Dataflow gen2 - Staging Storage cost confusion

[Max_701]

Hi,

When utilizing Dataflow Gen2 with staging enabled, how is the underlying staging storage billed in relation to the overall Fabric Capacity. 

I was going through this article but could not find a concrete answer - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/data-factory/pricing-dataflows-gen2. My assumption is we will be charged $0.023 per GB separately from Fabric Capacity cost(for both reserved instance or pay as you go instance) because that is the cost of lakehouse storage as well!

TIA!

[v-sgandrathi]

Hi @Max_701,

Since we haven't heard back from you yet, I'd like to confirm if you've successfully resolved this issue or if you need further help?

If you still have any questions or need more support, please feel free to let us know. 

We are more than happy to continue to help you.

Thank you.

[v-sgandrathi · Accepted solution]

Hi @Max_701,

Your understanding is correct: with staging enabled in Dataflow Gen2, intermediate data is stored in OneLake and billed separately from your Fabric capacity, based on standard Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 rates (such as about $0.023/GB/month for hot storage in most regions). Fabric capacity (F-SKU) only covers compute, not storage. Additionally, enabling staging may increase compute usage, as Dataflow Gen2 could use High Scale Dataflow or SQL engine compute during refresh, which is billed against your Fabric capacity. This setup does not result in double billing; instead, compute and storage are billed as separate components. Staged data is billed for storage in the same way as any other Lakehouse or Warehouse data.

Thank  you.

[Max_701]

Thanks for the clear response, much appreciated!

[ssrithar]

Hi @Max_701 ,

Great question — this is a very common point of confusion, and your assumption is partly correct but missing an important nuance.Yes, staging storage is billed separately from Fabric capacity compute.Dataflow Gen2 staging storage is billed as OneLake storage, using the standard Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 rates, separate from Fabric capacity (F-SKU).Fabric capacity covers compute only, not storage.

What actually happens when you enable staging in Dataflow Gen2

When staging is enabled, Dataflow Gen2:

• Writes intermediate data to OneLake-managed storage

• Uses this storage for:

  • Incremental refresh

  • Reliability / restartability

  • Performance optimization

• Keeps staged data outside your semantic model and outside compute

This storage is not free and not included in your Fabric capacity.

• $0.023/GB/month is the typical hot ADLS Gen2 rate (US regions)

• OneLake storage follows Azure Storage pricing, which can vary by:

  • Region

  • Redundancy

If this post helps, then please appreciate giving a Kudos or accepting as a Solution to help the other members find it more quickly.
If I misunderstand your needs or you still have problems on it, please feel free to let us know. Thanks a lot!

[Max_701]

Thanks for your response, could you please direct me towards where exact could I find this information in MS docs - I am struggling to find it in one place!

[ssrithar]

You already have the link

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/data-factory/pricing-dataflows-gen2

When you refresh or publish a Dataflow Gen2 item, Fabric Capacity Units are consumed for the following engines:

• Standard Compute: You're charged for it based on the query evaluation time across all your Dataflow queries that run through the Mashup engine.
• High Scale Dataflow Compute: You're charged when staging is enabled, based on Lakehouse (Staging storage) and Warehouse (Storage Compute) SQL engine consumption duration.
• Fast Copy: You're charged when fast copy connectors are enabled and can be used in the Dataflow, based on copy job duration.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/data-factory/pricing-overview.

If this post helps, then please appreciate giving a Kudos or accepting as a Solution to help the other members find it more quickly.
If I misunderstand your needs or you still have problems on it, please feel free to let us know. Thanks a lot!

[Max_701]

I think there is a confusion - link I provided talks about compute cost but not storage cost, which is what I am asking for.

[ssrithar]

Hi @Max_701 ,

Please use this link for storage cost

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/microsoft-fabric/

And the other link for DataFLow cost and combine them together to get the final cost

[Max_701]

Ok so this is the same link I referred for the original query & which is why I put that number $0.023 - does that mean my original understanding was correct( because billing is separate & the cost is what I assumed as per your last link) because your first response mentioned that it was only partly correct, could you please clarify what is that I am missing here.