Join host Thomas Maurer and guest Maria Jose Fernandez from Microsoft Azure on this episode of the Azure Essentials Show as they explore database cost estimation in Azure. The discussion covers how to use the Azure Pricing Calculator to model costs for database workloads, highlighting key configuration decisions and practical strategies for optimizing spending during cloud modernization projects. This is the third in a series of episodes covering Azure cost estimation. 

Three main takeaways 
- Database Cost Estimation Framework: Viewers will learn a three-layer approach to estimating Azure database costs, including understanding architecture, computing services, and usage patterns. 
- Key Configuration Decisions: The episode explains five main configuration choices—purchasing model, compute tier and size, storage, high availability, and savings options—that significantly impact monthly database spending. 
- Practical Use of Azure Pricing Calculator: Maria Jose shares a hands-on demo of how to use the Azure Pricing Calculator to model different scenarios, compare costs, and make informed decisions before committing to cloud database spending. 

Recommended next steps 
- Open the Azure Pricing Calculator and start modeling your own database workloads. 
- Experiment with different configurations for Azure SQL Database or PostgreSQL Flexible Server to see how choices affect monthly estimates. 
- Export estimates to share with finance and engineering teams for decision making. 

Resources 
- Azure Pricing Calculator https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/calculator/  
- More Essential resources! https://azure.com/AzureEssentials  

Related episodes 
- Azure Cost Estimation: Plan Confidently with the Azure Pricing Calculator https://aka.ms/AzEssentials/231  
- Azure Cost Estimation: Your Strategic Guide to Cloud Pricing https://aka.ms/AzEssentials/232  
- More Azure Pricing Videos https://aka.ms/AzurePricingVideos  
- Watch the Azure Essentials Show https://aka.ms/AzureEssentialsShow  

Connect 
- Thomas Maurer https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasmaurer2/  
- Maria Jose Fernandez https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariajosefm/  

Chapters 
00:00 In this episode 
00:20 Episode Introduction 
01:00 How does database pricing fit? 
02:08 Database pricing challenges 
02:44 Typical scenario 
03:32 Key configuration decisions 
04:28 Hands-on demo 
09:07 Recommended next steps

Microsoft Developer

A walkthrough of Azure database cost estimation using the Azure Pricing Calculator, covering Azure SQL Database and Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server. Key configuration decisions that drive monthly costs include purchasing model (DTU vs vCore), compute tier and size, storage, high availability options (zone redundancy, geo-replication), and savings mechanisms like Azure Hybrid Benefit, reservations, and savings plans. The vCore model unlocks more savings options than DTU. The episode demonstrates how to model multiple scenarios side by side in the calculator and export estimates for finance and engineering teams.

Azure Cost Estimation: Navigate Database Pricing