Cost comparison between a SQL database and a warehouse

[pmscorca]

Hi,

I'd like to find any information about the cost comparison between a SQL database and a warehouse, in terms of licensing and pricing.

Moreover, the SQL database feature is in preview yet, isn't it?

Thanks

[nilendraFabric · Accepted solution]

No official announcement yet. 
but licensing changes began on February 1, 2025, with compute and data storage charges now applying, signaling progress toward GA. 

hope this helps 

[v-tsaipranay · Accepted solution]

Hello @pmscorca ,

Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.

Could you please confirm if @nilendraFabric  answer provided the clarity you needed? Additionally, I am including the Microsoft documentation to help you further understand.

Please refer to the documents below for detailed information:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/database/sql/faq#cost-management

Fabric decision guide - choose an operational database - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

SQL database in Fabric (Preview) - SQL Server | Microsoft Learn

If this post helps, then please give us Kudos and consider Accept it as a solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

Thank you.

[v-tsaipranay]

Hi @pmscorca ,

I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. If my response has addressed your query, please accept it as a solution and give a 'Kudos' so other members can easily find it.

Thank you.

[v-tsaipranay]

Hi @pmscorca ,

I wanted to follow up on our previous suggestions regarding Cost comparison between a SQL database and a warehouse. We would love to hear back from you to ensure we can assist you further.

If my response has addressed your query, please accept it as a solution and give a ‘Kudos’ so other members can easily find it. Please let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help.

Thank you.

[v-tsaipranay]

Hi @pmscorca ,

May I ask if you have resolved this issue? If so, please mark the helpful reply and accept it as the solution. This will be helpful for other community members who have similar problems to solve it faster.

Thank you.

[nilendraFabric]

Sql db is in preview and is not charging billable cu as of today.

[pmscorca]

When will be SQL database feature available?

[nilendraFabric · Accepted solution]

No official announcement yet. 
but licensing changes began on February 1, 2025, with compute and data storage charges now applying, signaling progress toward GA. 

hope this helps 

[nilendraFabric]

Hello @pmscorca 

as we know every cost in Fabric is CU based . So do the cost comparison we have to do CU consumption comparison.

CU in Microsoft Fabric equals approximately 0.383 SQL database vCores

1 CU in Microsoft Fabric equals 0.5 data warehouse vCores

In simple terms, 1 Fabric capacity unit = 0.5 Warehouse vCores. For example, a Fabric capacity SKU F64 has 64 capacity units, which is equivalent to 32 Warehouse vCores.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/data-warehouse/usage-reporting

SQL databases consume fewer CUs due to their focus on transactional, interactive operations, making them cost-efficient for smaller-scale or real-time workloads. In contrast, data warehouses require more CUs because of their analytical focus and handling of complex queries, making them suitable for large-scale data analysis but at a higher cost

https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/fabric-docs/blob/main/docs/database/sql/usage-reporting.md

hope this is helpful 

Please accept the answer if this helps