This topic answers frequently asked questions (FAQ) about PolarDB storage plan billing. If you have other billing questions about storage plans, you can join our DingTalk group for assistance. The group ID is 31840035401.
Purchase and use
Q: Do I have to purchase a storage plan after I purchase a cluster?
A: No, you do not. You can decide whether to purchase a storage plan based on your business needs. After you purchase a storage plan, it automatically offsets the storage usage of clusters in the same region. For more information, see Use a storage plan.
Q: Storage plans are available in 1 TB, 3 TB, and 5 TB capacities. What should I do if my business requires 4 TB?
A: You can purchase a 1 TB storage plan and a 3 TB storage plan. When your storage usage approaches 4 TB, you can purchase a new storage plan or upgrade an existing oneRenew or upgrade a storage plan as needed.
Q: Does a storage plan take effect immediately after purchase? Will it affect my database?
A: A storage plan takes effect immediately after purchase and does not affect your database.
Q: Can a storage plan offset the storage usage of a cluster under a different Alibaba Cloud account?
A: No, it cannot.
Q: How can I estimate costs and choose a resource plan before I purchase one?
A: You can use the Pricing Calculator and the Resource Plan Calculator to obtain an estimate.
Supported clusters
Q: Can a storage plan be shared by multiple clusters?
A: Yes. A storage plan is shared by all clusters in the regions determined by the Resource Plan Type (the Chinese mainland or outside China). For more information, see Purchase a storage plan.
Q: Can a storage plan be shared by clusters of different engines?
A: Yes, it can. A storage plan can be used for PolarDB for MySQL, PolarDB for PostgreSQL, and PolarDB for PostgreSQL (Compatible with Oracle) clusters.
Deductible items
Q: What usage can a storage plan offset?
A: A storage plan can offset the following usage:
Storage usage, which includes the following:
Pay-as-you-go storage usage of PolarDB Enterprise Edition.
Pay-as-you-go storage usage of PolarDB Standard Edition.
Storage usage for backups, which includes the following:
Usage of level-1 backups for PolarDB Enterprise Edition that exceeds the free quota.
Usage of level-2 backups for PolarDB Enterprise Edition.
Usage of data backups for PolarDB Standard Edition that exceeds the free quota.
Usage of log backups for PolarDB Enterprise Edition and Standard Edition that exceeds the free quota.
OSS storage usage for cold data archiving in PolarDB Enterprise Edition.
Q: Is there an offset order? Can I prioritize offsetting cluster storage usage?
A: Storage plans are offset by priority in the following order:
PolarDB Enterprise Edition > PolarDB Standard Edition.
For PolarDB Enterprise Edition: Cluster storage usage (PSL5 and PSL4) > Level-1 backup usage that exceeds the free quota > OSS storage usage for cold data > Level-2 backup usage > Log backup usage that exceeds the free quota. If multiple clusters have the same offset priority, the cluster that was created first is prioritized.
For PolarDB Standard Edition: Cluster storage usage > Data backup usage that exceeds the free quota > Log backup usage that exceeds the free quota. If multiple clusters have the same offset priority, the cluster that was created first is prioritized.
For more information about the offset rules for storage plans, see What are storage plans and compute plans with defined specifications?.
Renewal and upgrades
Q: What should I do if my storage plan runs out of capacity? Can I purchase another storage plan of the same type?
A: Yes. You can purchase and stack multiple storage plans. You can also consider upgrading your storage plan.
Q: How is usage that exceeds my storage plan's capacity billed? Will it affect my services?
A: Usage that exceeds your storage plan's capacity is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. For more information, see Overview. This does not affect your services.
Q: How do I renew a storage plan that is about to expire?
A: You can renew an expiring storage plan in the Expenses and Costs console. For more information, see Renew a storage plan.
Q: What if the storage plan capacity is not enough to offset the space usage of level-1 backups that exceeds the free quota?
A: If your level-1 backup usage exceeds the capacity of your storage plan, the excess usage is charged on a pay-as-you-go basis. You can purchase a new storage plan or upgrade your storage plan to increase its capacity.
Other
Q: How do I cancel a storage plan?
A: You can cancel a storage plan in the console. For more information, see Cancel a storage plan.