Often when I deliver Cost Management and Optimization MIPs to clients they, ask how to get correct savings information when using Azure Pricing calculator to plan for future investments.
The most common mistake that I have found is that they are not using the correct pricing data, and by that I mean they are either not aware of the features of Azure Pricing calculator or are making some mistakes. So, let`s explain in few short slides on how to pull correct data from your EA or other Licencing Program you may be using.
First thing you need to do is actually log in to Pricing Calculator, and you have to use the account that have “Read” permissions on Licencing Program you are going to be using in your evaluation:
Second thing to do is to select which Licencing Program you are going to use. This is done by adding a resource (like VM), scrolling down, and selecting appropriate program. Note that if you have multiple agreements available, you will need to select correct one as well:
Now you are getting the actual pricing from your agreement and not the default one from Microsoft (usually Pay-As-You-Go).
The last step is up to you, I have just selected 3 years reserved instances with Azure Hybrid benefit to provide options and cost difference:
Unfortunately, it does not show both SKU pricing (the one without reserved instances and the one with them), so you will need to do a little exporting to Excel and calculating. Or you can wait until I finish my side project where I plan to utilize PowerBi and create a dashboard for this kind of things (I`ll add the link here when I am done).
