Microsoft Azure SQL Database Pricing & Features: Managed Cloud Database By Microsoft
In the current global market, for utilizing large volumes of information to their advantage, companies need to employ individuals that consist of certain skill sets that help in deciphering the meaning of the data and decide its utility. This has led to the rise of the SQL language. It is a database language that has been set as a standard for creating, maintaining, and reviving information stored in relational database servers. The use of SQL in a database management system is found while the database administrators organize and structure the data stored in various architectural models according to the relationship between them. In this blog post, we will focus on features and Azure SQL Database Pricing structure.
The benefits regarding the use of SQL Database include the fact that the SQL language is easy to learn, helps the user company to understand the datasets, allows smooth integration with a scripting language, and helps in managing huge volumes of data. These advantages are the main reason behind the popularity of the features included in the Azure SQL Database service.
Azure SQL Database: Meaning and uses of the features under the Azure SQL Database pricing range
It is a fully-managed database service, designed by Microsoft in the form of a platform as a service (PaaS) application. The application has been developed atop the latest and stable version of the Microsoft SQL Server Database Engine.
The features available under the SQL database pricing range are used to perform numerous database management functions including upgrading of data, patching, backup storage, and monitoring business processes without the involvement of the user organization.
Azure SQL Database pricing model:
The Microsoft SQL Database is an integral part of the Azure family of SQL Database services. The service can be defined as an intelligent database engine that consists of auto-scaling compute capabilities that are designed by the Azure government for tackling intensive workloads. It has been developed by Microsoft as a cloud solution that contains features supported by artificial intelligence which help in maintaining the performance capacity and durability of business processes. Apart from this, the Azure cost management feature allows the user to gain a proper cost estimate of the service without compromising with the resource management capabilities and compute capacity of resources.
The Azure SQL Database pricing range can be categorized in a structured manner. This is enumerated as follows:-
- Single database pricing model and
- The elastic pool pricing structure
Single database pricing model:
The single database pricing model can be categorized in the following manner:-
1.vCore model – This is best suited when the user organization wishes to have flexibility, control, and transparency in individual resource consumption.
2. Serverless compute – In this pricing tier, there is a simplification of the performance management for single databases through the unpredictable use of computing models.
- General-purpose: Perfect for usual business workloads.
- Gen 5:
Minimum scores | Maximum vCores | Minimum Memory (GB) | Maximum Memory (GB) | Price |
0.5 | 40 | 2.02 | 120 | $0.0001450/vCore-second ($0.5218/vCore-hour) |
- Locally redundant storage: The user company is charged for the Azure Blob Storage that is provisioned by it.
Price | |
GB/month | $0.12 |
- Backup storage consumption: The data in the application is set to be backed up, every seven data by default.
Price | |
LRS | $0.10/GB/month |
ZRS | $0.125/GB/month |
RA-GRS | $0.20/GB/month |
- Long term retention: Certain business processes at times require the data to be retained for longer periods.
Price | |
LRS | $0.025/GB/month |
ZRS | $0.0313/GB/month |
RA-GRS | $0.05/GB/month |
3. Provisioned compute – The provisioned computing tier states a fixed amount of computing resources that are fixed at an hourly rate.
- General Purpose: This is ideal for usual business workloads.
