Skip to content
ENExplore Calculators

Query Scan Cost Calculator

Work out query scan cost instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Query Scan Cost Calculator

Scan-based pricing charges per byte read, so cost is entirely determined by how much data each query touches. Partition pruning and columnar projection are the levers: 92 percent pruning turns a 20 TB table scan into 1.6 TB, and selecting three columns from a hundred cuts it again. Without pruning, 800 daily queries over 20 TB would cost over two million a month.

Formula

Scan cost

scanned per query = table size x (1 - pruning); monthly = scanned x queries x 30.44 x price per TB

Worked example

With the default values below, Query Scan Cost Calculator returns Monthly query scan cost of $194,816.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Table sizeminimum 0.001 TB
20 TB
Queries per dayminimum 0
800
Data eliminated by partition pruningaccepts 0–99.99 %
92 %
Price per TB scannedminimum 0
5

Results

Monthly query scan cost
$194,816.00
Data scanned per query
1.6000 TB
Total data scanned per month
38,963.2 TB
Saving from partition pruning
$2,240,384.00

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Scan cost
  3. 3Monthly query scan cost= 194,816.00
  4. 4Data scanned per query= 1.6000 TB
  5. 5Total data scanned per month= 38,963.2 TB
  6. 6Saving from partition pruning= 2,240,384.00

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 4 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is pruning maximised?

Partition on the column most queries filter on, usually a date, and ensure the filter is a literal predicate the planner can evaluate — a function applied to the partition column disables pruning.

Does SELECT * matter with columnar storage?

Enormously. Columnar formats only read the columns referenced, so selecting all of them can multiply the scan by ten or more.

Related Calculators

Query Scan Cost Calculator | Calcrivo