Data Scan Cost Calculator
Cost a scanned-data query over a period, from the volume it reads.
In short
Formula: C = (Data scanned per run x Runs x Rate per TB) + Other charges
What this calculator does
Quantity times rate on the scanned-data billing model, with the number of runs carried explicitly so the cost of one run is visible.
Use it to turn Currency, Price per TB scanned, Data scanned per run, Runs in the period, and the other shown inputs into a checked result you can compare, copy, or rerun with different assumptions.
The page shows the formula, a numeric worked example, and the assumptions that affect this professional & industry calculation.
Inputs and what they mean
- Currency
- — Amounts are shown in the currency you pick. No exchange rate is applied..
- Price per TB scanned
- — Take this from your own bill or the provider's price page. No provider price is built in..
- Data scanned per run
- — Volume the query reads each time it runs..
- Runs in the period
- — How many times the query runs..
- Other charges (optional)
- — Optional component. Leave at 0 to exclude it from the result..
- Price as of (optional)
- — The date you took these prices. It is shown with the result so the figure is never read as a current vendor price..
- Price source (optional)
- — Where the prices came from. Shown with the result..
How to use it
- Enter your own figures — the calculator never fills in a rate, price or benchmark for you.
- Press Calculate to see the result.
- Read the formula, variables, assumptions and source below the result before you rely on it.
Formula
C = (Data scanned per run x Runs x Rate per TB) + Other charges.
Inputs used: Currency, Price per TB scanned, Data scanned per run, Runs in the period, Other charges (optional), Price as of (optional), Price source (optional).
Edge handling: Price per TB scanned is required.; Price per TB scanned cannot be negative.; Price per TB scanned must be no more than 1000000000.; Data scanned per run is required.; Data scanned per run cannot be negative..
Worked example
0.45 TB scanned, 600 runs, at $5 per TB
- Start with Currency: USD, Price per TB scanned: 5.00, Data scanned per run: 0.45, Runs in the period: 600, Other charges (optional): 0.
- Apply the method: C = (Data scanned per run x Runs x Rate per TB) + Other charges.
- The per-TB price is the one on your own bill.
Reading the result
The headline figure is the main answer. Any breakdown underneath shows the parts that make it up, so you can check the working and see what changes when you adjust an input.
Limitations and assumptions
- Inputs outside the supported range are rejected rather than forced into a result.
- The result depends on the values you enter for this data scan cost calculator; it does not supply missing rates, rules, prices, dates, or assumptions for you.
Reference: The Linux Foundation — Unit economics — FinOps Framework
Last reviewed:
Common questions
Where does this formula come from?
FinOps Framework capability: unit economics — cost per business unit is total cost for a period divided by the units delivered in the same period; a workload's cost is the sum of its metered components at the rates the organisation is charged. See the source link on this page.
What kind of calculation is this?
Total data scanned at the user's per-TB price, plus any other charges the user enters. Check the formula, example, and limitations on this page before using the result for a real professional & industry decision.
What are its limits?
Arithmetic over the figures entered — it cannot tell whether the underlying metering, logs or job records are complete. A figure from one run or one period is a weak description of ongoing behaviour. The result is only as current as the rates entered; a rate taken months ago is not a current cost. Tiered, committed-use and minimum-spend pricing are not modelled unless the user has already reduced them to the rates entered. Result caching, partition pruning and minimum per-query billing are not modelled; they change the volume actually scanned.
How do I use the Data Scan Cost Calculator?
Enter the required values for Currency, Price per TB scanned, Data scanned per run, Runs in the period, Other charges (optional), and the other fields shown. The calculator applies the formula on this page and shows the main result with any supporting breakdown so you can check the arithmetic.
What formula does the Data Scan Cost Calculator use?
C = (Data scanned per run x Runs x Rate per TB) + Other charges The visible formula section above lists the calculation path and the edge cases the page handles, so the result can be checked without relying on the form alone. Check the formula, example, and limitations on this page before using the result for a real professional & industry decision.
Can the Data Scan Cost Calculator be used for exact decisions?
Use it as a calculation aid, not as a substitute for checking the underlying rule, contract, policy, or professional advice that applies to your situation. When a result depends on local rules, personal details, prices, or dates, enter those values yourself and confirm them before acting.
Formula, source and verification
Total data scanned at the user's per-TB price, plus any other charges the user enters.
The question it answers: What is this warehouse costing us, and what does one heavy query cost over a month of runs?
The formula
C = (Data scanned per run x Runs x Rate per TB) + Other charges
- S — Data scanned per run
- (TB). Volume the query reads each time it runs.
- n — Runs in the period
- (runs). How many times the query runs.
- R — Price per TB scanned
- (currency). Taken from the user's own bill or the provider's price page.
- O — Other charges
- (currency). Optional; excluded at zero.
Units: Terabytes and currency in; currency out.
What kind of calculation this is
Business input model. The answer depends on business figures only you can supply, such as your own costs, rates or volumes. No market or benchmark values are assumed for you.
Method
Quantity times rate on the scanned-data billing model, with the number of runs carried explicitly so the cost of one run is visible.
Assumptions built into the result
- Mathematical: All the figures entered cover the same measurement period.
- Mathematical: Volumes, records and runs are counted consistently with the definitions the team has written down.
- Mathematical: Each run scans the volume entered.
- Mathematical: The price is per TB scanned in the currency selected.
Figures this calculator will never guess for you
- No target, benchmark, industry average or typical figure is supplied for any value.
- A definition is never presented as a goal: the freshness formula is not a freshness target, and the growth formula is not a forecast of what growth should be.
- No provider price, rate card or list price is built in; every amount is entered by the user.
- No currency conversion is applied; amounts stay in the currency selected.
Limitations
- Arithmetic over the figures entered — it cannot tell whether the underlying metering, logs or job records are complete.
- A figure from one run or one period is a weak description of ongoing behaviour.
- The result is only as current as the rates entered; a rate taken months ago is not a current cost.
- Tiered, committed-use and minimum-spend pricing are not modelled unless the user has already reduced them to the rates entered.
- Result caching, partition pruning and minimum per-query billing are not modelled; they change the volume actually scanned.
Source and version
- Standard or reference
- FinOps Framework — unit economics — FinOps Foundation (FinOps Framework capability: unit economics — cost per business unit is total cost for a period divided by the units delivered in the same period; a workload's cost is the sum of its metered components at the rates the organisation is charged.)
- Published source
- The Linux Foundation — FinOps Framework
- Formula version
- Version 1
- Verification
- Reviewed against the cited source on
- How much weight the source carries
- Standards or government
- Applies to
- Currency
- Amounts stay in the currency you choose; no exchange rate is applied.
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