Understanding DPU Consumption

BEEM uses Data Processing Units (DPUs) to measure the computational work across your workspace. DPUs provide transparent usage tracking for all data operations.

Step 1: Check Your Current Usage

1. Look at the lower-left corner of the sidebar
   2. You will see:
      • Current DPU consumption vs your plan limit
      • Storage used vs capacity (in GB)
      • Days remaining in the billing cycle
   3. Usage data refreshes daily

Step 2: Understand What Consumes DPUs

Core Operations

1. **Pipeline triggers:** Every time a pipeline runs (manually or on schedule), DPUs are used
2. **Data ingestion:** Syncing data from external sources through connections
3. **Dataset refreshes:** Computing new or updated results in the Warehouse
4. **Flows:** Running reverse ETL to external tools

### Infrastructure and Add-ons

1. **VPN connections** to on-premises data sources
2. **Data Migration Services** with automated scanning
3. **Bastion hosts** for secure network access
4. **Data gateways** for firewall-protected or on-premises data

Step 3: Choose Your Billing Model

1. Pay-As-You-Go: Charges based on actual DPU consumption
   2. Monthly Included DPUs: Fixed monthly credits with overage charges for usage beyond the included amount

Step 4: Optimize Your Consumption

1. Review schedules: Not every dataset needs to refresh daily. Match the schedule to how often the source data actually changes.
   2. Consolidate loads: Combine multiple smaller data loads into single jobs where possible
   3. Check downstream triggers: Review if all automatic cascading refreshes are necessary
   4. Pause unused connections: Pausing connections that are not actively needed reduces consumption
   5. Evaluate infrastructure: Review whether all VPN tunnels and gateways are still required

For questions about your plan or usage, contact support@beemdata.com.