# Infrequently Accessed Data Stored in Azure Cosmos DB

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# Infrequently Accessed Data Stored in Azure Cosmos DB

## Explanation

Azure Cosmos DB is optimized for low-latency, globally distributed workloads-not long-term storage of infrequently accessed data. Yet in many environments, cold data such as logs, telemetry, or historical records is retained in Cosmos DB due to a lack of lifecycle management.

## Relevant Billing Model

Cosmos DB charges include:

- Data storage billed per GB per month, across all regions where data is replicated

- Provisioned throughput (RU/s) or autoscale, billed regardless of actual usage

- Backup storage billed separately (if configured)

- Serverless mode available, but subject to limitations on scaling and total RU consumption

Storing cold data incurs persistent storage charges and may inflate RU requirements unnecessarily.

## Detection

- Identify Cosmos DB resources (e.g., containers, collections, or tables) with high storage usage but low request volume

- Use Azure Monitor, diagnostic logs, or Workload Insights to assess read/write activity over time

- Evaluate whether the data is actively queried or needed for operational workloads

- Check whether data retention or lifecycle policies are defined for the resource

## Remediation

- Export infrequently accessed data to lower-cost storage services:

- Use Blob Storage Cool for rarely accessed but readily retrievable data

- Use Blob Storage Archive for long-term retention with delayed retrieval

- Use Azure Table Storage for simple key/value access when global distribution is unnecessary

- Delete cold data from Cosmos DB after successful archival

- Implement data lifecycle automation to routinely transition stale data out of Cosmos DB

## Relevant Documentation

- [Azure Cosmos DB Pricing](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/cosmos-db//%22)

- [Azure Cosmos DB Capacity Planning](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cosmos-db/plan-manage-throughput/)

- [Azure Blob Storage Access Tiers](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/blobs/access-tiers-overview/)

- [Azure Table Storage Overview](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/tables/table-storage-overview/)

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## At a glance

Reference

CER-0142

Cloud provider

Azure

Service

Azure Cosmos DB

Category

[Databases](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/service-category/databases)

Inefficiency type

Inefficient Storage Tiering

## Contributed by

- Chibueze Eke 

### Chibueze Eke

IT Consultant @ IT Consulting

[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/chibuezeeke/)

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Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.