Forum Discussion
Fabric costs
Hi experts , we have in process of identifying cost reduction for our Fabric development. And our team member suggesting that for data ingestion that is API based, instead of notebooks using Logic apps and Azure functions would reduce the costs in comparison with notebooks. I think it is misplaced notion as Fabric gives levy of using Notebooks which is by default whether you used it or not. I would request the experts to please chime in and suggest the best practice and practical approaches. Thank you in advance.
Hi SamyAbdul
Logic Apps and Azure functions cost depends on usage, you pay every time they run.
Fabric notebooks on the other hand use your Fabric capacity, so as long as you have the headroom in your fabric capacity notebooks don't cost anything extra.
The only way this would make sense is if by moving to logic apps and functions, you would reduce your Fabric capacity to a lower level, and the usage of the logic apps and functions would cost less than what you saved by reducing the fabric capacity.
4 Replies
- tayloramy
Super User
Hi SamyAbdul
Logic Apps and Azure functions cost depends on usage, you pay every time they run.
Fabric notebooks on the other hand use your Fabric capacity, so as long as you have the headroom in your fabric capacity notebooks don't cost anything extra.
The only way this would make sense is if by moving to logic apps and functions, you would reduce your Fabric capacity to a lower level, and the usage of the logic apps and functions would cost less than what you saved by reducing the fabric capacity.
- ShivekMaharaj
Community Champion
Hi SamyAbdul,
I would be careful with the statement that notebooks are effectively “free” once you already have Fabric capacity.
Fabric notebooks still consume Capacity Units, and active Spark sessions can continue consuming capacity while they are running.
So I would not decide this based only on whether Logic Apps/Azure Functions have separate usage charges.
The real comparison is:
Fabric notebook ingestion -> consumes Fabric CU Logic Apps / Azure Functions -> external Azure cost -> may reduce Fabric CU usageThe important question is whether moving the workload out of Fabric reduces your capacity requirement enough to offset the added Azure cost and operational complexity.
Before changing the architecture, I would use the Fabric Capacity Metrics app to identify how much CU your notebooks are actually consuming.
Microsoft also recommends using the metrics app to identify high-consumption Spark workloads and throttling before resizing or redesigning workloads.
For API-based ingestion, I would generally choose based on workload characteristics:
- simple/lightweight API calls, orchestration, webhooks -> Logic Apps / Functions can be a good fit
- larger transformations, joins, Spark processing, medallion transformations -> Fabric notebooks are usually more natural
- mixed workload -> external function for extraction, Fabric for transformation can also work well
So I would not move everything to Logic Apps or Functions purely for cost reasons.I would first measure:
current notebook CU consumption -> estimate reduced Fabric capacity requirement -> estimate Logic App / Function execution cost -> compare both optionsThat will give you a much more reliable answer than assuming one platform is automatically cheaper.
AI-assisted drafting: AI was used to help structure and phrase this response. I reviewed and validated the technical content before posting.
- v-csrikanth
Community Support
Hi SamyAbdul
We would like to inquire whether have you got the chance to check the solutions provided other users in community to resolve the issue. We hope the information provided helps to clear the query. Should you have any further queries, kindly feel free to contact the Microsoft Fabric community.
- v-csrikanth
Hi SamyAbdul
We haven’t heard from you on the last response and was just checking back to see if you have a resolution yet. And, if you have any further query do let us know.
Thank you.
