Controlling what it costs to run.
WHAT DRIVES COST
Storage, including backups and logs Memory, which determines performance Compute Data transfer Licensing, for commercial databases Managed service premiums
WHAT GROWS QUIETLY
Backups retained indefinitely Binary logs never expired Old data nobody deletes Replicas created and forgotten
WHAT TO AUDIT
Total storage, broken down.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Retention for every category.
WHAT TO AUTOMATE
Removal according to it.
WHAT TO CHECK ON MANAGED SERVICES
Charges for storage separate from compute Charges for transfer Charges for backups beyond an included amount
WHY TRANSFER SPECIFICALLY
Moving data out is frequently the largest surprise.
WHAT REDUCES COST MEANINGFULLY
Archiving old data Removing unused indexes Fixing queries so less memory is needed Right-sizing after measuring
WHAT TO AVOID
Sizing for peak that occurs once a year Keeping a replica nobody reads Paying for a managed tier whose features you do not use
WHAT TO MODEL
Cost at projected size, not current.
WHAT TO PLAN FOR LOCALLY
Foreign-currency pricing moving against you.
WHAT TO REVIEW QUARTERLY
Every recurring database cost against its value.
