Overview
You can see the monthly cost of a self-hosted Cognition360 report database in a few minutes, before you create anything. Use the Azure portal (Option A) or the Azure Pricing Calculator (Option B); both show the same price.
The report database must be an Azure SQL Database (Platform as a Service). A SQL Managed Instance, or SQL Server installed on an Azure virtual machine, is not supported.
Price the database at these minimum settings:
| Setting | Minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| Purchasing model | DTU-based |
| Service tier | Standard |
| Compute size | S3 (100 DTUs) |
| Data max size (storage) | 250 GB |
| Backup retention (point-in-time restore) | 7 days |
| Allow Azure services and resources to access this server | Yes |
Azure prices vary by region and currency, so this guide shows you how to find your own price rather than quoting one.
Before you start
- Access: an Azure account that can sign in to the Azure portal. To see a price in the portal you need access to a subscription; the Pricing Calculator needs no sign-in.
- Region: decide which Azure region will host the database. Prices differ between regions, so price the one you'll actually use.
- Currency: the portal shows prices in your subscription's billing currency. The Pricing Calculator lets you choose a currency.
Option A: Get the estimate in the Azure portal
The portal shows an estimated monthly cost while you configure the database. Nothing is created or charged until you select Create on the final page, so you can stop at any point.
- Sign in to the Azure portal.
- In the search bar at the top, type SQL databases and select it.
- Select + Create, then SQL database.
- On the Basics tab, under Project details:
- Subscription: select the subscription that will pay for the database.
- Resource group: select an existing one or select Create new and enter a name.
- Under Database details:
- Database name: enter a name (for example, cognition360-reports).
- Server: select Create new. Enter a globally unique Server name, choose the Location (region) you'll use, choose an authentication method and admin login, then select OK.
- Want to use SQL elastic pool? select No.
- Workload environment: select Production.
- Under Compute + storage, select Configure database.
- On the Configure page:
- Open the Service tier drop-down. Under the DTU-based purchasing model options, select Standard.
- Move the DTUs slider to 100 (S3).
- Set Data max size to 250 GB.
- Select Apply.
- Back on the Basics tab, choose a Backup storage redundancy option. Your 7-day backups are included in the DTU price, so this choice doesn't change the estimate.
- Read the Cost summary panel on the right of the page. It shows the price per DTU, the number of DTUs and the estimated cost per month.
- Optional: select Review + create to see the estimate alongside all your settings.
To get a price only: close the page or select Cancel. Nothing has been created.
To go ahead and create the database: on the Networking tab, set Connectivity method to Public endpoint and set Allow Azure services and resources to access this server to Yes. Then select Review + create, then Create.
Option B: Use the Azure Pricing Calculator
Use this option if you don't have portal access yet,or want a saved or exported estimate to share internally.
- Go to the Azure Pricing Calculator.
- Search for Azure SQL Database and select it to add it to your estimate.
- Expand the Azure SQL Database item and set:
- Region: the region you'll use.
- Type: Single Database.
- Purchase model: DTU.
- Service tier: Standard.
- Performance level: S3 (100 DTUs, 250 GB included storage).
- Backup storage: leave any backup options at their defaults; 7-day backups are included in the DTU price.
- Check the Currency at the bottom of the page.
- Read the Estimated monthly cost. Select Export or Save to keep a copy.
If your organization has an Enterprise Agreement or other negotiated pricing, sign in to the calculator to see your own rates.
What affects the price
The S3 compute size is the main cost; the 250 GB of storage and 7-day backups are included in its price.
| Factor | Effect on your monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Region | Prices differ by region. Price the region you'll deploy to. |
| Compute size | S3 is the minimum. A larger size (S4 and up) costs more. |
| Storage above 250 GB | S3 includes 250 GB. Extra storage, up to 1 TB, is charged on top. |
| Point-in-time backups | Included in the DTU price, including the 7-day minimum retention. |
| Long-term backup retention | Off by default. If you turn it on, the storage it uses is charged separately. |
| Reserved capacity | Not available for the DTU model, so the estimate is pay-as-you-go. |
| SQL server | The logical server itself has no charge; you pay for the database. |
Sources: DTU resource limits, Automated backups, Azure SQL Database pricing.
Checking actual costs after you create the database
Once the database is running, Azure Cost Management shows what it actually costs. Costs can take 8–24 hours to appear.
- In the Azure portal, open the resource group that holds the database.
- In the left menu, select Cost Management > Cost analysis.
- Change the view to Cost by resource to see the database and server listed separately.
- Optional: select Budgets to set a monthly budget and get an email alert if spending goes over it.
What to send to Cognition360
After you create the database, send us these details so we can start pushing your data to it:
- Azure SQL Server name: in the format {servername}.database.windows.net
- Azure SQL Database name: the name you chose in step 5
- Confirmation that Allow Azure services and resources to access this server is set to Yes
To find the server name, open the database in the portal; it's shown as Server name on the Overview page.