# Data Factory ## Azure Data Factory — commitment brief > **Data sourced**: March 2026. Verify current figures at the [Azure Pricing Calculator](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/calculator/). ### Scope note ADF has a split commitment posture. Reservations apply **only to Data Flow compute** (Mapping Data Flows running on Azure Integration Runtime). Pipeline orchestration activity runs, Copy activity DIU-hours, self-hosted IR execution, and all other pipeline activities have no commitment instrument available and are always billed pay-as-you-go. ### Coverage summary Azure Data Factory supports reservations specifically for Data Flow compute (vCore-hours) on General Purpose and Memory Optimized compute types. These are purchased per compute type, core count, and Azure region — not per factory or integration runtime. All factories in scope automatically receive the benefit. Change Data Capture (CDC) resources are covered by the same Data Flow reservation. The Compute Savings Plan may partially apply to Data Flow compute where it runs on eligible Azure IR infrastructure, but the dedicated Data Flow reservation is the stronger and more targeted instrument. **What is covered**: Data Flow compute (vCore-hours) on Azure Integration Runtime — General Purpose and Memory Optimized tiers. CDC resources at General Purpose rates. **What is not covered**: Pipeline orchestration activity runs, Copy activity DIU-hours, self-hosted IR execution, storage (managed disk and blob) used during Data Flow execution and debugging, networking charges. ### Azure Hybrid Benefit > Not applicable. Azure Data Factory is a PaaS service with no SQL Server or Windows Server licensing component. ### SKU / tier coverage | SKU / Tier | Reservation | Savings Plan | 1-yr discount | 3-yr discount | Notes | | --------------------------- | ----------- | ------------ | ------------- | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | General Purpose (vCore) | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Partial | \~25% | \~35% | $0.274 PAYG → $0.205 (1yr) → $0.178 (3yr) per vCore-hr. Also covers CDC resources. | | Memory Optimized (vCore) | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Partial | \~25% | \~35% | Required for complex joins/aggregations. Purchased separately per core count. | | Pipeline orchestration runs | ❌ No | ❌ No | — | — | Billed per activity run at PAYG. No commitment instrument available. | | Copy activity (DIU-hours) | ❌ No | ❌ No | — | — | DIU consumption always PAYG. Optimise by right-sizing DIU count, not committing. | | Self-hosted IR | ❌ No | ❌ No | — | — | Customer-owned compute. Optimise at the VM layer via VM reservations instead. | ### Reservation vs. Compute Savings Plan **Data Flow Reservation** *(recommended)*: Purpose-built for ADF. Scoped to compute type (General Purpose or Memory Optimized) + core count + region. Delivers up to \~35% at 3yr. Best for teams with consistent, predictable Data Flow execution. Available as 1-yr and 3-yr terms. **Compute Savings Plan**: Applies to ADF Data Flow compute only where it runs on eligible Azure IR compute infrastructure. Offers flexibility across regions and compute types but a lower discount ceiling than the dedicated Data Flow reservation. Better suited as a secondary instrument or for variable workloads. ### Commitment risk flag ADF Data Flow reservations are **use-it-or-lose-it per hour**. If your Data Flows don't execute the full hour matching the reserved core count, the unused portion is wasted for that hour — it does not roll forward. Reservations apply only when matching Azure IR resources are actively running. Idle or intermittent pipelines will underutilise the commitment. Size reservations to your consistent baseline execution, not your peak. ## Regional availability ADF Data Flow reservations are purchased per region and are available in most commercial Azure regions. General Purpose vCore (product ID `DZH318Z0C1BN`) is broadly available across commercial regions. Memory Optimized vCore (product ID `DZH318Z0C12B`) has more limited regional availability — it is **not** available in East US or East US 2, but is available in West US 3, France South, Germany West Central, and several other regions. **Notable exclusions**: Memory Optimized reservations are not purchasable in East US or East US 2. Azure Government and Azure China regions are not supported for ADF Data Flow reservations. ⚠️ Availability varies by SKU and region. Always verify in the [Azure portal](https://portal.azure.com) or via the [Azure Retail Pricing API](https://prices.azure.com/api/retail/prices) before purchasing. ### Archera Azure Data Factory Data Flow reservations are within Archera's commitment management scope. Given the hourly use-it-or-lose-it risk on ADF reservations — particularly for bursty or intermittent pipeline schedules — Archera's GRI/GSP wrapper and utilisation monitoring are especially valuable here to protect against commitment waste. *** **Sources** * [Microsoft Learn — Save costs for ADF data flows with reserved capacity](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-factory/data-flow-reserved-capacity-overview) * [Microsoft Learn — How a reservation discount is applied to ADF data flows](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-factory/data-flow-understand-reservation-charges) * [Azure Data Factory pricing](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/data-factory/data-pipeline/) ⚠️ vCore-hour rates ($0.274 GP PAYG, $0.205 1-yr, $0.178 3-yr) are East US region indicative figures as of March 2026. Rates vary by region. Always verify with the [Azure Pricing Calculator](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/calculator/). --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/cloud-service-intelligence/cloud-service-intelligence/azure/advanced-services/azure-data-factory.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.