This article summarizes all items of Standard Edition.
Billable items
| Billable item | What you pay for | Pricing factors | Billing methods | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compute nodes | Primary and read-only nodes in your cluster | Region, node specifications, usage duration |
Pay-as-you-go, Subscription |
Billing rules for compute nodes |
| Storage space | Files such as data files, index files, logs (online and archived), and temporary files | Region, provisioned storage capacity, storage duration |
Pay-as-you-go, Subscription |
Billing rules for storage space |
| Backup storage | Backup file storage beyond the free quota | Storage capacity used, retention period | Pay-as-you-go | Billing rules for backup storage (usage that exceeds the free quota) |
| SQL Explorer (optional) | Audit log storage for security auditing and performance diagnostics | Audit log storage capacity, retention period | Pay-as-you-go | Billing rules for SQL Explorer (Optional) |
Billing methods
| Billing method | How it works | Best for | Available items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | Billed by actual usage with no upfront commitment | Short-term, variable, or unpredictable workloads | All four billable items |
| Subscription | Prepay for a fixed period at a lower rate than pay-as-you-go | Long-running, steady-state workloads requiring cost predictability | Compute nodes and storage space only |
Backup storage and SQL Explorer support pay-as-you-go billing only.