Strange metrics under my Subscription on: Free services for 12 months

Question

Strange metrics under my Subscription on: Free services for 12 months

Alex Onn 0

Hi,

I see some strange PostgeSQL metrics under my Subscription: Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Flexible Server Storage, Data Stored This progress bar indicates an error status 189% 60.67 / 32 (1 GB/Month) Exceeded on 2/14/2026. But when I checked all storage sizes related to this server, I see that usage is under limit. It is like 29GB still should be free. So, this 60GB usage looks wrong and not true. And I pay for this wrong quota during few month. Could you support with this issue?

Also possible the same issue can be on: - Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Flexible Server Burstable BS Series Compute, B1MS - Container Registry, Standard Registry Unit - Load Balancer, Standard, Included LB Rules and Outbound Rules

User's image

It repeats every month, stating from Sep 16.

Saraswathi Devadula 15,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-04T06:00:51.66+00:00

Hello Alex Onn
We haven’t heard from you on the last response and was just checking back to see if you have a resolution yet. In case if you have any resolution please do share that same with the community as it can be helpful to others. Otherwise, will respond with more details and we will try to help.
Saraswathi Devadula 15,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-05T05:14:27.07+00:00

Hello Alex Onn
I hope you had a chance to review the information shared earlier, and I hope this information has been helpful! If you still have questions, please let us know what is needed in the comments so the question can be answered.
Alex Onn 0 Reputation points

2026-03-05T16:35:00.5233333+00:00
Hi @Saraswathi Devadula ,

Thank you for quick and detailed answer. Sorry for some delay, I was on sick leave. I checked also “Storage Used” (storage_used) metric, before, the same as you recommended. Even when its is the total storage provisioned (make sense), there should be some metric which help users how to control this limits. And as you explained, this metric should be: “Storage Used” (storage_used) metric.

So, I have there 2 servers:

Max value 32GB per sever

stg server actual usage during previous month: 4.4GB

prd server actual usage during previous month: 2.7GB

See also on screenshots:
stg.png
prd.png

As you can see it truly have never exceeded 32 GB provisioned.
Saraswathi Devadula 15,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-05T17:42:43.51+00:00

Hello Alex Onn

I hope you are doing well.

Kindly please share the details requested in the private message for further investigation.
Saraswathi Devadula 15,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-06T04:56:46.88+00:00

Hello Alex Onn We haven’t heard from you on the last response and was just checking back to see if you have a resolution yet. In case if you have any resolution please do share that same with the community as it can be helpful to others. Otherwise, will respond with more details and we will try to help.
Alex Onn 0 Reputation points

2026-03-19T18:05:53.26+00:00

Hi everyone. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive a response to my previous question in private messages under this post. So, after clarifying with the accounting service via a support ticket and discussing it here with the technical team, it seems I’ve received two different explanations.

The accounting service says that storage usage is accumulated daily. However, as I understand your explanation, for server storage what matters is the actual storage size used during the month. If at some point it increases (for example, to 64 GB), then the charge should be calculated as 64 GB minus the 32 GB free limit, resulting in 32 GB of billable usage. This is what I expected.

However, in my case, the storage usage during the month did not exceed 4.4 GB + 2.7 GB = 7.1 GB (maximum usage within the month), which is well within the 32 GB monthly limit.

I would really appreciate a final clarification on how Postgres storage usage is calculated for a monthly billing period. Could you please confirm which explanation is correct?

The Azure accounting team has explained it in the way they believe is correct, but your explanation seems different and more logical from a technical point of view.

If I’m misunderstanding something between these two explanations, could you please clarify and, if possible, share a link to the documentation where this is clearly described?

Thank you.
Saraswathi Devadula 15,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-21T02:31:37.85+00:00

Hello Alex Onn

I hope you are doing well.

Kindly please share the details requested in the private message for further investigation.

Alex Onn 0

Hi @Saraswathi Devadula ,

As we discussed privately, let me summarize the situation:

The Issue: I’ve identified a discrepancy in the PostgreSQL billing calculation regarding the 'Free services for 12 months' limits. My subscription (Azure free account) includes 12 months of free monthly amounts for popular services.
Example for current month (also it is similar for the previous month of Azure free account):

Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Flexible Server Storage, Data Stored	This progressbar indicates an error status	109%	35.05 / 32 (1 GB/Month)
Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Flexible Server Storage, Data Stored	This progressbar indicates an error status	109%	35.05 / 32 (1 GB/Month)

