The process of refreshing a sandbox > executing post refresh activities to activate users etc > exporting a bacpac > downloading the bacpac to a suitable tier 1 environment > converting the bacpac to a bak for MSFT SQL > and enabling the database for use in the tier1 environment for debugging is much to onerous and long. For my client, with a 26GB bacpac, it will take 2 days to accomplish this series of tasks. Other clients have had longer experiences (multiple days).

This effectively reduces the capacity to debug an active live issue to zero.

I propose a tool that would do the following:
1. after an export of production to a sandbox, you can go into the sandbox environment, click "Move Database" and a new option is listed. "Clone as tier1 Cloud Hosted Environment "
2. you select a release version (software deployable package of custom models) from the sandbox (like you would in self service deployment to production)
3. you select the normal configuration for a tier1 environment (i.e. VM sizing, drive sizing, etc)
4. you confirm your selections and click "OK"
5. LCS connects to Azure and spins up a new environment
6. LCS deploys the selected custom release models (software deployable package)
7. LCS converts the database from a "bacpac to a bak" and copies it to the tier1 environment
-or-
7. LCS enables an Azure SQL instance for this tier1 environment that is accessible by the Tier1 environment admin service accounts (this would save time on the "bacpac to bak" conversion process which can take dozens of hours)
8. LCS sends a notification to the user via email that the environment is ready for use
9. User logs in, connects to Visual Studio, connects to their repository, maps the metadata folder, gets latest, does a model build, and starts debugging their live issue.

Automating this should be able to cut down the time by a huge amount.