- Gen 5:
vCORE | Memory (GB) | Pay as you go | 1 year reserved capacity | 3 year reserved capacity |
2 | 10.2 | $1.36/hour | $1.15/hour ~16% savings | $1.03/hour ~25% savings |
4 | 20.4 | $2.72/hour | $2.30/hour ~16% savings | $2.05/hour ~25% savings |
6 | 30.6 | $4.08/hour | $3.44/hour ~16% savings | $3.08/hour ~25% savings |
8 | 40.8 | $5.44/hour | $4.59/hour ~16% savings | $4.10/hour ~25% savings |
10 | 51 | $6.80/hour | $5.73/hour ~16% savings | $5.12/hour ~25% savings |
12 | 61.2 | $8.16/hour | $6.88/hour ~16% savings | $6.15/hour ~25% savings |
14 | 71.4 | $9.52/hour | $8.02/hour ~16% savings | $7.17/hour ~25% savings |
16 | 81.6 | $10.88/hour | $9.17/hour ~16% savings | $8.20/hour ~25% savings |
18 | 91.8 | $12.23/hour | $10.32/hour ~16% savings | $9.22/hour ~25% savings |
20 | 102 | $13.59/hour | $11.46/hour ~16% savings | $10.24/hour ~25% savings |
24 | 122.4 | $16.31/hour | $13.75/hour ~16% savings | $12.29/hour ~25% savings |
32 | 163.2 | $21.75/hour | $18.34/hour ~16% savings | $16.39/hour ~25% savings |
40 | 204 | $27.18/hour | $22.92/hour ~16% savings | $20.48/hour ~25% savings |
80 | 396 | $54.36/hour | $45.83/hour ~16% savings | $40.96/hour ~25% savings |
- Dc-series:
vCORE | Memory (GB) | Pay as you go |
2 | 9 | $1.97/hour |
4 | 18 | $3.94/hour |
6 | 27 | $5.91/hour |
8 | 36 | $7.88/hour |
- Fsv2-series:
vCORE | Memory (GB) | Pay as you go |
8 | 235.4 | $16.44/hour |
10 | 294.3 | $20.54/hour |
12 | 353.2 | $24.65/hour |
14 | 412 | $28.76/hour |
16 | 470.9 | $32.87/hour |
18 | 529.7 | $36.97/hour |
20 | 588.6 | $41.08/hour |
24 | 706.3 | $49.30/hour |
32 | 941.8 | $65.73/hour |
64 | 1883.5 | $131.45/hour |
128 | 3767 | $262.89/hour |
- Locally Redundant Storage:
Price | |
GB/month | $0.115 |
- Backup storage:
Price | |
LRS | $0.10/GB/month |
ZRS | $0.125/GB/month |
RA-GRS | $0.20/GB/month |
- Long term retention:
Price | |
LRS | $0.025/GB/month |
ZRS | $0.0313/GB/month |
RA-GRS | $0.05/GB/month |
Elastic database pool pricing structure:
The elastic pool under Azure SQL Database Pricing range can be explained categorically in the following manner:-
1.vCore – This model influences the process of scaling, computing rate and allows the storage of data according to the world needs of the user organization.
- General Purpose: It is ideal for all business workloads.
- Gen 5:
vCORE | Memory (GB) | Max Number Of Databases Per Pool | Pay as you go | 1 year reserved capacity | 3 year reserved capacity |
2 | 10.2 | 100 | $0.51/hour | $0.40/hour ~21% savings | $0.34/hour ~33% savings |
4 | 20.4 | 200 | $1.01/hour | $0.80/hour ~21% savings | $0.68/hour ~33% savings |
6 | 30.6 | 500 | $1.52/hour | $1.20/hour ~21% savings | $1.02/hour ~33% savings |
8 | 40.8 | 500 | $2.02/hour | $1.60/hour ~21% savings | $1.35/hour ~33% savings |
10 | 51 | 500 | $2.53/hour | $1.99/hour ~21% savings | $1.69/hour ~33% savings |
12 | 61.2 | 500 | $3.03/hour | $2.39/hour ~21% savings | $2.03/hour ~33% savings |
14 | 71.4 | 500 | $3.54/hour | $2.79/hour ~21% savings | $2.36/hour ~33% savings |
16 | 81.6 | 500 | $4.04/hour | $3.19/hour ~21% savings | $2.70/hour ~33% savings |
18 | 91.8 | 500 | $4.54/hour | $3.59/hour ~21% savings | $3.04/hour ~33% savings |
20 | 102 | 500 | $5.05/hour | $3.98/hour ~21% savings | $3.37/hour ~33% savings |
24 | 122.4 | 500 | $6.06/hour | $4.78/hour ~21% savings | $4.05/hour ~33% savings |
32 | 163.2 | 500 | $8.07/hour | $6.37/hour ~21% savings | $5.40/hour ~33% savings |
40 | 204 | 500 | $10.09/hour | $7.96/hour ~21% savings | $6.74/hour ~33% savings |
80 | 396 | 500 | $20.18/hour | $15.92/hour ~21% savings | $13.48/hour ~33% savings |
- DC-series: This is needed for performing confidential query processing capabilities on demand.
