40550: Microsoft Cloud Workshop: Windows Server and SQL Server 2008-R2 End of Support Planning — Lesson 3: Proof-of-Concept Architecture and Validation

Learning Objectives

• Design a proof-of-concept solution for selected server and database workloads
• Plan security, backup, availability, monitoring, testing, and cutover
• Define measurable validation, rollback, and stakeholder acceptance criteria

Guided Demonstration

1. Review the requirement, environment, dependencies, roles, risks, and expected result.
2. Demonstrate the relevant configuration, development, analysis, or support workflow.
3. Capture settings, outputs, logs, screenshots, code, or test evidence.
4. Compare the observed result with the acceptance criteria and identify gaps.

Hands-On Activity

Design a migration proof of concept and its validation checklist.

• Document assumptions and the planned sequence before making changes.
• Complete the activity and preserve evidence of normal and exception behavior.
• Record issues, corrective actions, and reusable operational or development notes.

Troubleshooting Focus

• Separate symptoms from causes and collect evidence before applying a fix.
• Check configuration, permissions, data, dependencies, capacity, connectivity, and recent changes.
• Validate rollback, recovery, support ownership, and user or business impact.

Validation Checklist

• The requirement and expected result are clear.
• The selected configuration, design, query, code, or process is documented.
• Normal, boundary, failure, security, and operational conditions are reviewed.
• The result is supported by evidence and the next improvement is prioritized.

Lesson Outcome

Learners can explain and apply Proof-of-Concept Architecture and Validation in a realistic scenario and support the result with documented evidence.