Your on-premises network contains the following: • A 1-Gbps internet connection • An SAP HANA 1.0 instance that has a 4-TB database • An SAP…

The scenario requires both a database migration and a version upgrade from SAP HANA 1.0 to HANA 2.0. The standard and most reliable SAP method for such a heterogeneous migration (where the database version and/or operating system changes) is a database export and import. This process, typically performed using the SAP Software Provisioning Manager (SWPM), creates a platform-independent copy of the database. The exported files are then transferred to the new Azure VM and imported into the pre-installed HANA 2.0 system. This method cleanly separates the data from the source platform, ensuring compatibility with the new target environment. Given the acceptable downtime over a weekend, this approach is the most appropriate.

A. Azure Data Box: This is a physical data transport service for large-scale offline data transfers. It is not a database migration or upgrade tool itself; it only moves files.

B. HANA database backup and log shipping: This method is primarily for high availability and disaster recovery (HANA System Replication). Restoring a HANA 1.0 backup directly to a HANA 2.0 system is not the standard procedure for an upgrade.

C. Azure Migrate: The Azure Database Migration Service within Azure Migrate does not support SAP HANA. The server migration feature would only perform a "lift-and-shift" of the old VM, requiring a complex in-place upgrade afterward.

1. Microsoft Learn

SAP workload on Azure: planning and deployment checklist. Under the "Migration phase" section

it discusses migration strategies. For heterogeneous migrations (changing OS or DB)

it recommends the "Classical migration" method using SAP tools like SWPM

which performs a database export and import.

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/workloads/sap/sap-deployment-checklist

Section: "Migration phase".

2. Microsoft Learn

Migrate SAP HANA from on-premises to Azure virtual machines. This document explicitly lists "SAP heterogeneous system copy using export/import" as a migration option. It states

"You can use this method to migrate from one SAP HANA platform to another (for example

on-premises to Azure) and when you're also changing the operating system or database version." This directly matches the question's requirements.

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/workloads/sap/sap-hana-on-premises-to-azure-migration

Section: "Migration options".

3. SAP Help Portal

SAP HANA Administration Guide. The official SAP documentation details the process of copying and moving databases. The "Export and Import of Schemas and Tables" and "System Copy" sections describe using export/import as a standard procedure for migrating data between different SAP HANA systems

including those with different versions.

Source: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAPHANAPLATFORM/6b94445c94ae495c83a19646e7c3fd56/20f712e275191014a4949a151a825c60.html

Section: "Copying or Moving an SAP HANA Database".