Cost Analytics Overview

Cost Analytics provides comprehensive insights into your organization's spending across cloud infrastructure, GenAI services, and SaaS subscriptions in one unified dashboard.

Click Costs in the Reports section of the sidebar to access the analytics dashboard.

Analytics Sections

Overview Dashboard

The Cost Analytics Overview provides a consolidated view of all spending:

Total Spending Summary

Cost Breakdown by Category

Data Visualization

Chart Types

Time Aggregations

Filtering & Grouping

Date Range Selection

Grouping Options

Group costs by multiple dimensions:

Applying Filters

1. Click Filters in the analytics toolbar
2. Select dimension (Provider, Service, etc.)
3. Choose values to include/exclude
4. Click Apply
5. Filters persist until cleared

Currency & Localization

Supported Currencies

All costs are displayed in your organization's configured currency:

Currency Conversion

• Costs are converted using daily exchange rates
• Original currency preserved for accuracy
• Conversion rates updated daily

To change your display currency, click Organization in the Settings section of the sidebar, then open the General tab and update Locale Settings.

Timezone

All timestamps are displayed in your organization's timezone. To change it, click Organization in the Settings section of the sidebar, then open the General tab.

Comparison & Trends

Period Comparison

Compare costs across time periods:

Trend Indicators

Forecasting

Based on historical patterns, CloudAct projects:

• End of Month - Projected monthly total
• End of Quarter - Projected quarterly total
• End of Year - Projected annual total
• Confidence Range - Upper and lower bounds

Cost Allocation

Hierarchy Integration

Costs flow through your organizational hierarchy:

Organization
  Department (Engineering, Marketing, Sales)
    Project (Platform, Website, Mobile App)
      Team (Backend, Frontend, DevOps)

Allocation Rules

Unallocated Costs

Costs without hierarchy assignment:

• Shown as "Unassigned"
• Can be manually allocated
• Highlighted for attention

Export & Reporting

Export Formats

Export Options

Scheduled Reports

Set up automated reports:

1. Click Alerts in the Reports section of the sidebar
2. Create Scheduled Report
3. Configure:
   • Report type
   • Date range (rolling)
   • Recipients
   • Frequency (daily, weekly, monthly)
4. Save

Anomaly Detection

Automatic Detection

CloudAct identifies unusual spending patterns:

Anomaly Alerts

When anomalies are detected:

• Highlighted in dashboard
• Optional notification sent
• Investigation notes can be added

Setting Thresholds

Configure anomaly sensitivity:

1. Click Alerts in the Reports section of the sidebar
2. Select Anomaly Detection
3. Set threshold (e.g., 20% above average)
4. Choose notification method

Best Practices

1. Regular Review

• Check analytics daily for unexpected changes
• Review weekly for trends
• Deep dive monthly for optimization

2. Set Budgets

• Click Budgets in the Reports section of the sidebar to define budgets per category or department
• Set alerts at 80% and 100% of budget
• Review and adjust quarterly

3. Tag Everything

• Apply consistent tagging across cloud resources
• Assign hierarchy to all subscriptions
• Use project codes for cost allocation

4. Optimize Proactively

• Address anomalies immediately
• Review top spending services monthly
• Negotiate renewals using historical data

5. Share Insights

• Export reports for stakeholders
• Schedule regular cost reviews
• Empower teams with their cost data

Keyboard Shortcuts

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often is cost data updated? A: Daily for most providers. Cloud data has 24-48 hour delay from providers.

Q: Can I drill down to individual resources? A: Yes, for cloud costs. Click any service to see resource-level details.

Q: How accurate are forecasts? A: Forecasts are based on historical trends. Accuracy improves with more data.

Q: Can I create custom dashboards? A: Custom views coming soon. Use export for custom analysis.

Q: How far back is historical data available? A: Typically 3 months of backfill, then ongoing from connection date.