Forum Discussion
Advocate IIOne Lake cold Storage - how to activate?
According to Microsoft documentation, OneLake supports multiple storage tiers (Hot, Cool, Cold), and all data is initially stored in the Hot tier by default. However, in my Azure Cost Analysis (West Europe region), I only see:
- OneLake Storage Hot
I do NOT see any meter related to:
At the same time, I do see some meters (for example "Fabric Capacity - Real-Time Intelligence - Event Operations") with 0 cost, which suggests that some services appear even without usage.
My questions are:
1. Is OneLake Cold (and Cool) storage currently available/active in West Europe for Fabric?
I would appreciate a clarification on the current state and expected behavior, as it is not fully clear how storage tiering is exposed in billing today.
Thank you!
Hi anto_n,
1: It's rolled out, but not generally available. It's still in preview, which is like it being in a public beta.
2: Once configured, you should see it in billing, but it might not be in the azure cost analytics report yet.
3: There's no standards or best practices specific to Fabric right now, however there are general best practices. The sample given on MS Learn is:
- After 30 days without modification, move files to the cool tier. After 90 days without modification, move files to the cold tier.
- After 30 days without being accessed, move files within a specific path to the cool tier. If a file is accessed, move it back to the hot tier.
This is currently planned for GA in Q3, however timelines can change.
https://roadmap.fabric.microsoft.com/?product=onelake#plan-70f85dde-1a40-f111-88b4-000d3a376c0f
5 Replies
- tayloramy
Super User
Hi anto_n,
You need to configure access policies to move OneLake storage into cool or cold tiers.
Creating a lifecycle management policy in OneLake (preview) - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft LearnNote that this is still in preview, so it is not recommended for you to set up in production workspaces.
- anto_nHi, thank you for the clarification!
Just to confirm my understanding:
Since Cold storage is still in preview and not recommended for production, am I correct to assume that:
1. It is not fully rolled out or enabled for all regions/tenants (including West Europe)?
2. It is not currently exposed as a visible billing meter (for example, “OneLake Storage Cold”) unless explicitly used and supported?3. There is no supported or recommended way to configure or use storage tiering (Hot → Cold) within standard Fabric workflows today?The reason I’m asking is that in Azure Cost Analysis I can already see some meters (like Event Operations) with 0 cost, but there is no indication at all of Cold storage, even as a 0-usage meter.So I want to be sure whether:
- Cold storage is simply not yet available in practice, OR- it exists but is hidden / not surfaced in billing until fully GA.Any clarification on expected behavior (especially regarding billing visibility and rollout) would be very helpful.
Thanks again!- tayloramy
Hi anto_n,
1: It's rolled out, but not generally available. It's still in preview, which is like it being in a public beta.
2: Once configured, you should see it in billing, but it might not be in the azure cost analytics report yet.
3: There's no standards or best practices specific to Fabric right now, however there are general best practices. The sample given on MS Learn is:
- After 30 days without modification, move files to the cool tier. After 90 days without modification, move files to the cold tier.
- After 30 days without being accessed, move files within a specific path to the cool tier. If a file is accessed, move it back to the hot tier.
This is currently planned for GA in Q3, however timelines can change.
https://roadmap.fabric.microsoft.com/?product=onelake#plan-70f85dde-1a40-f111-88b4-000d3a376c0f
- Parchitect
Solution Sage
Short answer: OneLake Cool/Cold tiers are documented, but they are currently preview capabilities, and data does not move to them automatically.All data lands in the Hot tier by default. To move data to Cool or Cold, you need to explicitly tier the files or configure lifecycle management.For your questions:1. Is OneLake Cold/Cool available in West Europe?OneLake Hot/Cool/Cold tiers are documented as preview. If you do not see the related options or meters in your tenant, I would verify exact West Europe/tenant rollout with Microsoft Support, because preview features can vary by tenant or rollout status.2. When does the billing meter appear?If you only see “OneLake Storage Hot”, that likely means your data is still in the Hot tier. I would not assume that “OneLake Storage Cool” or “OneLake Storage Cold” must appear with 0 usage before there is actual billable storage in those tiers.3. Is there a supported way to move data to Cool/Cold?Yes. Microsoft documents OneLake lifecycle management policies as the supported policy-based approach. A lifecycle policy can move files based on created date, last modified date, or last accessed date. For example, you can move files to Cool after 30 days or to Cold after 90 days.https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/onelake/onelake-lifecycle-managementMicrosoft also documents manual/technical methods such as Set Blob Tier, Azure Storage Explorer “Change access tier”, and Copy Blob.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/onelake/onelake-storage-tiers4. Should you expect a visible Cold meter with 0 usage?I would not rely on that. Some Fabric meters may appear with 0 cost, but that does not necessarily mean every possible OneLake tier meter appears before usage exists.5. Is Cold still preview?Yes. The Microsoft documentation labels both OneLake storage tiers and lifecycle management as preview.So the expected behavior is probably:- existing data remains Hot until moved- Cool/Cold tiering is preview- lifecycle management is the Fabric/OneLake-supported policy mechanism- Cool/Cold billing meters should become relevant once data actually exists in those tiers- exact regional/tenant rollout should be confirmed with Microsoft if the feature is not visible in your environment 
v-sgandrathiCommunity Support
Hi anto_n,
Thank you tayloramy Parchitect for your response to the query.Following up to check whether you got a chance to review the suggestions given. If the issue still persists please let us know. Glad to help.
Thank you.
