAP model runs on same ABAP stack |
| SAP protocol / format | Azure equivalent | Parity | Effort | Notes |
| RFC (Remote Function Call) | Logic Apps SAP connector / Azure Functions + NCo | Full | S | Synchronous SAP communication |
| tRFC (transactional RFC) | Logic Apps SAP connector (async) | Full | S | Guaranteed delivery |
| qRFC (queued RFC) | Service Bus + Logic Apps SAP connector | Full | M | Ordered processing with Service Bus FIFO |
| IDoc (Intermediate Document) | Logic Apps SAP connector (IDoc send/receive) | Full | S | EDI and B2B document exchange |
| BAPI (Business Application Programming Interface) | Logic Apps SAP connector / Azure Functions + NCo | Full | S | Typed SAP business object APIs |
| OData (SAP Gateway) | API Management passthrough / Azure Functions | Full | S | REST-based SAP access |
| ABAP CDS views | Fabric SQL endpoint (via Mirroring) | High | M | CDS-based analytical views |
| SAP HANA MDX | Fabric SQL endpoint (SQL alternative) | Medium | M | MDX queries require conversion to SQL |
| SAP HANA SQL | Fabric SQL endpoint (native) | Full | S | Standard SQL access to mirrored data |
| ALE (Application Link Enabling) | Logic Apps + Service Bus | High | M | Master data distribution |
| EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) | Logic Apps B2B (AS2, EDIFACT, X12) | Full | M | EDI partner integration |
10. SAP cloud services (SaaS) --- no migration needed
These SAP cloud services run independently and do not require migration. CSA-in-a-Box integrates with them for analytics.
| SAP SaaS service | Migration action | CSA-in-a-Box integration | Notes |
| SAP SuccessFactors | None (SaaS) | Fabric Mirroring / ADF connector for HR analytics | HR data to OneLake for workforce analytics |
| SAP Ariba | None (SaaS) | ADF connector for procurement analytics | Procurement spend analysis in Power BI |
| SAP Concur | None (SaaS) | ADF connector for T&E analytics | Travel and expense reporting |
| SAP Fieldglass | None (SaaS) | ADF connector for contingent workforce data | Workforce planning analytics |
| SAP Customer Experience (C/4HANA) | None (SaaS) | ADF connector for CX analytics | Customer engagement data |
| SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) | None (SaaS) | ADF connector for planning data | Demand/supply planning analytics |
| SAP Business Network | None (SaaS) | Event-driven integration via Event Grid | Supply chain collaboration |
| SAP Qualtrics | None (SaaS) | ADF connector for experience data | Experience management analytics |
| SAP administration tool | Azure equivalent | Parity | Effort | Notes |
| SAP GUI (Windows/Java) | SAP GUI (unchanged; connect to Azure VMs) | Full | XS | Same client, Azure-hosted servers |
| SAP HANA Studio | SAP HANA Studio (unchanged; connect via Bastion/VPN) | Full | XS | Same tool, Azure-hosted HANA |
| SAP Logon | SAP Logon (unchanged; update server entries) | Full | XS | Update connection strings to Azure IPs |
| SAPGUI for HTML (WebGUI) | SAP WebGUI via Azure Front Door | Full | S | WebGUI through Azure Front Door WAF |
| SAP transaction codes | Unchanged (all t-codes work on Azure) | Full | XS | Same ABAP stack, same t-codes |
| SAP Note application (SNOTE) | SNOTE on Azure VMs (unchanged) | Full | XS | SAP Notes apply identically on Azure |
| SAP Kernel patching | Kernel on Azure VMs (unchanged) | Full | XS | Same kernel update process |
| SAP Support Launchpad | SAP Support Launchpad (web, unchanged) | Full | XS | No migration needed |