Discrepancy in Storage: The progress bar shows 109% (35.05 / 32 GB). Based on our discussion, the 32 GB limit should represent the allocated storage size for the entire month. In my case, the actual usage was approximately 7.1 GB (4.4 GB + 2.7 GB) throughout the month. My servers never exceeded this amount.
The Calculation Error: The system seems to calculate storage on a daily cumulative basis rather than a monthly limit (e.g., 7.1 + 7.1 + 7.1...). This does not align with the official rules of this subscription plan and appears to be a serious calculation bug.
Conflicting Information: I am receiving different explanations from two different Microsoft teams, which is confusing. As a user, I shouldn't be charged based on a calculation error.
Current Status: You mentioned you would coordinate with the Billing team to align your answers. However, today the Billing team informed me that I need to upgrade to a Standard Support Plan just to get an answer. This is frustrating, as it requires me to pay more just to resolve a bug in the billing system itself.

Looking forward to your clarification on this.

Saraswathi Devadula 15,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-26T12:24:19.64+00:00

Hello Alex Onn

Yes we are waiting for billing team engineer to get the update. we will get back to you soon with an update.

2 answers

Your answer

Saraswathi Devadula 15,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-04T06:00:51.66+00:00

Hello Alex Onn
We haven’t heard from you on the last response and was just checking back to see if you have a resolution yet. In case if you have any resolution please do share that same with the community as it can be helpful to others. Otherwise, will respond with more details and we will try to help.
Saraswathi Devadula 15,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-05T05:14:27.07+00:00

Hello Alex Onn
I hope you had a chance to review the information shared earlier, and I hope this information has been helpful! If you still have questions, please let us know what is needed in the comments so the question can be answered.
Alex Onn 0 Reputation points

2026-03-05T16:35:00.5233333+00:00

Hi @Saraswathi Devadula ,

Thank you for quick and detailed answer. Sorry for some delay, I was on sick leave. I checked also “Storage Used” (storage_used) metric, before, the same as you recommended. Even when its is the total storage provisioned (make sense), there should be some metric which help users how to control this limits. And as you explained, this metric should be: “Storage Used” (storage_used) metric.

So, I have there 2 servers:

Max value 32GB per sever

stg server actual usage during previous month: 4.4GB

prd server actual usage during previous month: 2.7GB

See also on screenshots:
stg.png
prd.png

As you can see it truly have never exceeded 32 GB provisioned.
Saraswathi Devadula 15,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-05T17:42:43.51+00:00

Hello Alex Onn

I hope you are doing well.

Kindly please share the details requested in the private message for further investigation.
Saraswathi Devadula 15,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-06T04:56:46.88+00:00

Hello Alex Onn We haven’t heard from you on the last response and was just checking back to see if you have a resolution yet. In case if you have any resolution please do share that same with the community as it can be helpful to others. Otherwise, will respond with more details and we will try to help.
Alex Onn 0 Reputation points

2026-03-19T18:05:53.26+00:00

Hi everyone. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive a response to my previous question in private messages under this post. So, after clarifying with the accounting service via a support ticket and discussing it here with the technical team, it seems I’ve received two different explanations.

The accounting service says that storage usage is accumulated daily. However, as I understand your explanation, for server storage what matters is the actual storage size used during the month. If at some point it increases (for example, to 64 GB), then the charge should be calculated as 64 GB minus the 32 GB free limit, resulting in 32 GB of billable usage. This is what I expected.

However, in my case, the storage usage during the month did not exceed 4.4 GB + 2.7 GB = 7.1 GB (maximum usage within the month), which is well within the 32 GB monthly limit.

I would really appreciate a final clarification on how Postgres storage usage is calculated for a monthly billing period. Could you please confirm which explanation is correct?

The Azure accounting team has explained it in the way they believe is correct, but your explanation seems different and more logical from a technical point of view.

If I’m misunderstanding something between these two explanations, could you please clarify and, if possible, share a link to the documentation where this is clearly described?

Thank you.
Saraswathi Devadula 15,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-21T02:31:37.85+00:00

Hello Alex Onn

I hope you are doing well.

Kindly please share the details requested in the private message for further investigation.
Alex Onn 0 Reputation points

2026-03-26T12:03:32.3966667+00:00

Hi @Saraswathi Devadula ,

As we discussed privately, let me summarize the situation:

The Issue: I’ve identified a discrepancy in the PostgreSQL billing calculation regarding the 'Free services for 12 months' limits. My subscription (Azure free account) includes 12 months of free monthly amounts for popular services.
Example for current month (also it is similar for the previous month of Azure free account):

Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Flexible Server Storage, Data Stored This progressbar indicates an error status 109% 35.05 / 32 (1 GB/Month)

Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Flexible Server Storage, Data Stored This progressbar indicates an error status 109% 35.05 / 32 (1 GB/Month)

Discrepancy in Storage: The progress bar shows 109% (35.05 / 32 GB). Based on our discussion, the 32 GB limit should represent the allocated storage size for the entire month. In my case, the actual usage was approximately 7.1 GB (4.4 GB + 2.7 GB) throughout the month. My servers never exceeded this amount.

