2025-05-01 updates

Author: haileytap

articles/search/media/search-capacity-planning/change-pricing-tier.png

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ---
-title:  Estimate capacity for query and index workloads
+title: Estimate capacity for query and index workloads
 titleSuffix: Azure AI Search
 description: Learn how capacity is structured and used in Azure AI Search, and how to estimate the resources needed for indexing and query workloads.
 
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ ms.custom:
   - ignite-2023
   - ignite-2024
 ms.topic: conceptual
-ms.date: 04/22/2025
+ms.date: 08/01/2025
 ---
 
 # Estimate and manage capacity of a search service
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ To increase or decrease the capacity of your service, you have two options:
 
    :::image type="content" source="media/search-capacity-planning/initial-values.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Scale page showing the current replica and partition values." border="true" lightbox="media/search-capacity-planning/initial-values.png":::
 
-1. Use the slider to increase or decrease the number of partitions. Select **Save**.
+1. Use the slider to increase or decrease the number of partitions, and then select **Save**.
 
    This example adds a second replica and partition. Notice the search unit count; it's now four because the billing formula is replicas multiplied by partitions (2 x 2). Doubling capacity more than doubles the cost of running the service. If the search unit cost was $100, the new monthly bill would now be $400.
 
@@ -110,22 +110,15 @@ To increase or decrease the capacity of your service, you have two options:
 ### Change your pricing tier
 
 > [!NOTE]
-> The 2025-02-01-preview supports changes between Basic and Standard (S1, S2, and S3) tiers. Currently, you can only switch from a lower tier to a higher tier, such as going from Basic to S1. Your region also can't have [capacity constraints on the higher tier](search-region-support.md).
+> The Azure portal supports changes between Basic and Standard (S1, S2, and S3) tiers.  Currently, you can only switch from a lower tier to a higher tier, such as going from Basic to S1. Your region also can't have [capacity constraints on the higher tier](search-region-support.md).
 
-Your [pricing tier](search-sku-tier.md) determines the maximum storage of your search service. If you need more <!-- or less capacity -->capacity, you can switch to a different pricing tier that accommodates your storage needs.
+<!-- You can upgrade or downgrade tiers, provided your current service configuration doesn't exceed the [limits of the target tier](search-limits-quotas-capacity.md). Your region also can't have [capacity constraints on the target tier](search-region-support.md). -->
 
-In addition to capacity, changing your pricing tier affects the workload and maximum limits of your service. Before you proceed, compare the [service limits](search-limits-quotas-capacity.md) of your current tier and your desired tier. These include limits on:
+Your [pricing tier](search-sku-tier.md) determines the maximum storage of your search service. If you need more <!-- or less capacity --> capacity, you can switch to a different pricing tier that accommodates your storage needs.
 
-+ Partition storage
-+ Indexes
-+ Vectors
-+ Indexers
-+ Shared private link resources
-+ Synonyms
-+ Index aliases
-+ Semantic ranker throttling
+In addition to capacity, pricing tiers determine limits on indexes, indexers, and other search objects. Compare the [service limits](search-limits-quotas-capacity.md) of your current tier and your desired tier before proceeding. Generally, switching to a higher tier increases your [storage limit](search-limits-quotas-capacity.md#service-limits) and [vector limit](search-limits-quotas-capacity.md#vector-index-size-limits), increases request throughput, and decreases latency. <!-- while switching to a lower tier has the opposite effect. -->
 
-Generally, switching to a higher tier increases your [storage limit](search-limits-quotas-capacity.md#service-limits) and [vector limit](search-limits-quotas-capacity.md#vector-index-size-limits), increases request throughput, and decreases latency<!-- , while switching to a lower tier decreases your storage limit and vector limit, decreases request throughput, and increases latency -->.
+Switching to a higher pricing tier also increases the cost of running your search service. For more information, see the [pricing page](https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/details/search/).
 
