Database Backup:Use storage plans

Usage notes

• You can view the prices of storage plans on the DBS buy page.

• You can renew your storage plans, but you cannot upgrade or unsubscribe from the storage plans.

• You can purchase multiple storage plans and use them together. For example, you can use one storage plan of 2 TB or two storage plans of 1 TB each to offset 2 TB of storage usage.

• Subscription storage plans cannot be used to offset the storage usage of cross-region backups for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that use local disks, ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances, and ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances.

Offset objects

Offset rules

Offset examples of storage plans

For example, you purchase a storage plan of 100 GB to offset the storage fees for a backup schedule of 120 GB in the China (Hong Kong) region. The following list describes the offset details:

1. The built-in storage space that can be offset by the storage plan is about 88.4956 GB (100 GB/1.13). The storage plan cannot offset all the storage space of 120 GB. In this case, the system first uses the storage plan to offset the storage space of 88.4956 GB. The storage space used in this example is for reference only. The actual storage space in the bill prevails.

2. The remaining storage space is 31.5044 GB (120 GB - 88.4956 GB), which is charged on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Offset factors of storage plans

The following table describes the offset factors that you can use if you want to use storage plans to offset storage fees in different regions.

Purchase a storage plan

1. Go to the buy page of storage plans.

2. Set the Product Type parameter to Storage Bag.

3. Set the Type, Region, Specification, Quantity, and Duration parameters based on your business requirements.

   Parameter	Description
   Type	The type of storage plan. In this example, Backup Instance Storage Plan is selected. For more information about other types of storage plans, see the Offset objects section of this topic.
   Region	The region in which you want to use the storage plan. The default value is Global Common. This indicates that the storage plan can be used in the following regions: China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Nanjing - Local Region), China (Beijing), China (Qingdao), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Ulanqab), China (Shenzhen), China (Heyuan), China (Guangzhou), China (Chengdu), China (Hong Kong), Singapore, Australia (Sydney), South Korea (Seoul), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Jakarta), Japan (Tokyo), Philippines (Manila), Thailand (Bangkok), India (Closing Down) (Mumbai) Closing Down, Germany (Frankfurt), UK (London), US (Silicon Valley), US (Virginia), and UAE (Dubai).
   Specification	The specifications of the storage plan.
   Quantity	The number of storage plans that you want to purchase. Valid values: 1 to 99.
   Duration	The validity period of the storage plan. Valid values: 1 Month, 2 Months, 3 Months, 4 Months, 5 Months, 6 Months, 7 Months, 8 Months, 9 Months, 1 Year, 2 Years, 3 Years, and 5 Years. Note Storage plans become invalid after they expire. For example, if you purchase a storage plan whose validity period is three months, the storage plan becomes invalid three months after you purchase it. The larger capacity the storage plan has, the larger discount you can obtain.

4. Click Buy Now.

Comparison between backup instance storage plans and pay-as-you-go

To store large amounts of data, we recommend that you use subscription storage plans because they are more cost-effective than the pay-as-you-go billing method. Storage plans of larger storage capacities provide larger discounts. The following table describes the comparison between the prices for backup instance storage plans and pay-as-you-go. In this example, the China (Hangzhou) region is used. For more information, see Storage fees.