Advanced mode (AWS only)

Advanced mode is a simulation workspace where you define commitment parameters and run a what-if analysis against historical usage data.

Required permissions

To run simulations, you need the Commitments Admin permission.

Run a simulation

To run a simulation:

1. Select the commitment type you want to simulate.

   • Currently, the Advanced mode supports AWS Compute and Database.

   • Advanced simulations analyze the full payer account, you cannot choose a specific linked account.

2. In the Simulation setup pane, specify commitment parameters for your simulation. The available options vary with the commitment type you choose.

   

   • Term: The commitment term: 1 year or 3 years.

   • Payment option: All Upfront, Partial Upfront, or No Upfront.

   • Hourly commitment: (Optional) The hourly commitment amount in dollars. Leave this field empty to let the simulation size the commitment from the selected policy, or enter a specific amount to simulate that exact $/hr commitment.

   • Commitment policy: The commitment policy used to size the commitment when the hourly commitment field is empty.

   • Range Options: Specify a Lookback period or a Date range. The range cannot exceed 180 days or extend past today.

   Expand Advanced for additional parameters:

   • Eligible spend scope: Controls which spend categories are included in the simulation. Options vary by account configuration — for example, Flexsave appears for customers with Flexsave enabled on Compute.

   • SKU exclusions: Specifies SKUs that should be partially or fully excluded from the simulation. You can add up to 10 SKUs in one simulation.

3. Select Run simulation.

The results show projected savings, a coverage breakdown over time, and hourly cost by service.

Simulation results

After a simulation completes, the results area displays a group of metric cards and two charts.

Metric cards

• Recommended commitment / Simulated commitment: The optimal hourly commitment sized by the policy or the specific amount you entered. The Current value shows the payer's active non-Flexsave Savings Plan hourly rate.

• Est. average coverage: The estimated average share of eligible spend covered by Savings Plans after this commitment, averaged over the simulation range.

• Est. monthly savings: Estimated monthly savings versus on-demand pricing, with the savings as a percentage of on-demand cost.

• Monthly On-demand: Estimated on-demand spend per month that the simulated commitment would leave uncovered. The % vs current shows how the estimate compares to current monthly on-demand spend.

Coverage breakdown

The Coverage breakdown chart shows how eligible spend is distributed over the simulation range.

• Existing SP: Spend already covered by the payer's active Savings Plans.

• Added SP: Additional spend that would be covered by the simulated commitment.

• Flexsave On-Demand Equivalent: Spend covered by Flexsave, shown at on-demand equivalent rates. Visible only when Flexsave is active.

• Eligible On-Demand: Remaining eligible spend billed at on-demand rates.

Use the Customize option to show or hide individual series.

Hourly cost by service chart

The Hourly cost by service chart displays the minimum-cost, median-cost, and maximum-cost hours in the simulation range, broken down by service.

Use the Customize option to show or hide individual service series.