 To change your pricing tier:
 
@@ -137,15 +130,19 @@ To change your pricing tier:
 
    :::image type="content" source="media/search-capacity-planning/change-pricing-tier.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Change Pricing Tier button in the Azure portal." border="true" lightbox="media/search-capacity-planning/change-pricing-tier.png":::
 
-1. On the **Select Pricing Tier** page, choose a higher tier from the list. Currently, you can only move up between Basic, S1, S2, and S3. Other pricing tiers are unavailable and appear dimmed.
+1. On the **Select Pricing Tier** page, choose a different tier from the list.
 
-1. To switch to the higher tier, select **Select**.
+   Currently, you can upgrade <!-- switch --> between Basic, S1, S2, and S3 only. Other pricing tiers are unavailable and appear dimmed.
 
-   :::image type="content" source="media/search-capacity-planning/pricing-tier-list.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Select Pricing Tier page and the list of higher tiers in the Azure portal." border="true" lightbox="media/search-capacity-planning/pricing-tier-list.png":::
+   :::image type="content" source="media/search-capacity-planning/pricing-tier-list.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Select Pricing Tier page and the list of available tiers in the Azure portal." border="true" lightbox="media/search-capacity-planning/pricing-tier-list.png":::
 
-   This operation can take several hours to complete. You can’t cancel the process after it starts, and there’s no real-time monitoring of tier changes. However, on the **Overview** page, a **Provisioning** status indicates the operation is underway for your service.
+1. To start the scale operation, select **Save**.
 
-   :::image type="content" source="media/search-capacity-planning/provisioning-status.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the service Overview page with a Provisioning status." border="true" lightbox="media/search-capacity-planning/provisioning-status.png":::
+   :::image type="content" source="media/search-capacity-planning/save-button.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Save button in the Azure portal." border="true" lightbox="media/search-capacity-planning/save-button.png":::
+
+   This operation can take several hours to complete. You can't cancel the process after it starts, and there's no real-time monitoring of tier changes. However, the following message displays while changes are underway.
+
+   :::image type="content" source="media/search-capacity-planning/updating-message.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Updating message in the Azure portal." border="true" lightbox="media/search-capacity-planning/updating-message.png":::
 
 ## How scale requests are handled
 
@@ -162,17 +159,16 @@ The above steps aren't entirely consecutive. For example, the system starts prov
 
 ## Errors during scaling
 
-The error message "Service update operations aren't allowed at this time because we're processing a previous request" is caused by repeating a request to scale down or up when the service is already processing a previous request.
-
-Resolve this error by checking service status to verify provisioning status:
+The following table lists the causes and solutions for errors that can occur during scaling operations.
 
-1. Use the [Management REST API](/rest/api/searchmanagement), [Azure PowerShell](search-manage-powershell.md), or [Azure CLI](/cli/azure/search) to get service status.
-1. Call [Get Service (REST)](/rest/api/searchmanagement/services/get) or equivalent for PowerShell or the CLI.
-1. Check the response for ["provisioningState": "provisioning"](/rest/api/searchmanagement/services/get#provisioningstate)
+| Error message | Cause | Solution |
+|--|--|--|
+| "Service update operations aren't allowed at this time because we're processing a previous request." | Another scaling operation is already in progress. | Check the **Overview** page in the Azure portal or use the [Search Management REST API](/rest/api/searchmanagement/services/get), [Azure PowerShell](search-manage-powershell.md#get-search-service-information), or [Azure CLI](search-manage-azure-cli.md#get-search-service-information) to get the status of your search service. If the status is "Provisioning," wait until it becomes "Succeeded" or "Failed" before trying again. <sup>1, 2</sup> |
+| "Failed to scale search service *servicename*. Error: *Object* count *ActualCount* exceeds allowable limit: *MaximumCount*." | Your current service configuration exceeds the limits of the target pricing tier. | Check that your storage usage, vector usage, indexes, indexers, and other objects fit within the lower tier's [service limits](search-limits-quotas-capacity.md). For example, the Basic tier supports up to 15 indexes, so you can't switch from S1 to Basic if you have 16 or more indexes. Adjust your resources before trying again. |
 
-If status is "Provisioning", wait for the request to complete. Status should be either "Succeeded" or "Failed" before another request is attempted. There's no status for backup. Backup is an internal operation and it's unlikely to be a factor in any disruption of a scale exercise.
+<sup>1</sup> There's no status for backups, which are internal operations that are unlikely to disrupt a scaling exercise.
 
