Warehouse Cost and Egress Review (Retention)
A checklist with 7 steps: Pull the last 90 days of storage, egress, and API request line items for every client warehouse before the renewal conversation.
By InnovaAI ResearchPublished
What are the steps?
Warehouse Cost and Egress Review (Retention)
- 01
Pull the last 90 days of storage, egress, and API request line items for every client warehouse before the renewal conversation
Separate compute from storage from egress so you can show the client which line moved and why. A single blended number hides the one cost that usually drives the dispute.
- 02
Flag any client whose egress or API request charges exceed 15% of total warehouse spend
Flat-rate object storage from Wasabi and Backblaze B2 removes egress and API fees entirely, so a client above that threshold has a concrete migration case rather than a theoretical one.
- 03
Model a two-scenario cost comparison: current managed warehouse versus object-storage-backed architecture
Run the numbers at the client's actual data volume, not a vendor's reference workload. Storj's distributed S3-compatible network and Backblaze's free-egress B2 both publish pricing you can plug into the same spreadsheet.
- 04
Score each client on query latency tolerance before recommending any move
A nightly reporting retainer tolerates object storage latency; an interactive dashboard used in client meetings may not. Write the tolerance down and get the client to confirm it in writing.
- 05
Document the operational complexity delta in hours per month, not adjectives
Distributed SQL tuning on CockroachDB or a self-managed S3 layer adds real maintenance hours. If the savings are $400 a month and the added ops load is six hours, the client should see both numbers side by side.
- 06
Present the review as a one-page decision memo with a recommendation and a do-nothing option
Agencies that bring a cost review to renewal conversations get treated as advisors. Agencies that wait for the client to notice the invoice get treated as vendors.
- 07
Log the decision and the baseline metrics in the account file for the next quarterly review
Record storage volume, egress percentage, and the client's stated latency tolerance so the next review starts from evidence instead of a fresh discovery call.