Scaling a reserved instance

Question

Scaling a reserved instance

John Allen 0

How is pricing handled when a 1 or 3 year reservation is purchased, billed monthly and you increase or decrease the vCore count?

John Allen 0 Reputation points

2024-04-16T16:33:07.9533333+00:00

"DB will be billed at the pay-as-you-go price". Honestly that makes no sense. So, let's say I start with 6 vCores at 12000 per month with a 3-year reserved instance. Months go by with me paying $1200 per month, but then I scale it up to 10 vCores. Are you saying I now revert to the non-discounted pay as you go pricing?I would hope I would be getting the % discount for having a reserved instance.
Marcin Policht 44,245 Reputation points MVP

2024-04-16T16:45:58.5433333+00:00

You pay for the extra 4vCores at pay-as-you go price

If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

hth

Marcin
John Allen 0 Reputation points

2024-04-16T17:58:06.6233333+00:00

really? so, if you want a discounted price you have to stay at what you pick the first time you set up the reserved instance? However, if I want to use one of the core reasons for being in the cloud of ease of scalability, I lose the discount? And in order to get that discount again, I would have to start yet another reserved instance with the higher vCore count, nut only after my 1 ow 3 year contract has expired?
John Allen 0 Reputation points

2024-04-16T18:08:55.0033333+00:00

So if I scale up to 10 cores a month after I start reserved instance with 6 cores, I am stuck with the remainder of the 1 or 3 year reservation at non-discounted pay as you go pricing?
Marcin Policht 44,245 Reputation points MVP

2024-04-16T18:13:20.13+00:00

You don't lose the discount. The discount still applies to the amount of resources you created the reservation for.

If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

hth

Marcin
John Allen 0 Reputation points

2024-04-16T19:06:51.3333333+00:00

So the percentage discount is what remains consistent throughout the term of reservation? For example if the discount is 70% for the 3 year reservation, i can scale up and down when needed and the 70% is applied.
Marcin Policht 44,245 Reputation points MVP

2024-04-16T21:16:10.8533333+00:00

No - the discount applies to the amount of vCores you reserved.

It does not increase or decrease if you scale your resources.

If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

hth

Marcin

2 answers

Your answer

John Allen 0 Reputation points

2024-04-16T16:33:07.9533333+00:00

"DB will be billed at the pay-as-you-go price". Honestly that makes no sense. So, let's say I start with 6 vCores at 12000 per month with a 3-year reserved instance. Months go by with me paying $1200 per month, but then I scale it up to 10 vCores. Are you saying I now revert to the non-discounted pay as you go pricing?I would hope I would be getting the % discount for having a reserved instance.
Marcin Policht 44,245 Reputation points MVP

2024-04-16T16:45:58.5433333+00:00

You pay for the extra 4vCores at pay-as-you go price

If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

hth

Marcin
John Allen 0 Reputation points

2024-04-16T17:58:06.6233333+00:00

really? so, if you want a discounted price you have to stay at what you pick the first time you set up the reserved instance? However, if I want to use one of the core reasons for being in the cloud of ease of scalability, I lose the discount? And in order to get that discount again, I would have to start yet another reserved instance with the higher vCore count, nut only after my 1 ow 3 year contract has expired?
John Allen 0 Reputation points

2024-04-16T18:08:55.0033333+00:00

So if I scale up to 10 cores a month after I start reserved instance with 6 cores, I am stuck with the remainder of the 1 or 3 year reservation at non-discounted pay as you go pricing?
Marcin Policht 44,245 Reputation points MVP

2024-04-16T18:13:20.13+00:00

You don't lose the discount. The discount still applies to the amount of resources you created the reservation for.

If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

hth

Marcin
John Allen 0 Reputation points

2024-04-16T19:06:51.3333333+00:00

So the percentage discount is what remains consistent throughout the term of reservation? For example if the discount is 70% for the 3 year reservation, i can scale up and down when needed and the 70% is applied.
Marcin Policht 44,245 Reputation points MVP

2024-04-16T21:16:10.8533333+00:00

No - the discount applies to the amount of vCores you reserved.

It does not increase or decrease if you scale your resources.

If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

hth

Marcin

Answer 1

As per https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/reserved-capacity-overview?view=azuresql

vCore size flexibility helps you scale up or down within a performance tier and region, without losing the reserved capacity benefit. Reserved capacity also provides you with the flexibility to temporarily move your hot databases in and out of elastic pools (within the same region and performance tier) as part of your normal operations without losing the reserved capacity benefit. By keeping an unapplied buffer in your reservation, you can effectively manage the performance spikes without exceeding your budget.

If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

hth

Marcin

Answer 2

John Allen Thank you for reaching out.Your DB will be billed at the pay-as-you-go price. Reservations do not automatically renew. For pricing information, see the reserved capacity offering.

You can buy reserved capacity in the Azure portal. Pay for the reservation up front or with monthly payments. To buy reserved capacity:

For more information about how enterprise customers and Pay-As-You-Go customers are charged for reservation purchases, see Understand Azure reservation usage for your Enterprise enrollment and Understand Azure reservation usage for your Pay-As-You-Go subscription.

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https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/reserved-capacity-overview?view=azuresql

Please let me know if you need more clarification.

Regards,

Oury

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Scaling a reserved instance

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