-If your search service appears to be stalled in a provisioning state, check for orphaned indexes that are unusable, with zero query volumes and no index updates. An unusable index can block changes to service capacity. In particular, look for indexes that are [CMK-encrypted](search-security-manage-encryption-keys.md), whose keys are no longer valid. You should either delete the index or restore the keys to bring the index back online and unblock your scale operation.
+<sup>2</sup> If your search service appears to be stalled in a provisioning state, check for orphaned indexes that are unusable, with zero query volumes and no index updates. An unusable index can block changes to service capacity. In particular, look for [CMK-encrypted](search-security-manage-encryption-keys.md) indexes whose keys are no longer valid. Either delete the index or restore the keys to bring the index back online and unblock your scaling operation.
 
 <a id="chart"></a>
 
@@ -204,7 +200,7 @@ For billing rates per tier and currency, see the [Azure AI Search pricing page](
 
 The size of the indexes you expect to build determines storage needs. There are no solid heuristics or generalities that help with estimates. The only way to determine the size of an index is [build one](search-what-is-an-index.md). Its size is based on tokenization and embeddings, and whether you enable suggesters, filtering, and sorting, or can take advantage of [vector compression](vector-search-how-to-quantization.md).
 
-We recommend estimating on a billable tier, Basic or above. The Free tier runs on physical resources shared by multiple customers and is subject to factors beyond your control. Only the dedicated resources of a billable search service can accommodate larger sampling and processing times for more realistic estimates of index quantity, size, and query volumes during development. 
+We recommend estimating on a billable tier, Basic or higher. The Free tier runs on physical resources shared by multiple customers and is subject to factors beyond your control. Only the dedicated resources of a billable search service can accommodate larger sampling and processing times for more realistic estimates of index quantity, size, and query volumes during development. 
 
 1. [Review service limits at each tier](search-limits-quotas-capacity.md#service-limits) to determine whether lower tiers can support the number of indexes you need. Consider whether you need multiple copies of an index for active development, testing, and production. 
 

articles/search/media/search-capacity-planning/save-button.png

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ ms.author: haileytapia
 ms.service: azure-ai-search
 ms.update-cycle: 180-days
 ms.topic: how-to
-ms.date: 07/31/2025
+ms.date: 08/01/2025
 ms.custom:
   - references_regions
   - build-2024
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ Some properties are fixed for the lifetime of the search service. Before you cre
 |--|--|
 | [Name](#name-your-service) | Becomes part of the URL endpoint. The name must be unique and follow naming rules. |
 | [Region](search-region-support.md) | Determines data residency and availability of certain features. For example, semantic ranker and Azure AI integration have region requirements. Choose a region that supports the features you need. |
-| [Tier](search-sku-tier.md) | Determines infrastructure, service limits, and billing. Some features aren't available on lower or specialized tiers. In the 2025-02-01-preview, you can also [switch from a lower tier to a higher tier](search-capacity-planning.md#change-your-pricing-tier). |
+| [Tier](search-sku-tier.md) | Determines infrastructure, service limits, and billing. Some features aren't available on lower or specialized tiers. After you create your service, you can [switch between Basic and Standard (S1, S2, and S3) tiers](search-capacity-planning.md#change-your-pricing-tier). |
 
 ## Subscribe to Azure
 
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ The Basic and Standard tiers are the most common for production workloads, but m
 :::image type="content" source="media/search-create-service-portal/select-pricing-tier.png" lightbox="media/search-create-service-portal/select-pricing-tier.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the Select Pricing Tier page in the Azure portal." border="true":::
 
 > [!NOTE]
-> + After you create your service, you can move up between Basic and Standard (S1, S2, and S3) tiers. Switching to a lower tier isn't currently supported. For more information, see [Change your pricing tier](search-capacity-planning.md#change-your-pricing-tier).
+> + After you create your service, you can [switch between Basic and Standard (S1, S2, and S3) tiers](search-capacity-planning.md#change-your-pricing-tier).
 > + Services created after April 3, 2024 have larger partitions and higher vector quotas at every billable tier.
 
