Hi Glen,
I've put together a cost estimate for the Azure database for our own data tenancy.
I'm not sure which database engine SingleSource is currently using, but based on my knowledge, it's most likely Microsoft SQL Server, with PostgreSQL being the other possibility. I've included estimates for both so we can compare.
Based on the raw data sent from ConnectSource, we're looking at roughly 650 MB per week. Once processed and stored in the database (with indexes), that comes down to about 350 MB per week, which works out to approximately 17 GB per year of database growth.
I've chosen a General Purpose tier with 2 vCores and 8 GB RAM based on the current workload profile — 17 devices reporting ~910,000 rows per week, a small number of concurrent users, and a database size of around 20 GB at the one-year mark. This is a relatively light workload, so 2 vCores is more than sufficient. I considered the cheaper Burstable tier(Flexible), but it doesn't support Reserved Instances, which means the General Purpose tier with a 1-Year reservation actually works out cheaper while providing more consistent performance. Storage starts at 30 GiB and can be scaled up online without downtime as data grows.
With that in mind, here's the cost breakdown (all prices in USD):
Option 1: PostgreSQL (Dsv3 D2s v3)
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | ~$157 | $1,882 | — |
| 1-Year Reserved | ~$108 | $1,292 | 31% |
| 3-Year Reserved | ~$73 | $881 | 53% |
Option 2: SQL Server (Gen5 2 vCore)
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | ~$264 | $3,171 | — |
| 1-Year Reserved | ~$172 | $2,062 | 35% |
| 3-Year Reserved | ~$119 | $1,428 | 55% |
SQL Server is roughly 50% more expensive than PostgreSQL due to the included license cost.
Storage will need to scale up as data accumulates:
- Year 1: ~20 GB → 30 GiB tier ($5/month)
- Year 2: ~38 GB → 64 GiB tier ($11/month)
- Year 3: ~56 GB → stays at 64 GiB
- Year 4: ~74 GB → 128 GiB tier ($21/month)
5-Year Total Cost Comparison (Compute + Storage + Network, USD):
| Year | PostgreSQL (Pay-as-you-go) | PostgreSQL (1-Year RI) | PostgreSQL (3-Year RI) | SQL Server (Pay-as-you-go) | SQL Server (1-Year RI) | SQL Server (3-Year RI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $1,882 | $1,292 | $881 | $3,171 | $2,062 | $1,428 |
| Year 2 | $1,950 | $1,360 | $949 | $3,239 | $2,130 | $1,496 |
| Year 3 | $1,950 | $1,360 | $949 | $3,239 | $2,130 | $1,496 |
| Year 4 | $2,078 | $1,488 | $1,077 | $3,367 | $2,258 | $1,624 |
| Year 5 | $2,078 | $1,488 | $1,077 | $3,367 | $2,258 | $1,624 |
| 5-Year Total | $9,938 | $6,988 | $4,933 | $16,383 | $10,838 | $7,668 |
Summary:
| Plan | PostgreSQL | SQL Server | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | ~$10,200 | ~$16,400 | +$6,200 (61%) |
| 1-Year Reserved | ~$7,300 | ~$10,800 | +$3,500 (48%) |
| 3-Year Reserved | ~$5,200 | ~$7,700 | +$2,500 (48%) |
I'd recommend going with the Reserved Instance option — it significantly reduces costs compared to pay-as-you-go. We could start with a 1-Year reservation to validate everything, then switch to 3-Year if we're happy with the setup.
Once we confirm which database engine SingleSource is using, we can lock in the final numbers.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Cheers, Jack