| SAP Early Watch Reports | ACSS health monitoring (enhanced) | High | S | ACSS provides more granular monitoring |
12. Migration complexity summary by domain
| SAP domain | Components | Total effort | Critical path | CSA-in-a-Box value |
| Infrastructure | VMs, storage, networking, HA/DR | M--L | Azure landing zone + HANA deployment | Infrastructure templates, monitoring |
| Database | HANA migration (backup/restore, HSR, DMO) | M--L | Database migration determines downtime | Fabric Mirroring after migration |
| Application | S/4HANA conversion, custom code remediation | L--XL | Custom code remediation is longest workstream | Analytics continuity during conversion |
| Integration | PI/PO interfaces, RFC/IDoc/BAPI | L | Interface-by-interface migration | APIM data mesh gateway |
| Analytics | BW, SAC, BusinessObjects → Fabric, Power BI | L--XL | BW migration is multi-year for large systems | Full analytics landing zone |
| Security | Authentication, GRC, network, encryption | M--L | Entra ID SSO + network redesign | Unified identity + governance |
| Identity | SAP IdM → Entra ID | M | User provisioning + SSO | Entra ID as identity plane |
| Monitoring | SolMan → Azure Monitor for SAP | M | Parallel run then cutover | CSA-in-a-Box monitoring integration |
13. Gap analysis --- capabilities requiring special attention
| SAP capability | Gap description | Recommended approach | Effort |
| SAP BW Planning (BPC/IP) | No direct equivalent in Fabric/Power BI | Retain SAP BPC or evaluate Power BI + Azure AI for planning scenarios | L |
| SAP GRC Process Control (detailed) | Purview Compliance Manager is not a 1:1 GRC replacement | Phase migration; retain GRC for complex control monitoring during transition | XL |
| SAP MDG (Master Data Governance) | No direct Azure equivalent for MDG business rules | Custom MDM solution on Azure + Purview for catalog; evaluate Profisee or other MDM tools | L |
| SAP HANA Graph Engine (complex) | Cosmos DB Gremlin is architecturally different | Redesign graph workloads; evaluate Neo4j on Azure for complex graph analytics | L |
| SAP Transportation Management (TM) | TM runs on S/4HANA; no Azure-native replacement | Run TM on Azure VMs (same S/4HANA system) | M |
| SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) | EWM runs on S/4HANA; no Azure-native replacement | Run EWM on Azure VMs (embedded or decentralized) | M |
| SAP Treasury Management (TRM) | TRM runs on S/4HANA; specialized treasury functions | Run TRM on Azure VMs; integrate with Fabric for treasury analytics | M |
| SAP Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) | EHS runs on S/4HANA; industry-specific compliance | Run EHS on Azure VMs; integrate regulatory data with Purview | M |
| SAP Real Estate Management (RE-FX) | RE-FX runs on S/4HANA; no Azure-native replacement | Run RE-FX on Azure VMs; property data to Fabric for portfolio analytics | M |
| SAP Variant Configuration (VC/AVC) | VC runs on S/4HANA; product configuration logic | Run VC on Azure VMs; no migration of configuration engine | S |
| SAP ABAP dictionary custom tables | Custom tables migrate with S/4HANA conversion | No special handling; tables migrate as part of DMO/SUM | XS |
| SAP user exits / BAdIs / enhancements | Custom enhancements require S/4HANA compatibility testing | Test with ATC; adapt to new extension points in S/4HANA | M--L |
14. Migration effort estimation matrix
Use this matrix to estimate total migration effort for your SAP landscape.