vCORE | Memory (GB) | Pay as you go |
2 | 9 | $0.81/hour |
4 | 18 | $1.62/hour |
6 | 27 | $3.04/hour |
8 | 36 | $2.63/hour |
- Fsv2-series:
vCORE | Memory (GB) | Pay as you go |
8 | 15.1 | $1.87/hour |
10 | 18.9 | $2.34/hour |
12 | 22.7 | $2.81/hour |
14 | 26.5 | $3.27/hour |
16 | 30.2 | $3.74/hour |
18 | 34 | $4.21/hour |
20 | 37.8 | $4.68/hour |
24 | 45.4 | $5.61/hour |
32 | 60.5 | $7.48/hour |
36 | 68 | $8.41/hour |
72 | 136 | $16.82/hour |
- Locally redundant storage:
Price | |
GB/month | $0.115 |
- Backup storage:
Price | |
LRS | $0.10/GB/month |
ZRS | $0.125/GB/month |
RA-GRS | $0.20/GB/month |
- Long term retention:
Price | |
LRS | $0.025/GB/month |
ZRS | $0.0313/GB/month |
RA-GRS | $0.05/GB/month |
2. Business Critical – This pricing tier is suitable for business applications that need high IO.
- Gen 5:
vCORE | Memory (GB) | Max Number Of Databases Per Pool | Pay as you go | 1 year reserved capacity | 3 year reserved capacity |
4 | 20.4 | 50 | $2.72/hour | $2.30/hour ~16% savings | $2.05/hour ~25% savings |
6 | 30.6 | 100 | $4.08/hour | $3.44/hour ~16% savings | $3.08/hour ~25% savings |
8 | 40.8 | 100 | $5.44/hour | $4.59/hour ~16% savings | $4.10/hour ~25% savings |
10 | 51 | 100 | $6.80/hour | $5.73/hour ~16% savings | $5.12/hour ~25% savings |
12 | 61.2 | 100 | $8.16/hour | $6.88/hour ~16% savings | $6.15/hour ~25% savings |
14 | 71.4 | 100 | $9.52/hour | $8.02/hour ~16% savings | $7.17/hour ~25% savings |
16 | 81.6 | 100 | $10.88/hour | $9.17/hour ~16% savings | $8.20/hour ~25% savings |
18 | 91.8 | 100 | $12.23/hour | $10.32/hour ~16% savings | $9.22/hour ~25% savings |
20 | 102 | 100 | $13.59/hour | $11.46/hour ~16% savings | $10.24/hour ~25% savings |
24 | 122.4 | 100 | $16.31/hour | $13.75/hour ~16% savings | $12.29/hour ~25% savings |
32 | 163.2 | 100 | $21.75/hour | $18.34/hour ~16% savings | $16.39/hour ~25% savings |
40 | 204 | 100 | $27.18/hour | $22.92/hour ~16% savings | $20.48/hour ~25% savings |
80 | 396 | 100 | $54.36/hour | $45.83/hour ~16% savings | $40.96/hour ~25% savings |
- DC-series:
vCORE | Memory (GB) | Pay as you go |
2 | 9 | $1.97/hour |
4 | 18 | $3.94/hour |
6 | 27 | $5.91/hour |
8 | 36 | $7.88/hour |
- M-series:
vCORE | Memory (GB) | Max Number of Databases Per Pool | Pay as you go |
8 | 235.4 | 100 | $16.44/hour |
10 | 294.3 | 100 | $20.54/hour |
12 | 353.2 | 100 | $24.65/hour |
14 | 412 | 100 | $28.76/hour |
16 | 470.9 | 100 | $32.87/hour |
18 | 529.7 | 100 | $36.97/hour |
20 | 588.6 | 100 | $41.08/hour |
24 | 706.3 | 100 | $49.30/hour |
32 | 941.8 | 100 | $65.73/hour |
64 | 1883.5 | 100 | $131.45/hour |
128 | 3767 | 100 | $262.89/hour |
- Storage:
Price | |
GB/month | $0.25 |
- Backup storage:
Price | |
LRS | $0.10/GB/month |
ZRS | $0.125/GB/month |
RA-GRS | $0.20/GB/month |
- Long term retention:
Price | |
LRS | $0.025/GB/month |
ZRS | $0.0313/GB/month |
RA-GRS | $0.05/GB/month |
Features available within the Azure SQL Database pricing range:
The features available in the Azure SQL Database pricing range include certain unique advantages that can be utilized by the user companies to improve their productivity and business processes. This in turn elevates the market value of these organizations. The features can be enumerated in the following manner:-
- Fully managed SQL – The user company has the potential to do away with the process of configuring and managing the process of high availability of data, database backups and other database services through the use of a fully managed SQL database. Apart from this, the process of developing applications can also be accelerated in the cloud by implementing the SQL Server enterprise capabilities.
