Review Redshift Serverless usage and capacity controls
On this page
Run the usage query to see daily RPU consumption, then compare the workgroup's base and max capacity settings and review each usage limit's configured action.
Why this is worth a look
Amazon Redshift Serverless measures capacity in RPUs, and one RPU provides 16 GB of memory. Base capacity specifies the workgroup's base capacity for serving queries, while max capacity limits the maximum RPUs to which it can scale. SYS_SERVERLESS_USAGE shows Serverless usage at 1-minute granularity, including compute_seconds, charged_seconds, compute_capacity, and data_storage, and it is retained for 7 days. Usage limits can log, alert, or turn off user queries. Log and Alert are informational, while Turn off user queries stops query processing. The SQL below summarizes daily charged RPU-seconds and RPU-hours for the connected Serverless workgroup.
Start with this query
SQLRead-only daily summary of charged RPU-seconds and RPU-hours from SYS_SERVERLESS_USAGE for a connected Redshift Serverless workgroup.
SELECT
DATE_TRUNC('day', start_time) AS usage_day,
SUM(charged_seconds) AS charged_rpu_seconds,
SUM(charged_seconds) / 3600.0 AS charged_rpu_hours,
SUM(compute_seconds) AS compute_rpu_seconds,
SUM(compute_seconds) / 3600.0 AS compute_rpu_hours,
AVG(compute_capacity) AS avg_rpu_capacity,
AVG(data_storage) AS avg_data_storage_mb
FROM sys_serverless_usage
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 1 DESC;How to confirm it
- 01
Run the usage summary
Connect to the target Redshift Serverless workgroup and run the SQL command as a superuser. The view is Serverless-only, retains 7 days of information, and reports usage at 1-minute granularity.
- 02
Confirm base and max capacity
Open Workgroup configuration for the same workgroup and review base capacity and max capacity. Base capacity is the base RPU capacity used to serve queries. Max capacity limits the maximum RPUs that the warehouse can scale to, not a currency budget.
- 03
Review each usage-limit action
Under the workgroup's Limits tab, review each RPU-hour limit, its Daily, Weekly, or Monthly frequency, and its action. Log and Alert are informational. Turn off user queries disables queries and stops query processing.
Before making changes
Assumptions: you are connected to the target Redshift Serverless workgroup, you can read SYS_SERVERLESS_USAGE as a superuser, and you are reviewing one workgroup. Watch for the 7-day retention window and the fact that compute_seconds and charged_seconds can differ. The query returns RPU-based usage and storage in MB, not dollars, and usage limits are specified in RPU-hours rather than currency.