The Calculation Error: The system seems to calculate storage on a daily cumulative basis rather than a monthly limit (e.g., 7.1 + 7.1 + 7.1...). This does not align with the official rules of this subscription plan and appears to be a serious calculation bug.

Conflicting Information: I am receiving different explanations from two different Microsoft teams, which is confusing. As a user, I shouldn't be charged based on a calculation error.

Current Status: You mentioned you would coordinate with the Billing team to align your answers. However, today the Billing team informed me that I need to upgrade to a Standard Support Plan just to get an answer. This is frustrating, as it requires me to pay more just to resolve a bug in the billing system itself.

Looking forward to your clarification on this.
Saraswathi Devadula 15,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-26T12:24:19.64+00:00

Hello Alex Onn

Yes we are waiting for billing team engineer to get the update. we will get back to you soon with an update.

Answer 1

Hello Alex Onn

It looks like what you’re seeing in the “Free services” blade is the provisioned storage meter, not simply the size of your tables or indexes on disk:

“Data Stored” in the free-services view tracks the total storage provisioned (and includes things like transaction logs and server overhead), and it uses the same underlying storage_used metric that you can see in Metrics.
Even though your actual database objects may only be a few GB, if your Flexible Server was ever configured (or auto-grew) above 32 GB of provisioned capacity, the free-tier meter will immediately show an overage.
The “Storage Free” chart you pulled (showing ~29 GB free) is just a point-in-time snapshot of remaining provisioned space (for example on a 64 GB disk you’d see ~29 GB free if ~35 GB is allocated). It doesn’t reflect how the free-services blade accumulates usage across the month.

Kindly check your server’s configured storage size in the Azure portal (Overview → Configuration).
If it’s above 32 GB, you’ll always exceed the free-tier.

In the Metrics pane, add the “Storage Used” (storage_used) metric and review it over the full month—in particular look at maximums or daily roll-ups. That will show exactly what the free-services meter is pulling.

If you truly have never exceeded 32 GB provisioned and the meter is still incorrect, we’ll need to open a billing support ticket to investigate the free-tier meter data for your subscription.

Please do let me know if you have any further concerns. I am happy to assist you.

Answer 2

The free-tier meter for Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server storage tracks data storage provisioned in GB per month, not the amount of data currently used inside the server.

For an Azure free account, the documented free limits for PostgreSQL flexible server are:

750 hours of Burstable B1MS compute per month
32 GB storage and 32 GB backup storage per month

In the free‑services usage blade, the PostgreSQL storage meter is:

Meter: Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Flexible Server Storage, Data Stored
Description: Tracks data storage provisioned in terms of GB used per month
Monthly limit: 32 GB per month

Because the meter is based on provisioned storage, if the server is configured with storage that results in more than 32 GB of billable storage/backup in the month, the meter will show values such as 60.67 / 32 (1 GB/Month) and a status of Exceeded on <Date>, even if monitoring charts show that only ~29 GB of space is currently used.

The same principle applies to the other free‑tier meters you listed (compute hours for the B1MS server, Container Registry, Load Balancer): each meter has its own unit (hours, GB, operations, etc.), and the free‑services blade compares your actual metered consumption against the fixed monthly free limit. Once the limit is exceeded, additional usage is billed according to pay‑as‑you‑go rates.

To avoid further charges while staying within the free tier:

In the Azure portal, go to Subscriptions → Free Trial → Top free services by usage → View all free services and review each meter’s Usage/Limit and Status.
For PostgreSQL flexible server, ensure that the provisioned storage plus backup storage stays within the 32 GB monthly limit documented for the free account.
If the server is only needed intermittently, consider stopping it when not in use; when stopped, there is no compute usage, though storage usage still counts.
If the resources are no longer required, delete the PostgreSQL server or the entire resource group to stop all related charges.

If the metered values still appear inconsistent with the documented behavior or with your configured storage/compute, open a billing/support request so that Azure Support can review subscription‑level metering and adjust charges if necessary.

References:

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Strange metrics under my Subscription on: Free services for 12 months

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