How did Azure Synapse Analytics blow through so many credits?

Chris Baker 0

I set up Azure Synapse Analytics a few days ago, but didn't complete the set up so hadn't even started using it (no data loaded). I logged back in today to finish setting it up and I noticed that it showed I had spent almost $5,000 over the weekend. I looked at detailed usage and it showed that Azure Synapse Analytics had somehow spent all of that money in about 3 days. Has anyone else experienced this, or know why this might have happened? I thought that I had signed up for one of the least expensive options when setting it up. I'm guessing that it was continuously running, but that would mean I was paying around $72/hour for about 70 hours - does that hourly rate sound correct?

Service NameService ResourceSpendAzure Synapse Analytics100 DWUs$5112

phemanth 14,390 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-02-24T22:57:34.28+00:00
@Chris Baker

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A and thank you for posting your questions here.

I can understand your concern regarding the costs. please check the below steps and confirm that if it resolves your issue if not do let us know

Dedicated SQL Pool: If you provisioned a dedicated SQL pool (formerly SQL Data Warehouse), you are charged based on the number of Data Warehouse Units (DWUs) and the hours it runs. Even if no data is loaded, the pool incurs costs as long as it is active

Serverless SQL Pool: Charges are based on the amount of data processed. If there were any queries or operations, even minimal ones, they could contribute to the costs

Apache Spark Pool: This incurs costs based on the number of vCore hours used. If the pool was running, it would accumulate charges

Data Integration: Activities such as data movement, orchestration, and data flows also incur costs based on the compute resources used and the duration of the activities

Storage Costs: Even if you haven't loaded data, there might be some minimal storage costs associated with the service

To avoid this in the future, consider the following steps:

Use Azure Cost Management and Billing to set budgets and alerts.

When not in use, pause or scale down your dedicated SQL pool to minimize costs.

please refer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/synapse-analytics/plan-manage-costs

I hope this information helps. Please do let us know if you have any further queries.

Kindly consider upvoting the comment if the information provided is helpful. This can assist other community members in resolving similar issues.
Chris Baker 0 Reputation points

2025-02-25T16:15:44.1466667+00:00

I understand that there was usage being charged, but I had 100 DWUs in a Dedicated SQL Pool in East US2. According to the pricing page, that costs $1.20 per hour (https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/synapse-analytics/). I also had a secondary region set to Central US, which maybe added another $1.51 per hour. I was being charged around $72 per hour, which makes no sense. Also, the charges increased from yesterday another $800 - I assume because the usage hadn't caught up since I immediately deleted the resource when I saw how much I was being charged.
Chris Baker 0 Reputation points

2025-02-25T17:48:44.03+00:00

What option can you select that costs around $70/hour with a 100 DWU dedicated SQL pool?
phemanth 14,390 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-02-25T20:27:46.58+00:00
@Chris Baker

Based on the pricing details you provided, the cost for a 100 DWU dedicated SQL pool in East US2 should indeed be around $1.20 per hour. Adding a secondary region in Central US might add another $1.51 per hour, totaling approximately $2.71 per hour, which is far from the $72 per hour you mentioned.

Here are a few possibilities that might explain the discrepancy:

Additional Resources: There might be other resources or services running that are contributing to the higher costs. For example, if you have an Apache Spark pool or other data integration activities running, these can significantly increase costs.

Misconfigured Settings: It's possible that there was a misconfiguration or an unintended resource allocation that led to higher charges. Double-check your resource configurations and ensure that only the necessary resources are provisioned.

Billing Delay: Sometimes, there can be a delay in billing updates, which might explain the additional $800 charge you noticed after deleting the resource. The usage might not have been fully accounted for at the time of deletion.

To get a clearer picture, I recommend:

Reviewing your detailed usage and cost analysis in the Azure portal.

