This topic describes the billing methods of different Data Transmission Service (DTS) instances.

Billing methodSupported instanceDescription
Subscription
  • Change tracking instance
  • Data synchronization instance
  • A subscription instance is an instance for which you pay in advance to use.
    Note If the source or destination database of a data synchronization instance is locked because the database instance expires, DTS can still connect to the source or destination database. In this case, we recommend that you release the DTS instance at the earliest opportunity to prevent additional fees.
  • The subscription billing method is more cost-effective than the pay-as-you-go billing method for long-term use.
  • Subscription instances cannot be manually released. If a subscription instance is not renewed, the instance expires at the end of the subscription duration.
  • In the new DTS console, you can change the billing method of an instance between subscription and pay-as-you-go. In the old DTS console, you can switch the billing method of an instance only from pay-as-you-go to subscription. We recommend that you use the new DTS console. For more information, see Change the billing method.
Pay-as-you-go
  • Data migration instance
  • Change tracking instance
  • Data synchronization instance
  • A pay-as-you-go instance is an instance for which you are charged per hour based on your resource usage. The hourly fees are calculated based on the instance class that you specify in the purchase order and are deducted from the balance of your Alibaba Cloud account.
    Note If the source or destination database of a DTS instance is locked because the database instance expires, DTS can still connect to the source or destination database. In this case, we recommend that you release the DTS instance at the earliest opportunity to prevent additional fees.
  • The pay-as-you-go billing method is suitable for short-term use. If you no longer require a pay-as-you-go instance, you can release it to reduce costs. For more information, see Release DTS instances.
  • Take note of the following items when you configure a data synchronization instance:
    • You are charged based on the instance specifications after the Incremental Data Collection module is started.
    • You are still charged for the data synchronization instance during the period in which the data synchronization instance is paused.
  • Take note of the following items when you configure a data migration instance:
    • If you do not select Incremental Data Migration as a migration type, you are not charged for the data migration instance.
    • If you select Incremental Data Migration as a migration type, you are charged based on the instance specifications after the Incremental Write module is started.
    • You are not charged for the data migration instance during the period in which the data migration instance is paused.
  • Take note of the following items when you configure a change tracking instance:
    • You are charged after a change tracking task is started.
    • You are still charged for the change tracking instance during the period in which the change tracking instance is paused.
  • Pay-as-you-go instances can be changed to subscription instances. For more information, see Change the billing method.
Important
  • The billing method of data migration instances cannot be changed.
  • After a DTS instance is started, the billing stops only if the DTS instance fails to run or is released.
  • You are still charged for a data synchronization or change tracking instance during the period in which the data synchronization or change tracking instance is paused. This is because the paused instance still consumes resources such as the bandwidth of the source database. After the instance is paused, DTS stops writing data to the destination database but continues to read logs from the source database. This helps resume the data synchronization or change tracking task immediately after the task is restarted.