specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
provider: Azure Synapse Analytics
providerId: microsoft-azure-synapse-analytics
publisherName: Microsoft Corporation
serviceCategory: Analytics / Data Warehouse
created: '2026-05-04'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-04, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-05'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - Analytics
  - Apache Spark
  - Big Data
  - Data Integration
  - Data Warehouse
  - ETL
  - SQL
  - FinOps
  - FOCUS
description: FOCUS-aligned FinOps for Azure Synapse Analytics — three independent meter
  families (Dedicated SQL Pool DWU-hour, Serverless SQL Pool TB-processed, Spark vCore-hour)
  plus Pipelines activity runs and ADLS Gen2 storage. Optimization centers on pause/resume,
  Reserved Capacity, query-tuning to reduce TB-scanned, and migrating to Microsoft Fabric
  for unified capacity-based pricing.
sources:
  - https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/synapse-analytics/
  - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/
  - https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Pay-As-You-Go + Committed Use
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD (settlement varies)
  chargeCategories:
    - Usage
    - Purchase
    - Tax
    - Adjustment
    - Refund
    - Credit
  chargeFrequency: Recurring
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Azure Synapse Analytics
  ServiceCategory: Analytics
  ProviderName: Microsoft Azure
  PublisherName: Microsoft Corporation
  InvoiceIssuerName: Microsoft Corporation
  PricingCategory: Usage-Based
  PricingUnit: varies (DWU-hour, TB, vCore-hour, activity-run)
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  RegionId: varies
meters:
  - name: dwu_hours
    description: Dedicated SQL Pool DWU-hour consumption (DW100c–DW30000c).
    unit: dwu-hour
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - workspace
      - sql_pool_name
      - region
  - name: serverless_tb_processed
    description: Serverless SQL Pool data scanned per query, billed per TB.
    unit: TB
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - workspace
      - query_label
      - dataset
  - name: spark_vcore_hours
    description: Apache Spark pool vCore-hour consumption.
    unit: vcore-hour
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - workspace
      - spark_pool_name
      - node_size
  - name: pipeline_activity_runs
    description: Synapse Pipelines orchestration activity executions.
    unit: 1000-activity-runs
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - workspace
      - pipeline
      - activity_type
  - name: data_movement_diu_hours
    description: Data Integration Units consumed during copy/movement activities.
    unit: diu-hour
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - workspace
      - integration_runtime
  - name: storage_gb_month
    description: ADLS Gen2 storage backing the workspace.
    unit: GB-month
    aggregation: max
    dimensions:
      - account
      - container
      - tier
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: Cost Management shows per-resource line items (sql_pool, serverless,
      spark_pool, pipelines). Use sys.dm_pdw_exec_requests / sys.dm_exec_requests to attribute
      DWU-hour to specific queries. Synapse Studio's Monitor hub graphs Spark and pipeline
      consumption.
  - name: Allocation
    description: Tag workspaces by team / cost-center via Azure tags. Pipeline activities can
      carry custom annotations that flow through to Cost Management. Use separate workspaces
      or SQL pools per business unit when chargeback is required.
  - name: Optimization
    description: Pause Dedicated SQL Pools off-hours (saves 100% of compute). Set Spark
      auto-pause to 15 min idle. For Serverless, use partitioning + Parquet + result-set caching
      + statistics to reduce TB-scanned. Buy Reserved Capacity for steady-state SQL workloads.
      Migrate ETL to Spark or to Fabric for capacity pricing. Right-size DWU based on
      sys.dm_pdw_resource_waits.
  - name: Accountability
    description: Workspace owner approves DWU upgrades. Set Cost Management budgets per
      workspace with 50/80/100% alerts. Quarterly review of TB-scanned trends; flag queries
      scanning >100 GB without partition pruning.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com
    url: https://azure.microsoft.com/services/synapse-analytics/