Sizing Quick Reference
Use this page when reviewing an estimate. Workload-specific fields and formulas live in the Workload Sizing Guides, so they can change independently without making this reference stale.
Build an estimate
- Set the deployment context. Select the cloud, region, and pricing tier available for the scenario.
- Choose a workload. Use the workload catalog to match the billing pattern you need to size.
- Enter representative usage. Model expected runs, runtime, active hours, capacity, tokens, pages, images, or storage.
- Inspect the breakdown. Confirm the SKU, billing quantity, list rate, and separate infrastructure or storage components.
- Export and review. Treat the result as a planning estimate and validate important assumptions with the current Databricks pricing information and your commercial terms.
Common sizing quantities
| Quantity | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Runs and runtime | Estimate how often a workload executes and how long each execution consumes compute. |
| Active hours | Use the expected billable operating time, not the total hours in a month unless the workload is modeled as always on. |
| Capacity | Select the compute, endpoint, warehouse, or database capacity appropriate for the expected load. |
| Scale-out count | Include workers, clusters, endpoints, nodes, or apps that can consume capacity concurrently. |
| Tokens or items | Enter monthly input/output tokens, pages, images, or another workload-specific billing quantity. |
| Storage | Include persistent data and any separately modeled protection or overflow storage. |
Key cost terms
| Term | Meaning in Lakemeter |
|---|---|
| DBU | A Databricks billing unit. Lakemeter multiplies estimated DBU consumption by the selected SKU's list rate. |
| DSU | A Databricks Storage Unit. Lakemeter multiplies DSU consumption by the exact regional DATABRICKS_STORAGE list rate. |
| SKU | The priced Databricks product entry used for a calculation. |
| List rate | The rate loaded for the selected SKU, cloud, region, and tier. |
| Discount | A planning adjustment applied to eligible list-rate costs. Confirm actual commercial terms separately. |
| VM cost | Cloud infrastructure cost shown separately for calculations where Lakemeter models it independently. |
| Direct cost | A cost entered or calculated directly rather than derived from DBUs, DSUs, or separately modeled VMs. |
| Product Spend at List | DBU and DSU list cost before discounts; the basis for Platform Add-ons. VM cost is excluded. |
Review checklist
- Does the selected workload match the billing pattern being estimated?
- Are usage values monthly and in the units shown by the form?
- Does the scale-out count represent peak concurrency or average concurrency?
- Are always-on and scale-to-zero assumptions intentional?
- Are storage and data-protection quantities included where relevant?
- Does the expanded calculation show the expected SKU and billing unit?
- Have list rates and negotiated terms been checked before external use?