Always inform stakeholders in advance if you anticipate a significant increase in Azure resource costs. This proactive communication is crucial for budget planning and avoiding unexpected expenses.
A team needs to perform a bulk update on millions of records in an Azure Cosmos DB instance, a task that requires scaling up the throughput units substantially. They proceed without notifying anyone, assuming the cost would be minimal as usual. However, the intensive usage for a week leads to an unexpectedly high bill, causing budgetary concerns and dissatisfaction among stakeholders.
❌ Figure: Bad example - Nobody likes a surprise bill
Before running a large-scale data migration on Azure SQL Database, which is expected to significantly increase DTU (Database Transaction Unit) consumption for a week, the team calculates the expected cost increase. They inform the finance and management teams, providing a detailed report on the reasons for the spike, the benefits of the migration, and potential cost-saving measures.
Then send an email (as per the template below)
✅ Figure: Informing and emailing stakeholders before a spike makes everyone happy
I need to perform {{ TASK }} on {{ PROJECT NAME }}. I know that this will cost more than our usual amount for Azure. I expect the process to run for {{ X }} days.
I have calculated this cost to be {{ $$ }}.
Remember, effective communication about cost management is key to maintaining a healthy and transparent relationship with all stakeholders involved in your Azure projects.