- Hyperscaling workloads – The Azure SQL Database helps the user company to eliminate the limitations related to resources that negatively impact the performance of the applications. The hyperspace feature of the application, allows the internal system of the user company to adapt to the changes in the organizational needs by scaling the database storage size up to 100TB.
- Building intelligent applications – The user organization is provided with the opportunity of developing intelligent applications on platforms like Windows, Linux, Azure Data Studio and others. Apart from this, the organizational data can be scaled, managed and stored in Azure Blob Storage or stacked in the data stack using Azure App services.
- Advanced Security Features – The features within the Azure SQL Database pricing range are decked with several advanced security features which include most prominently, the process of all time data encryption in which the encryption keys are not revealed to the database engine.
Cost-effectiveness in comparison to other cloud computing services:
The Azure SQL Database pricing range is very cost-effective for organizations that look forward to utilizing the available features along with maintaining the business processes on a budget. When an organization shifts to Azure SQL Database, the performance received is far better than the cost estimate chosen by the user company. The cost analysis made based on a comparison made between other applications and the Athe sure SQL Database proves that the latter is more cost-effective than the others in the market.
The application is designed to meet the business-critical requirements of the user organization and the compute costs are charged up to 86 percent less than the competition. The Azure Hybrid benefit is a part of the Azure Cost management system that maximizes the benefits reaped from the investments made in the core licenses.
EPC Group Consultation of Azure services:
The EPC Group is one of the leading organizations in the field of designing Microsoft Azure and Dynamics consultation programs. The company employs a group of Azure experts that stay dedicated and focused towards helping their client organizations in making the correct choice in applications under the Azure government which can perform the required business workloads to the fullest potential.
The EPC Group intends to create a well-thought-out plan for implementing the required cloud solutions. Apart from this, the organization stays focused on Azure SQL Database Pricing, analyzing and optimizing the data requirements of a certain company before suggesting them the required Azure service or application along with designing customized training programs that help in smooth deployment of the tools.
The company has more than two decades of experience in designing databases, deploying business intelligence tools and artificial intelligence applications, and others. The EPC Group is also a Gold certificate partner of Microsoft which is a very popular cloud solution provider in the global market. This implies that choosing this organization as the consultation partner will ease the SQL database deployment method for the user companies.
Conclusion:
The Azure SQL Database helps the user organization to cost-effectively manage the relational database system provided by Microsoft in the Azure Cloud. Apart from this, the scalability and high availability of data help the user organizations to make the most of the acquired data in performing virtualized workloads. Along with this, the application also tackles the user company’s computation rate of data that influences the individual resource consumption of the organization. Thus, the Azure SQL Database is one of the most beneficial applications designed by Microsoft which can provide several benefits to the use company.
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With over 25 years of experience in Information Technology and Management Consulting, Errin O’Connor has led hundreds of large-scale enterprise implementations from Business Intelligence, Power BI, Office 365, SharePoint, Exchange, IT Security, Azure and Hybrid Cloud efforts for over 165 Fortune 500 companies.
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