| Dimension | Small (500 users) | Medium (2,000 users) | Large (5,000+ users) | Notes |
| Infrastructure setup | 4--6 weeks | 6--8 weeks | 8--12 weeks | VMs, storage, networking, HA |
| HANA database migration | 2--4 weeks | 4--8 weeks | 8--16 weeks | Depends on DB size and source |
| S/4HANA conversion (brownfield) | 8--12 weeks | 12--20 weeks | 20--40 weeks | Custom code is the variable |
| Custom code remediation | 200--500 hours | 500--2,000 hours | 2,000--10,000 hours | Depends on customization level |
| Integration (PI/PO) migration | 100--200 interfaces | 200--500 interfaces | 500--2,000 interfaces | Interface-by-interface |
| Analytics (BW) migration | 3--6 months | 6--12 months | 12--24 months | Phase by InfoArea |
| Security migration | 4--8 weeks | 8--12 weeks | 12--16 weeks | SSO, GRC, network |
| Testing (functional + performance) | 4--6 weeks | 6--10 weeks | 10--16 weeks | Regression testing |
| Total estimated duration | 9--15 months | 15--24 months | 24--36 months | Parallel workstreams reduce elapsed time |
15. SAP to Azure migration priority matrix
Use this priority matrix to sequence your migration workstreams. Higher priority items should be completed first.
| Priority | Workstream | Rationale | Dependencies |
| P0 (Critical) | Azure landing zone + infrastructure | Everything depends on infrastructure | None |
| P0 (Critical) | HANA database migration + S/4HANA conversion | Core system migration; determines downtime | Infrastructure |
| P1 (High) | Custom code remediation | Blocks S/4HANA conversion | Assessment complete |
| P1 (High) | Entra ID SSO for SAP | Security foundation; user authentication | Infrastructure |
| P2 (Medium) | Integration (PI/PO → Azure Integration Services) | Interface-by-interface; can phase | S/4HANA on Azure |
| P2 (Medium) | Fabric Mirroring for SAP | Near-real-time analytics from day one | HANA on Azure |
| P3 (Standard) | Power BI dashboards (replace SAC/BO) | Analytics layer; phased by domain | Fabric Mirroring |
| P3 (Standard) | Azure Monitor for SAP | Monitoring; can run parallel with SolMan | Infrastructure |
| P4 (Enhancement) | Azure AI / OpenAI on SAP data | AI-driven insights; post-migration value | Fabric Mirroring + Power BI |
| P4 (Enhancement) | BW to Fabric migration (full) | Multi-year; phase after core migration | Fabric Mirroring |
| P5 (Optimization) | GRC to Purview + Entra PIM | Governance modernization; can phase | Security migration |
| P5 (Optimization) | SAP IdM to Entra ID (full lifecycle) | Identity modernization; after SSO | Entra ID SSO |
16. Feature parity assessment: SAP on-premises vs SAP on Azure
This table confirms that SAP functionality is identical when running on Azure infrastructure. Azure provides the infrastructure; SAP provides the application.
| Functional area | On-premises SAP | SAP on Azure | Parity | Notes |
| ABAP programs | All custom ABAP runs | All custom ABAP runs | 100% | Same kernel, same database |
| SAP transactions | All transactions work | All transactions work | 100% | No transaction-level changes |
| SAP Fiori apps | Fiori runs on NW | Fiori runs on NW | 100% | Same Fiori; Azure Front Door for CDN |
| SAP kernel patches | Apply on-prem | Apply on Azure VMs | 100% | Same patching process |
| SAP support packages | Import via SUM | Import via SUM | 100% | Same upgrade process |
| SAP transport system | TMS in landscape | TMS in landscape | 100% | Same transport management |
| SAP printing | On-prem printers | Azure print services + on-prem | 99% | Remote printing may need configuration |
| SAP RFC connectivity | Direct network | VPN/ExpressRoute + Azure | 100% | Network layer changes; RFC semantics unchanged |
| SAP batch processing | On-prem scheduling | Azure VM scheduling | 100% | Same batch scheduler; optional Azure Automation |
| SAP HANA performance | Bare-metal appliance | Azure M-series + ANF | 95--105% | Often faster on Azure due to newer hardware |
Last updated: 2026-04-30 Maintainers: CSA-in-a-Box core team Related: Why Azure for SAP | TCO Analysis | Infrastructure Migration