Vendor Licensing

The right license at the right cost.

Platform licensing is not a catalogue exercise. The right Microsoft Fabric SKU, the right Databricks commit tier, the right Datadog agent model — gets determined by how your platform is used, not by list price. Labs Virtual handles the procurement layer so you are not overpaying for capacity you do not need.

See platform components → Get a licensing review

Platform Components

Microsoft platform licensing — sized to what you actually run.

Labs Virtual is a Microsoft Solutions Partner and CSP. We advise on and procure Microsoft Fabric, Azure, and Power BI licenses as part of platform delivery — not as an add-on.

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Microsoft Fabric
Capacity-based compute

Fabric F-SKUs are capacity-based. The right SKU depends on concurrent workloads, DirectLake usage, real-time analytics, and pipeline throughput. Labs Virtual sizes Fabric capacity before you commit — not after the bill arrives.

✓F2 to F64+ sizing guidance
✓Pause/resume strategy for cost control
✓Trial-to-production migration path
✓CSP procurement available
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Power BI
Pro vs Premium vs Fabric

Power BI licensing has three tiers and they overlap in confusing ways. We map your distribution requirements, report volume, and embed needs to the correct license tier — and help you avoid Premium where Pro suffices.

✓Pro vs Premium vs Fabric capacity comparison
✓Embedded analytics licensing
✓Gateway planning for hybrid data
✓Report distribution model design
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Azure
Compute, storage, networking

Azure cost modelling for data platform workloads — Data Lake storage tiers, Event Hubs throughput units, Data Factory pipeline runs, and Azure ML compute. Reserved instances and Hybrid Benefit structured where they apply.

✓Reserved Instance guidance
✓Azure Hybrid Benefit eligibility
✓Storage tier selection (Hot/Cool/Archive)
✓Cost anomaly monitoring setup

Ecosystem Vendors

Beyond Microsoft — the surrounding stack.

Most data platforms need more than Fabric and Azure. Databricks for compute, Datadog for observability, Fivetran for ingestion, Anthropic for AI. Labs Virtual advises on licensing for the full ecosystem — not just the Microsoft layer.

Databricks
Databricks
DBU commit tiers

Databricks billing is DBU-based and varies by workload type — All-Purpose, Jobs, and SQL Warehouses have different DBU rates. Pre-purchase tiers unlock significant discounts. Labs Virtual models your workload profile before you commit.

✓DBU consumption modelling
✓Pre-purchase tier sizing
✓Jobs vs All-Purpose cluster design
✓Unity Catalog governance setup
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Datadog
Agent and APM pricing

Datadog pricing scales with hosts, containers, logs, and APM spans. Overprovisioned Datadog agents are a common source of bill shock on data platforms. Labs Virtual scopes the agent footprint to what your platform actually needs to monitor.

✓Agent footprint scoping
✓Log retention and indexing design
✓Infrastructure vs APM vs Logs tier selection
✓Annual commit vs pay-as-you-go comparison
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Fivetran
Monthly Active Row pricing

Fivetran bills by Monthly Active Rows. Row volume varies significantly by connector type, update frequency, and schema change patterns. Labs Virtual estimates MAR before deployment and recommends sync schedules to control costs without sacrificing freshness.

✓MAR estimation per connector
✓Sync frequency vs cost optimisation
✓Connector selection (Fivetran vs alternatives)
✓Annual plan structure
Anthropic
Anthropic / Azure OpenAI
Token-based AI costs

AI inference costs scale with token usage, model tier, and deployment pattern (API vs managed endpoint). Labs Virtual advises on prompt architecture, model selection, and throughput provisioning for AI features built on top of the data platform.

✓Token usage estimation
✓Model tier selection (haiku / sonnet / opus)
✓Azure OpenAI PTU vs pay-as-you-go
✓Prompt caching and cost control patterns
Notion
Notion
Documentation & operations

Notion as the operational hub for data teams — runbooks, architecture documentation, incident tracking, and project management. Labs Virtual structures the workspace so it scales with the team and the platform.

✓Workspace setup and structure
✓Business vs Enterprise tier guidance
✓Runbook templates for DataOps
✓API integration with platform tooling
Linear
Linear
Engineering issue tracking

Linear for engineering issue tracking across data platform teams. Sprint management, incident tickets, and deployment tracking — structured for platform and data engineering rather than product development.

✓Workspace and team structure
✓Cycle and sprint configuration
✓Integration with GitHub and Azure DevOps
✓Plus vs Business tier guidance

How We Approach Licensing

Model first. Commit second.

Most vendors will give you a list price. Most resellers will ask how many seats you need. Neither of those conversations leads to the right number.

Labs Virtual builds a usage model first — based on your actual workloads, team size, data volumes, and operational patterns. Only then do we recommend a commitment tier or procurement structure.

We hold Microsoft CSP status, which means we can procure certain Microsoft licenses directly as part of a delivery engagement. For other vendors, we act as procurement advisor — not as reseller.

Request a licensing review →
What a licensing review covers
✓Current spend audit — what you pay vs what you use
✓Workload modelling per vendor
✓Commitment tier recommendation
✓Reserved vs pay-as-you-go breakdown
✓CSP procurement eligibility
✓Renewal timing and negotiation strategy
✓Integration and bundling opportunities
✓Quarterly review cadence if managed
Licensing Review

Let us model your licensing costs.

Tell us your current stack and we will model the actual cost structure — before you commit to anything.

✓No commitment required for the initial review
✓We model actual usage, not list-price estimates
✓Microsoft CSP procurement available directly through Labs Virtual