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💰 Azure FinOps Dashboard: Power BI Cost Summary Report

Welcome to the FinOps Cost Insights Portal — your go-to resource for understanding and managing Azure cloud spending at JTI. This internal site introduces the Power BI Cost Summary Report, a powerful tool designed to help teams monitor, analyze, and optimize Azure costs effectively.

🔍 What Is the Power BI Cost Summary Report?​

The Power BI Cost Summary Report is an interactive dashboard that visualizes Azure cost data, helping teams make informed decisions about cloud resource usage. It focuses on two key areas:

  • Cost by Service
  • Cost by Resource Group

These views provide actionable insights into where and how cloud budgets are being spent.

📊 Key Dashboards & How to Use Them​

1. Cost by Service​

Purpose: Breaks down Azure costs by service type (e.g., Virtual Machines, Storage, Networking).

Features:

  • Service-Level Breakdown: Visual charts showing cost per service.
  • Percentage Contribution: Understand each service’s share of total spend.

Use Cases:

  • Pinpoint high-cost services.
  • Drill into specific services to uncover cost drivers.
  • Support service-level budgeting and forecasting.

2. Cost by Resource Group​

Purpose: Aligns Azure costs with internal projects or applications.

Features:

  • Resource Group Costs: View cost distribution across projects.
  • Trend Analysis: Track how costs evolve over time per group.

Use Cases:

  • Evaluate project-level cloud consumption.
  • Detect unexpected cost increases.
  • Enable project managers to take ownership of cloud budgets.

📈 Trend Analysis & Anomaly Detection​

Understanding cost trends and identifying anomalies is essential for proactive cloud cost management.

How to Analyze Trends:

  1. Navigate to the Cost by Service or Cost by Resource Group pages.
  2. Use the Accumulated Costs chart to view spending over time.
  3. Apply date filters to compare different periods (e.g., month-over-month).
  4. Look for spikes, dips, or unusual patterns.

How to Detect Anomalies:

  • Use built-in visuals to highlight outliers.
  • Drill down into specific timeframes or services.
  • Cross-reference with deployments, incidents, or architectural changes.

✅ Best Practices for Effective Cost Analysis​

  • Use Filters & Slicers: Narrow down data by time, service, or resource group.
  • Compare Time Periods: Identify unusual variations or trends.
  • Collaborate Across Teams: Engage stakeholders to validate findings and take action.
  • Document Observations: Keep a record of anomalies and their root causes for future reference.

📌 Summary​

The Power BI Cost Summary Report is a cornerstone of our FinOps strategy. By leveraging its insights, teams can:

  • Gain visibility into Azure spending.
  • Optimize resource usage.
  • Drive accountability and cost efficiency across the organization.

For questions or support, please contact the Cloud FinOps team.