This topic provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) about ApsaraDB for SelectDB.
Instance selection
Billing
Why are pay-as-you-go bills generated for a subscription instance?
Scenarios
Compared with self-managed Apache Doris databases, what are the advantages of ApsaraDB for SelectDB instances?
ApsaraDB for SelectDB has the following benefits:
ApsaraDB for SelectDB supports compute-storage separation and shared storage for multiple clusters, which can reduce storage costs by up to 90%.
ApsaraDB for SelectDB supports hot and cold-tiered storage based on cache and Object Storage Service (OSS). Data can be stored at a low cost.
You need to configure only backend (BE) clusters. This frees you from the cost of frontend (FE) resources, and the investment cost is lower.
ApsaraDB for SelectDB is an out-of-the-box cloud service. You can use a visualized management platform and API operations to deploy the service and perform O&M operations with ease, or implement automated deployment and O&M. This improves the O&M efficiency.
ApsaraDB for SelectDB provides visualized and easy-to-use data development and management features, such as the SQL editor, retrieval and analysis, query and audit, session management, and metadata management, to reduce your workloads.
ApsaraDB for SelectDB requires only a small number of O&M staff.
ApsaraDB for SelectDB is a commercial version that is developed based on the kernel of Apache Doris. Compared with Apache Doris, ApsaraDB for SelectDB is designed based on a cloud architecture and is deeply optimized. ApsaraDB for SelectDB provides mature and stable services with professional support from both Alibaba Cloud and SelectDB.
Compared with Apache Doris, what are the advantages of multiple compute clusters in ApsaraDB for SelectDB?
An ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance can contain multiple compute clusters. Each compute cluster contains one or more BE nodes. A compute cluster is similar to a computing resource group or a compute queue in a big data system. Multiple compute clusters in the same instance have the following features:
Data sharing: Multiple clusters share the underlying data storage and can access the underlying data. This prevents redundant data storage.
Compute-storage separation: The computing resources of multiple clusters are physically isolated. You can use these clusters to isolate different workloads. The cache is also isolated among multiple clusters. Data is cached based on access characteristics.
Simultaneous data reads and writes: Read and write operations are performed in parallel in multiple clusters. After data is written, the written data can be immediately queried in all clusters.
Based on the preceding features, multiple compute clusters are commonly used in scenarios where you need to isolate data reads from data writes, isolate online data analysis from offline data analysis, or isolate the production environment from the test environment.
Why are pay-as-you-go bills generated for a subscription instance?
When you create a subscription ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance, you pay for the first subscription cluster by default. When you use the instance, the generated data occupies storage resources and the occupied storage space is changeable. By default, you are charged for storage resources based on the storage space that is actually used. In addition, you can create pay-as-you-go clusters in the subscription instance. Therefore, pay-as-you-go bills are generated for pay-as-you-go storage resources and pay-as-you-go clusters.
What scenarios can ApsaraDB for SelectDB be used in?
ApsaraDB for SelectDB can be used in the following scenarios:
Real-time report analysis
Ad hoc multidimensional analysis
Log retrieval and analysis
Data lakehouse-based analysis