MaxCompute supports two billing methods for computing resources: pay-as-you-go and subscription. You can switch between these methods to match your workload requirements and optimize costs.
Prerequisites
Both pay-as-you-go and subscription resources of MaxCompute are purchased.
Switch between billing methods
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Pay-as-you-go: Computing resources are drawn from a shared pool and billed based on actual usage. Suitable for short-term or temporary workloads.
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Subscription: Computing resources are exclusive to your projects and billed on a prepaid basis. Suitable for long-term, stable workloads.
The differences between subscription and pay-as-you-go apply only to the billing and running modes of computing resources. Storage and data download are billed the same way regardless of the billing method you choose.
How it works
In MaxCompute, a quota is a unit used to manage computing resources. Each project has a default quota that determines how the project's computing resources are billed. The billing method of the default quota is the same as the billing method of the project.
To switch the billing method of a project, you change the default quota assigned to the project. Subscription computing resources are exclusive resources, and pay-as-you-go resources are shared resources. Computing resources are measured in compute units (CUs). The computing jobs in a subscription project can use only the purchased subscription computing resources.
Supported scenarios
The following table describes the supported billing method switches and their effects.
|
Scenario |
Details |
When the change takes effect |
|
Pay-as-you-go to subscription |
You must purchase subscription CUs before you switch. You cannot switch the billing method for a project across regions. To purchase subscription computing resources, go to the MaxCompute (Subscription) purchase page. |
Immediately. However, if a job is currently running, the new billing method does not take effect until the next job run. |
|
Subscription to pay-as-you-go |
The fees that you have already paid are not refunded. You can still use the purchased CUs by creating additional projects to share them. |
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Do not frequently switch billing methods. Frequent switches may affect the running time of your computing jobs.
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You can also specify computing quotas for specific jobs in your project. For more information, see Specify a quota group at the job level.
Procedure
The billing method of the default compute quota for a project matches the project's billing method. To switch the billing method, change the default compute quota. Follow these steps.
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Before you switch the billing method, make sure that you have purchased computing resources of the target billing method. To purchase computing resources, go to the MaxCompute purchase page.
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In the new MaxCompute console, you must separately configure the
Default Compute Quotaparameter for each project on the Parameter Configuration page.
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Log on to the MaxCompute console. In the top navigation bar, select a region.
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In the left-side navigation pane, click Projects.
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On the Projects page, find the project for which you want to switch the billing method and click Manage in the Actions column.
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On the Parameter Configuration tab, click Edit in the Basic Information section.
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Select a quota from the Default Quota drop-down list.
References
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To configure quota groups and plan computing resources after purchasing subscription CUs, see Manage quotas in the new MaxCompute console.
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For resource planning best practices, see Best practices for planning and configuring elastically reserved CUs.