Checking for any additional resources or services that might have been running.

if everything was correct still you experience issue, please do let us know

For more information on managing costsAzure Synapse Analytics cost management documentation
Chris Baker 0 Reputation points

2025-02-26T16:23:50.4866667+00:00
Thank you for your earlier response. I’ve reviewed my configuration and billing details, and I’m still unclear about the cost discrepancy.

Here are the key points from my setup and billing:

Dedicated SQL Pool Configuration:

I provisioned a dedicated SQL pool with 100 DWUs in East US2.

I also configured a secondary region in Central US.

Expected Costs:

According to the pricing page (https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/synapse-analytics/), a 100 DWU pool in East US2 should be about $1.20 per hour.

With the secondary region in Central US, an additional ~$1.51 per hour might apply, totaling approximately $2.71 per hour.

Actual Billing:

Despite the above, my billing details show charges around $72 per hour.

The breakdown was approximately $1,375 on the setup day, followed by about $1,738 per day for the next two days, and a final charge of $1,080 on the day I canceled the resource. A total of $5,906 for 2 full days and 2 half days.

I haven’t provisioned any other services (e.g., Apache Spark pools, extra data integration activities) that would account for these high costs. Based on my understanding, the charges for a 100 DWU dedicated SQL pool should be much lower.

Could you please help me determine:

What might be causing the charge of approximately $72 per hour?

Is there a possibility that a misconfiguration or an unexpected resource allocation is affecting the billing?

How can I verify a detailed breakdown of costs by service to pinpoint the source of these charges?

I appreciate your assistance in resolving this issue.Thank you for your earlier response. I’ve reviewed my configuration and billing details, and I’m still unclear about the cost discrepancy.

Here are the key points from my setup and billing:

Dedicated SQL Pool Configuration:

I provisioned a dedicated SQL pool with 100 DWUs in East US2.

I also configured a secondary region in Central US.

Expected Costs:

According to the pricing page (https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/synapse-analytics/), a 100 DWU pool in East US2 should be about $1.20 per hour.

With the secondary region in Central US, an additional ~$1.51 per hour might apply, totaling approximately $2.71 per hour.

Actual Billing:

Despite the above, my billing details show charges around $72 per hour.

The breakdown was approximately $1,375 on the setup day, followed by about $1,738 per day for the next two days, and a final charge of $1,080 on the day I canceled the resource. A total of $5,906 for 2 full days and 2 half days.

I haven’t provisioned any other services (e.g., Apache Spark pools, extra data integration activities) that would account for these high costs. Based on my understanding, the charges for a 100 DWU dedicated SQL pool should be much lower.

Could you please help me determine:

What might be causing the charge of approximately $72 per hour?

Is there a possibility that a misconfiguration or an unexpected resource allocation is affecting the billing?

How can I verify a detailed breakdown of costs by service to pinpoint the source of these charges?

I appreciate your assistance in resolving this issue.
Rakesh Govindula 95 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-02-26T18:25:53.4+00:00

Hello @Chris Baker,

You have mentioned that you have configured a secondary region in Central US for the Synapse Dedicated pool. So, there is a chance that this might have created Active Geo-Replication which can cost for the compute when restore the data from Central US. So, please check for any geo-redundant settings in your Synapse SQL Pool configuration.

You have mentioned that you haven't configured any pools other than Dedicated SQL pools. Also, please have a cross-check on whether you have any active Azure synapse links (to Cosmos DB, Dataverse or SQL DB) which might have triggered the auto-compute of your synapse.

If everything was correct still you experience issue, please do let us know.

1 answer

AnnuKumari-MSFT 34,271 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2025-03-05T10:25:36.0233333+00:00

Hello @Chris Baker,

Kindly create Azure support ticket for getting your billing related information. Azure Subscription and billing support ticket is free of cost .

Please use the reference document section link to create Azure Subscription and billing request: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-portal/supportability/how-to-create-azure-support-request#go-to-help--support-from-the-global-header

Hope it helps. Kindly accept the answer by clicking on Accept answer button. Thankyou
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How did Azure Synapse Analytics blow through so many credits?

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