Migrating an on-prem database to a public cloud like Azure offers several benefits, including reduced infrastructure management needs, dynamic scaling, disaster recovery capabilities, and cost savings. However, the migration process can be complex and daunting. Choosing the right Azure-managed SQL solution is crucial, with three options available: SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines (VMs), Azure SQL Managed Instance, and Azure SQL Database. Each solution has its unique benefits, such as direct OS access for VMs or managed platform features like automated backups and software patches for Managed Instance. Establishing benchmarks for current SQL Server performance is essential to determine the best solution and plan a successful migration. Monitoring tools like Datadog are vital for effective benchmarking, providing visibility into key health and performance metrics to ensure workloads remain consistent or improve after migration. By leveraging Datadog's integration with Azure, organizations can gain complete visibility into their cloud-hosted SQL workloads, making it easier to identify trends, set expectations, and optimize resource utilization.