In terms of low cost structure for cloud database service , Microsoft SQL Azure is already a viable option. However there seem to be two issues with their cost structure.
- One was for databases that are smaller in size between range of 50 – 100 MB in size.
- The other issue was with VLDB that are greater than 150 GB in size.
With their new pricing structure introduced last year, they are addressing both these issues. In addition there is a significant reduction in price for other cloud databases as well. The table below goes over in detail the database size, before and after pricing structure and the percentage decrees from the original cloud database price plan.
| GB | Previous Pricing | New Pricing | New Price/GB | Total % Decrease |
| 100 MB | NA | $4.99 | NA | NA |
| 5 | $49.95 | $25.99 | $5.20 | 48% |
| 10 | $99.99 | $45.99 | $4.60 | 54% |
| 25 | $299.97 | $75.99 | $3.04 | 75% |
| 50 | $499.95* | $125.99 | $2.52 | 75% |
| 100 | $499.95 * | $175.99 | $1.76 | 65% |
| 150 | $499.95* | $225.99 | $1.51 | 55% |
Source:
As you can see there is significant lowering of cost for these databases in the cloud service. If you are interested in finding further details feel free to check out the following websites:
-https://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/details/#header-4