An easy way to subscribe to the Translator API is through the Windows Azure Marketplace , as evidenced by the thousands of developers subscribing to the service through the marketplace. The team just added an often asked for feature – Auto-refill. This feature addresses a key request from many Translator API customers who wanted to (a) more tightly control their monthly pre-committed subscription level and (b) not run out of volume in case the usage exceeds the forecast level.

Here is what the marketplace team has to say about the new feature: 

The Auto-refill option can be enabled on any paid subscription, giving more options to subscribers of the Microsoft Translator API ensure effective use of their subscription volumes. Auto-refill provides the ability to ensure that you, or anyone using your subscription, do not reach your usage limit before the end of your subscription period, and thus avoid the resultant loss of service. Auto-refill does this by cancelling your current Translator subscription and creating a new subscription before you reach your usage limit. All this happens seamlessly, without interrupting the service.

How Does it Work?

You subscription gives you a certain allotment of transactions, users, characters or other discrete limits (characters – for translator). Once you enable Auto-refill on a particular subscription, Windows Azure Marketplace monitors your character balance for the current subscription period. If your balance reaches 10% or less of your subscription limit, and you have not used up your maximum number of Auto-refills in the past 30 days (or have chosen unlimited Auto-refills), Windows Azure Marketplace re-subscribes you to, and charges you the then-effective subscription rate for, a new subscription, thereby giving you  new subscription period and new character balance. In addition, any characters remaining immediately before Auto-refill occurred are carried over to your new subscription so that you don’t lose anything you already paid for.

Who Can Benefit From Auto-refill?

Scenario 1 – Manage Anticipated Spikes in Volume

If you are running a promotional campaign for your application you might see higher than expected traffic during the promotion. If you don’t know what your target reach may be and want to ensure no interruption in service, you could select the “Unlimited” refill option during the course of the promotion. This will ensure that any unanticipated spikes are supported. In the month following the promotion, you can then modify your subscription and auto-refill needs accordingly. 

Scenario 2 – Manage Your Costs

The cyclical nature of projects may require higher or lower volumes in given months. Some months your usage may require only 4M characters and in others your usage may increase to 32M characters. With the auto-refill feature you can set your monthly volume to 4M with an auto-refill option of 8 refills.By leveraging the auto-refill feature, you are able to better manage your subscription to your lowest anticipated volumes / costs and then increase your volumes as needed. Allowing you to minimize time spent monitoring your usage and save costs over a larger subscription every month.   

Step-by-Step to Enable Auto-Refill for Microsoft Translator

Step 1: Select “Enable Auto Refill”

  

Step 2: Enter the Number of refills, agree to the terms and conditions, and click “Submit”

 

Step 3: Return to summary where uou should now see your available refills and option to “Edit Auto Refill”

 

Click here to learn more about the Auto-refill feature and here to learn more about other release features for Windows Azure Marketplace.