EventHouse billing
EventHouse uses a pay-as-you-go billing model. Costs consist of four components: AI analysis, SQL computing, data ingestion, and data storage. You can use each capability flexibly based on your business needs without purchasing defined specifications in advance.
Your actual bill depends on the number of AI queries, the compute resources consumed by SQL queries, the volume of data ingested, and the storage type and retention period of your data.
Pricing
Type | Billing item | Unit price (base price) |
DataAgent (eventhouse_luma_invoke) | 0.005 CNY/Credit (AI analysis cost only; data ingestion and SQL dedicated computing are billed separately if used) | |
SQL Dedicated (eventhouse_Analysis_CU) | 0.24 CNY/hour (Example: if a single query consumes 3.6 seconds of CPU time, the billable duration is 3.6÷3600=0.001 hours; at 0.24 CNY/CU/hour, the query costs 0.00024 CNY. 1 CU = 1 vCPU, 4 GB memory) | |
Data Ingestion (including 30 days of free standard storage) (eventhouse_catalog_Ingestion) | 0.45 CNY/GB | |
Storage | Standard Storage (hot storage) (eventhouse_catalog_HotStorage) | 0.0115 CNY/GB/day |
Infrequent Access Storage (eventhouse_catalog_CoolStorage) | 0.005 CNY/GB/day | |
Archive Storage (eventhouse_catalog_ArchiveStorage) | 0.0017 CNY/GB/day |
Billing details
DataAgent AI analysis fee
When you initiate data queries or analysis tasks using natural language, EventHouse DataAgent understands your question, generates an analysis process, and returns results.
DataAgent is billed per invocation at 0.005 CNY/Credit.
This price applies to AI analysis only. If an AI analysis also triggers SQL queries or data ingestion, the following additional charges may apply:
SQL dedicated computing fee
Data ingestion fee
Storage fee (after the free storage period expires)
A complete data analysis task may incur both AI analysis fees and compute resource fees. If you only use AI capabilities without triggering SQL computing or data ingestion, no additional fees are charged.
SQL dedicated computing fee
SQL dedicated compute resources are billed based on actual CU-time consumed: 0.24 CNY/CU/hour.
1 CU corresponds to a fixed computing capacity (1 vCPU, 4 GB memory). The system converts the actual CPU time consumed by a query into billable hours.
Formula: SQL computing fee = Number of CUs × CPU usage duration (hours) × 0.24 CNY/CU/hour
Example: A query using 1 CU with an actual CPU time of 3.6 seconds:
Billable duration: 3.6 ÷ 3600 = 0.001 hours
Query fee: 1 × 0.001 × 0.24 = 0.00024 CNY
The SQL dedicated computing fee for this query is 0.00024 CNY.
If a query uses more CUs or runs longer, the fee increases proportionally based on actual CU count and CPU usage duration.
Data ingestion fee
Data ingestion is billed based on the actual data volume written to EventHouse: 0.45 CNY/GB.
The data ingestion fee includes 30 days of standard storage for the ingested data. After data is written, you are not charged for standard storage during the first 30 days.
After 30 days, if the data is still retained, storage fees are charged based on the storage type and actual space used.
Data storage fee
EventHouse offers three storage tiers—Standard, Infrequent Access, and Archive—to meet different data access frequencies and cost requirements.
Standard storage (hot storage)
Price: 0.0115 CNY/GB/day.
Suitable for data that is queried frequently in the near term, analyzed at high frequency, or has high access performance requirements.
Infrequent access storage
Price: 0.005 CNY/GB/day.
Suitable for data with lower access frequency that still requires occasional queries and analysis. Compared to Standard Storage, Infrequent Access Storage reduces long-term retention costs.
Archive storage
Price: 0.0017 CNY/GB/day.
Suitable for data with very low access frequency, primarily used for long-term retention, compliance auditing, or historical tracing.
When selecting a storage tier, consider your data access frequency, retention period, and query performance requirements. For frequently accessed recent data, Standard Storage is recommended. As access frequency decreases, you can switch to Infrequent Access or Archive Storage based on your business needs.
How to estimate EventHouse usage costs
Use the following formula for a preliminary cost estimate:
Total cost = DataAgent invocation fee + SQL dedicated computing fee + Data ingestion fee + Data storage fee
Where:
DataAgent invocation fee = Number of invocations exceeding the free quota × 0.005 CNY/Credit
SQL dedicated computing fee = Number of CUs × CPU usage duration (hours) × 0.24 CNY
Data ingestion fee = Data volume ingested exceeding the free quota (GB) × 0.45 CNY
Data storage fee = Data volume per storage tier (GB) × Retention days × Unit price for that tier
Consider the following when estimating costs:
All EventHouse instances under the same Alibaba Cloud account share the free quota.
The data ingestion fee already includes standard storage for the first 30 days after ingestion.
A single DataAgent analysis may incur both AI analysis fees and SQL computing fees.
Unit prices vary by storage tier. Store long-term data in Infrequent Access or Archive Storage to reduce costs.
Actual costs may vary based on resource usage, free quota deductions, product discounts, and billing precision.
FAQ
Does the DataAgent invocation fee include SQL query fees?
No. The DataAgent fee per Credit applies to AI analysis only. If SQL queries are executed during analysis, SQL dedicated computing fees are charged separately based on actual CU-time consumed.
Will storage fees apply immediately after data ingestion?
The data ingestion price includes standard storage for the first 30 days after ingestion. During this period, standard storage fees are not charged again for the same batch of data. After 30 days, charges are based on the actual storage type and space used.
Why is SQL dedicated computing billed by resource usage time?
Billing by actual usage time ensures that query costs more closely reflect real resource consumption. Queries with short execution times and low resource consumption incur minimal fees. Complex queries or tasks using multiple CUs incur proportionally higher fees.
How should I choose a storage tier?
If data needs to be queried frequently, Standard Storage is recommended. If data is only occasionally accessed, Infrequent Access Storage is suitable. If data is primarily for long-term retention and historical tracing, Archive Storage is appropriate. The choice should also consider data access performance requirements and business recovery time objectives.
Cost management recommendations
To manage EventHouse usage costs more effectively:
Before production use, estimate costs based on anticipated data volume, query frequency, and retention period.
Regularly monitor DataAgent invocation count, SQL resource consumption, and data storage volume.
Optimize complex or high-frequency SQL queries to reduce unnecessary repeated queries.
Choose appropriate storage tiers based on data access frequency.
Set appropriate lifecycle policies for data that is no longer needed.
When multiple EventHouse instances exist under the same account, monitor the shared free quota usage collectively.
EventHouse pay-as-you-go pricing and tiered storage allow you to use event data analytics capabilities flexibly based on your actual business scale, and to balance query performance, data retention period, and cost.