Cost comparison for Azure synapse Analytics and Microsoft fabric

Question

Cost comparison for Azure synapse Analytics and Microsoft fabric

Janagam Srikanth 0

Hello,

i have one requirement. Could you please provide the cost comparison Azure synapse analytics vs Microsoft fabric based on below conditions.
**CSV File (Data Lake)**7 locations × 4 files (ABC, DEF, GHI and HIJ) = 28 files/day

Each file is assumed to be 50 KB in size.

After receiving the files, they are loaded into the database and then moved to the archive area, where they are deleted after one month.

D365

Extract data from D365 using Synapse Link from 3 locations and create 4 CSV files (ABC, DEF, GHI and HIJ)).

Data Factory

Perform ETL of CSV files to DWH daily.

Create views in DWH (create views that decompose the 4 tables into SKUs managed by headquarters using item master and BOM)

DWH

Data capacity (200 GB) Estimated data volume after migrating historical data.

Smaran Thoomu 24,110 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-26T12:18:19.26+00:00

@Janagam Srikanth Just checking in to see if the below answer helped. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

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Smaran Thoomu 24,110 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-26T12:18:19.26+00:00

@Janagam Srikanth Just checking in to see if the below answer helped. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

Answer 1

Smaran Thoomu 24,110 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Janagam Srikanth

Based on your described setup (daily CSV loads from multiple locations, D365 Synapse Link extraction, 200 GB DWH, and ETL using ADF), here’s a high-level cost comparison between Azure Synapse Analytics and Microsoft Fabric:

Azure Synapse Analytics

Compute (Dedicated SQL Pool): For a 200 GB warehouse, you'd likely need at least 100 DWUs - which would cost around $900/month if kept running continuously.
ADF Pipelines: Light ETL jobs like daily file loads and transformation typically cost around $50–100/month depending on frequency and complexity.
Storage (Hot + Archive): 200 GB hot + ~42 GB archive (1 month retention) might cost ~$5–10/month.

Estimated total: ~$950–1,100/month, depending on DWU size and usage pattern.

Microsoft Fabric

Capacity-based model: Starts at ~$262/month for the base F64 SKU, which gives you:

Integrated Lakehouse and Warehouse
Built-in pipelines (no ADF needed separately)
Native D365 integration (via Synapse Link)
Storage included (up to 100 TB pooled)

Estimated total: ~$262/month, unless higher compute capacity or concurrency is required.

Differences b/w:

Criteria	Azure Synapse Analytics	Microsoft Fabric
Billing Model	Consumption-based (DWU, ADF activity, storage)	Capacity-based (SKU pricing, pooled usage)
Billing Model	Consumption-based (DWU, ADF activity, storage)	Capacity-based (SKU pricing, pooled usage)
ETL Tooling	ADF or Synapse pipelines	Built-in Fabric Pipelines
Ease of D365 Integration	Requires Synapse Link setup	Native integration in Fabric
Storage Cost	Metered separately	Included in capacity
User Access (BI)	Requires linking to Power BI Premium	Native Power BI experience
Best Fit	High-performance analytics, large DWH loads	Unified low-maintenance analytics workflows

Synapse Analytics gives you more granular control and may suit more complex or high-performance workloads - but comes at a higher cost.

Microsoft Fabric is better suited for streamlined analytics, especially when working with D365 and Power BI, and offers better cost predictability.

Hope this helps. Do let us know if you any further queries.

If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

Janagam Srikanth 0 Reputation points

2025-06-25T10:12:49.3866667+00:00

Hi,
Thanks For providing. I need few things.

If I use the Dedicated SQL for 2 to 4 hours per day, how much will it cost per month?.
In the Microsoft Fabric pricing calculator, the F64 SKU shows a cost of $5002 per month, but you mentioned $262/month. Can you explain the discrepancy.

Along please provide F16, F32 and F64 SKU model details based on (Pipeline, DWH, D365 and storage)

If you could provide more details on this, it would really helpful for me.

Smaran Thoomu 24,110 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Janagam Srikanth Let me address your queries point by point for both Azure Synapse Analytics and Microsoft Fabric based on the usage scenarios you've described:

Azure Synapse Analytics – Cost if used 2 to 4 Hours per day

Azure Synapse Dedicated SQL Pool is billed per hour per DWU, and the pricing (as of current rates) is approximately $1.51 per DWU/hour.

If you provision a DW100c (smallest size for production) and use it for 4 hours/day:

Hourly Rate: ~$1.51 × 1 = $1.51/hour

Daily Usage: $1.51 × 4 = $6.04/day

Monthly (30 days): $6.04 × 30 = ~$181.20/month

You can scale this up/down linearly with the DWU size and number of usage hours. Auto-pause and resume features can help optimize cost further if usage is intermittent.

Microsoft Fabric – Clarifying F64 SKU cost discrepancy

You're absolutely right. The $5002/month shown in the Microsoft Fabric Pricing Calculator is for F64 capacity under standard pay-as-you-go rates.

The previously mentioned ~$262/month refers to Power BI Premium P1 SKU (which maps to F64 in capacity), under Power BI licensing, not Fabric SKU directly. To clarify:

SKU	Fabric Capacity (CU)	Typical Monthly Cost (Pay-as-you-go)	Notes
F16	16 CUs	~$1,250/month	Entry level; suitable for light workloads
F32	32 CUs	~$2,500/month	Medium workloads with concurrency
F64	64 CUs	~$5,000/month	High concurrency, large-scale pipelines

Note: Pricing may vary based on region, licensing program, and whether it’s pay-as-you-go or capacity reserved.

Feature Breakdown comparison: F16 vs F32 vs F64 in Fabric

Feature	F16	F32	F64
Pipeline Throughput	Low (~2–3 concurrent activities)	Moderate (~5–8)	High (>10)
DWH Performance	Light/Batch ETL	Mid-size analytics	Large models, high concurrency
D365 Integration	Included	Included	Included
Storage	Pooled (up to 100TB across capacities)	Pooled	Pooled
Ideal For	Small teams or POCs	Medium teams or steady ETL	Enterprise-grade, high-volume

All Fabric SKUs come with built-in integration for:

Pipelines (no separate ADF needed)
OneLake storage
Power BI native workspace
Synapse Data Warehouse (within Fabric)
Synapse Real-Time Analytics and Notebooks

Hope this helps. Do let us know if you any further queries.

If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

Chandra Boorla 14,510 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-27T09:10:50.9233333+00:00

@Janagam Srikanth

Following up to see if the above suggestion was helpful. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

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Cost comparison for Azure synapse Analytics and Microsoft fabric

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