 ## Create your service

articles/search/search-capacity-planning.md

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ metadata:
   ms.service: azure-ai-search
   ms.update-cycle: 90-days
   ms.topic: faq
-  ms.date: 03/21/2025
+  ms.date: 08/01/2025
 title: Azure AI Search Frequently Asked Questions
 summary:  Find answers to commonly asked questions about Azure AI Search.
 
@@ -59,10 +59,10 @@ sections:
       - question: |
           Can I upgrade or downgrade the service?
         answer: |
-          Services created before April 2024 in select regions can be [upgraded to higher capacity clusters](search-how-to-upgrade.md). Downgrading your service isn't supported. 
-          
-          To get more capacity, you can also [switch to a higher pricing tier](search-capacity-planning.md#change-your-pricing-tier). Your region can't have [capacity constraints on the higher tier](search-region-support.md), and you can only move up between Basic and Standard (S1, S2, and S3) tiers, such as going from Basic to S1. Currently, you can't switch to a lower tier.
-          
+          Services created before April 2024 in select regions can be [upgraded to higher-capacity clusters](search-how-to-upgrade.md). Downgrading your service isn't supported.
+
+          To get more or less capacity, you can also [switch to a different pricing tier](search-capacity-planning.md#change-your-pricing-tier). Scaling is blocked if your current service configuration exceeds the [limits of the target tier](search-limits-quotas-capacity.md) or if your region has [capacity constraints on the target tier](search-region-support.md). Currently, you can only switch between Basic and Standard (S1, S2, and S3) tiers.
+
       - question: |
           Can I rename or move the service?
         answer: |
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ sections:
       - question: |
           Why do I see different vector index size limits between my new search services and existing search services?
         answer: |
-          Azure AI Search rolled out improved vector index size limits worldwide for new search services, but [some regions experience capacity constraints](search-region-support.md), and some regions don't have the required infrastructure. New search services created after May 2024 in supported regions should see increased vector index size limits. Alternatively, if you have an existing service in a supported region, you can [upgrade your service](search-how-to-upgrade.md) to access the new limits.
+          Azure AI Search rolled out improved vector index size limits worldwide for new search services, but [some regions experience capacity constraints](search-region-support.md), and some regions don't have the required infrastructure. New search services created after May 2024 in supported regions should see increased vector index size limits. Alternatively, if you have an existing service in a supported region, you might be able to [upgrade your service](search-how-to-upgrade.md) to access the new limits.
           
       - question: |
           Why does my vector index show zero storage?

articles/search/search-create-service-portal.md

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ ms.service: azure-ai-search
 ms.custom:
   - ignite-2023
 ms.topic: conceptual
-ms.date: 03/21/2025
+ms.date: 08/01/2025
 ---
 
 # Index large data sets in Azure AI Search
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ Because the optimal batch size depends on your index and your data, the best app
 
 ### Manage threads and a retry strategy
 
-Indexers have built-in thread management, but when you're using the push APIs, your application code needs to manage threads. Make sure there are sufficient threads to make full use of the available capacity, especially if you recently [upgraded your service](search-how-to-upgrade.md), [switched to a higher tier](search-capacity-planning.md#change-your-pricing-tier), or [increased partitions](search-capacity-planning.md#add-or-remove-partitions-and-replicas).
+Indexers have built-in thread management, but when you're using the push APIs, your application code needs to manage threads. Make sure there are sufficient threads to make full use of the available capacity, especially if you recently [upgraded your service](search-how-to-upgrade.md), [switched to a higher pricing tier](search-capacity-planning.md#change-your-pricing-tier), or [increased partitions](search-capacity-planning.md#add-or-remove-partitions-and-replicas).
 
 1. [Increase the number of concurrent threads](tutorial-optimize-indexing-push-api.md#use-multiple-threadsworkers) in your client code.