Amazon Redshift
Redshift
You need a managed analytical warehouse for large-scale SQL reporting across structured datasets.
Reach for it when
- Running analytical queries over warehouse data and supported external datasets.
- Separating reporting workloads from a transactional application database.
Do not reach for it when
- Processing individual application transactions with frequent row-level changes.
- Assuming a warehouse will fix poor data modeling automatically.
Alternatives, and how to choose
| Service | Pick it instead when |
|---|---|
| Athena | Choose for suitable ad hoc queries over data in object storage. |
| RDS | Choose for relational transactional application workloads. |
How you pay
- The model
- Provisioned or serverless compute, storage and selected transfer features affect cost.
- The line item that surprises people
- Idle provisioned capacity and inefficient queries can be expensive even with a small result set.
What trips people up
- Distribution, sorting and query design influence performance.
- Choose provisioned or serverless operation from actual workload patterns and verify limits for that mode.
Verify the live service
This page is a concept reference. Cost models are qualitative; confirm the current offering, Region and pricing before deploying.