This topic provides answers to some frequently asked questions about the billing of PolarDB storage plans.
Purchase and usage
Do I need to purchase a storage plan after I purchase a cluster?
No, you do not need 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, the storage plan is automatically applied to clusters in the same region. For more information, see Combination with storage plans .
The capacity of a storage plan can be 1 TB, 3 TB, or 5 TB. If my services require 4 TB of storage, which storage plan do I purchase?
We recommend that you first purchase a 1 TB storage plan and a 3 TB storage plan. If the amount of the stored data increases to approximately 4 TB, you can purchase a new storage plan or upgrade your current storage plan. For more information, see Upgrade a storage plan.
Are storage plans effective immediately after I purchase them without affecting the normal running of clusters?
Storage plans are effective immediately after you purchase them. Storage plans does not affect the normal running of clusters.
Can I use storage plans to offset the fees for PSL5 and PSL4? What is the offset ratio?
Storage plans can be used to offset the fees for PSL5 and PSL4. For more information, see the "Deduction rules for storage plans" section of the Pay-as-you-go + storage plan topic.
Can a storage plan be used to offset the storage space fees of multiple clusters that belong to different accounts?
No.
Supported clusters
Can multiple clusters share a storage plan?
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 for the Plan Type parameter. For more information, see Purchase a storage plan.
Can the clusters that use different engines share a storage plan?
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.
Offset objects
Which resource storage capacity can be deducted from a storage plan?
A storage plan can be used to deduct the storage capacity of the following resources:
Cluster storage, including:
Storage consumed by PolarDB Enterprise Edition clusters that use PSL4 and PSL5
Storage consumed by the backups of PolarDB Enterprise Edition clusters, including:
Storage consumed by level-1 backups beyond the free quota
Storage consumed by level-2 backups
Storage consumed by log backups
Storage consumed by cold data archived to OSS
Are storage plans applied to different resources in an order? Can I apply a storage plan to clusters first?
Storage plans are applied to different resources in 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 have the same deduction priority, the clusters are deducted based on the creation time. The cluster that is created earlier than other clusters is deducted first.
For more information about how to use storage plans to offset storage fees, see What are storage plans and compute plans?
Renewal and upgrade
What do I do if the capacity of my storage plan is insufficient or exhausted? Can I purchase another storage plan of the same type?
Yes, you can purchase another storage plan of the same type if the capacity of your storage plan is insufficient or exhausted. You can purchase an additional storage plan of the same type or upgrade your current storage plan. For more information, see Upgrade a storage plan.
How am I charged for the storage capacity that exceeds the capacity of my storage plan? Does this impact the business?
You are charged for the storage that exceeds the capacity of your storage plan on a pay-as-you-go basis. For more information, see Overview. This does not impact your business.
How do I renew my storage plan if the storage plan is about to expire?
You can renew your storage plan in the user center. For more information, see Renew a storage plan.
What do I do if the capacity of a storage plan is insufficient to offset the fees for storage of level-1 backups beyond the free quota?
If the remaining capacity of the storage plan is insufficient to offset the storage fees of level-1 backups, you are charged for additional storage space on a pay-as-you-go basis. You can purchase another storage plan or upgrade your current storage plan. For more information, see Upgrade a storage plan.