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PolarDB:FAQ about billing of storage plans

Last Updated:Nov 13, 2023

This topic provides answers to frequently asked questions about billing of PolarDB storage plans.

Purchase and usage

  • Q: Do I have to purchase a storage plan after I purchase a cluster?

    A: No, you do not have to purchase a storage plan after you purchase a cluster. You can purchase storage plans based on your business requirements. After you purchase a storage plan, it is automatically applied to clusters in the same region. For more information, see Combination with storage plans .

  • Q: The storage capacity of a storage plan is 1 TB, 3 TB or 5 TB. If my services require 4 TB of storage, which storage plan do I purchase?

    A: We recommend that you first purchase a 1-TB storage plan and a 3-TB storage plan. If the amount of the stored data approaches 4 TB, you can purchase a new storage plan or upgrade your current storage plan. For more information, see Upgrade a storage plan.

  • Q: Are storage plans effective immediately after I purchase them, without affecting the normal running of clusters?

    A: Storage plans are effective immediately after you purchase them. Storage plans does not affect the normal running of clusters.

  • Q: Can I use storage plans to offset PSL5 and PSL4 storage? What is the offset ratio?

    A: Storage plans can be used to offset PSL5 and PSL4 storage. For more information, see Rules for the deduction of storage plans.

  • Q: Can a storage plan be used to offset storage space of multiple clusters that belong to different accounts?

    A: No.

Supported clusters

  • Q: Can multiple clusters share a storage plan?

    A: Yes. A storage plan can be shared by all clusters in the regions that are specified by the Plan Type parameter. You can specify Chinese Mainland or Outside Chinese Mainland as Plan Type. For more information, see Purchase a storage plan.

  • Q: Can the clusters that use different engines share a storage plan?

    A: Yes, clusters that use different engines can share a storage plan. A storage plan can be shared by PolarDB for MySQL, PolarDB for PostgreSQL, and PolarDB for PostgreSQL (Compatible with Oracle) clusters.

Coverage

  • Q: What fees can I offset from storage plans?

    A: Storage plans can be used to offset the following fees:

    • Storage space usage, including:

      • Storage space of PolarDB Enterprise Edition clusters with the PSL4 and PSL5 storage types.

    • Storage space occupied by backup files generated by PolarDB Enterprise Edition clusters:

      • Level-1 backups that exceed the free quota.

      • Level-2 backups.

      • Log backups.

      • The OSS storage space occupied by cold data archiving.

  • Q: Are storage plans applied to different resources in a specific order? Can I apply a storage plan to the cluster storage usage first?

    A: Storage spaces are offset based on the following order:

    • PolarDB Enterprise Edition: Cluster storage usage (PSL5 and PSL4) > Level-1 backups that exceed the free quota > OSS cold data archiving > Level-2 backups > Log backups. If multiple clusters are of the same priority, the clusters are ordered based on the time at which they were created. The clusters that are created earlier take precedence.

Note

For more information about how to use storage plans to offset fees, see What are storage plans

Renewal and upgrade

  • Q: What can I do if the storage capacity of my storage plan is insufficient or exhausted? Can I purchase another storage plan of the same type?

    A: Yes, you can. You can purchase multiple storage plans of the same type or upgrade your storage plan. For more information, see Upgrade a storage plan.

  • Q: How am I charged for the storage that exceeds the storage capacity of my storage plan? Does this impact my business?

    A: You are charged for the storage that exceeds the storage capacity of your storage plan based on the pay-as-you-go method. For more information, see Overview. This does not impact your business.

  • Q: How can I renew my storage plan if the storage plan will soon expire?

    A: You can renew your storage plan in the user center. For more information, see Renew a storage plan.

  • Q: What do I do if the storage capacity of a storage plan is insufficient to offset the storage usage of level-1 backups that exceeds the free quota?

    A: If the remaining capacity of the storage plan is insufficient to offset the storage usage of level-1 backups, you are charged for additional storage space on a pay-as-you-go basis. You can purchase a new storage plan or increase the storage capacity by upgrading your storage plan. For more information, see Upgrade a storage plan.