# Commitment Planner - Overview

The Commitment Planner is designed to provide an optimal mix of contracts based on your business requirements. Archera provides 3 out-of-the-box recommendations, but from there you can adjust and optimize however you like to fit your infrastructure and business needs.

## Top Things to Try

1. **Create and Save a Custom Plan** — Start from a Recommended Plan and customize it to your needs
2. **Add Notes to Your Plan** — Include questions or notes to help track history and rationale
3. **Share for Review** — Share the plan with colleagues or the Archera team for feedback and suggestions

Our team is always happy to review and provide guidance on your plans.

## Calculation Details

### Default Analysis

* Calculations use the last 30 days of data for default analysis
* For AWS: defaults to the last 30 days of Cost Explorer data unless you enable CUR in both AWS and Archera
* Custom plans can be adjusted to use less data for more granular analysis

### Service Coverage

* Default plans look for services with 80% or more uptime
* For more granular coverage, you can adjust a custom plan to use less time

## Segments Overview

Segments are bundles of infrastructure resources such as servers, databases, and other infrastructure. The portion of infrastructure resources that are coverable based on the segment are shown under Service Breakdown.

When you select a segment in the Commitment Planner, you'll get resources that are "Coverable," meaning you can purchase commitment contracts to get discounted pricing. Typical term lengths for these contracts are 1 or 3 years.

## Purchase Plans

Once you've selected your Segment, you can review Recommended Plans. Archera analyzes your current instances and commitments to determine what infrastructure can and should be covered by which permutations of available savings vehicles.

### Built-in Plans

**Flexibility Optimized**

* Least upfront spend
* Shorter term length commitments
* More Savings Plans vs Reserved Instances
* Best for segments going through change or with limited capital access

**Balanced**

* Middle ground between flexibility and savings
* Moderate upfront costs and term lengths
* Solid savings without overcommitting

**Savings Optimized**

* Larger upfront cost
* Longer term lengths
* Highest Net Savings Rates
* Best for stable, well-established infrastructure

You can click the dots to edit and save a Recommended Plan as a Custom Plan.

## Plan Summaries

Each plan includes a detailed line item summary breakdown. Most items can be hovered over to get further details.

### Coverage Section

The orange and green bar shows:

* Additional coverage being proposed in the plan
* Target coverage percentage

### Cost Preview

A graphical representation of monthly breakdown:

* **Dark Blue**: Native offerings from cloud providers
* **Orange**: Upfront costs (if any)
* **Light Blue**: Archera Guaranteed Commitments

### Plan Totals

Options to view:

* Monthly breakdowns
* Yearly totals
* Lifetime costs
* Raw Savings and Commitment dollar values

## Archera's Guaranteed Commitments

Archera's unique commitment offering provides additional options beyond native cloud provider offerings. These commitments offer superior flexibility and terms. See [What are Guaranteed Commitments?](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/guaranteed-commitments/what-are-guaranteed-commitments) for more details.

## Adjusting Plans

You can verify contracts in any plan, make adjustments, and create your own Custom Plan:

1. Click the "View Details" button on any plan
2. Customize to your needs
3. Review and save your custom configuration

See [How to Create a Custom Purchase or Renewal Plan](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/user-guide/how-to-create-custom-plan) for a step-by-step guide.

## Plan Details View

### Contracts Tab

Review contract groups and the resources they apply to. Click "Edit Reservation" to modify contract group settings.

### Monthly Costs

Displays:

* Total Upfront Cost
* Net Savings
* Commitment amounts

### Total Costs Graph

Shows cumulative total cost over time.

### Break Even Analysis

Displays the date when the cost breaks even and your company sees returns on savings.

## Related Resources

* [How to Create a Custom Purchase or Renewal Plan](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/user-guide/how-to-create-custom-plan)
* [Commitment Inventory](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/user-guide/commitment-inventory)
* [What is the lookback period inside commitment planner?](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/user-guide/lookback-period)
* [What Contract Terms combinations are available for AWS Services?](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/user-guide/contract-terms-aws)