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Power BI for Azure Cost Savings

Azure produces a significant amount of billing and usage data across your subscriptions. However, solely relying on the Azure portal for data analysis can be somewhat restrictive. This is where Power BI proves invaluable, transforming raw Azure cost data into engaging, interactive dashboards that facilitate smarter financial decisions.

In this guide, we’ll take you step-by-step through using Power BI for Azure Cost Analysis. From data connection to creating insightful cost visualisations, we will also cover the optimal scenarios for its use, various dashboard creation options, common pitfalls, and solutions.

Why Opt for Power BI in Azure Cost Analysis?

Power BI is especially useful for developing executive dashboards that align with your organisation’s reporting preferences. It’s also ideal for integrating Azure cost data with other sources, like Salesforce or your internal financial systems. If your team is equipped to manage and update reports regularly, Power BI becomes an optimal choice. Additionally, it excels in situations where cost data visualisation can be simplified.

Step 1: Identify Your Data Sources

You can gather Azure cost data in Power BI from various sources:

Data Source Purpose
Azure Cost Management Exports Preprocessed usage and cost data stored in Azure.
Azure Resource Graph (ARG) Detailed metadata regarding Azure resources.
Azure Enterprise Agreement (EA) Billing APIs Cost and usage data for EA customers.
Azure Consumption APIs Usage data for PAYG or MCA accounts.
Azure Cost Management Connector (Preview) A direct connection from Power BI.

Depending on your specific account type (EA, MCA, CSP), select the source that best suits your needs.

Step 2: Activate Cost Export from the Azure Portal

We will use Azure Cost Management exports since it’s the most straightforward and recommended option for most users.

2.1 Navigate to Cost Management + Billing

  • Log into Azure Portal.
  • Navigate to Cost Management + Billing > Cost Management > Exports.

2.2 Create a New Export

  • Click on + Add.
  • Complete the following:
    • Name: e.g., “PowerBIExport.”
    • Export Type: Choose Daily or Monthly.
    • Export Scope: Select Subscription or Management Group.
    • Storage Account: Choose or create a Storage Account to store the data.

2.3 Review and Create

  • Click Review + Create.
  • Azure will commence exporting daily usage data as .csv files into your specified storage container.

Step 3: Link Power BI to Azure Export Data

3.1 Launch Power BI Desktop

  • Download Power BI from its official site.
  • Open Power BI Desktop.

3.2 Obtain Data from Azure Blob Storage

  • Click Home > Get Data > More.
  • Search for Azure Blob Storage.
  • Input your Storage Account name/key.
  • Navigate to the container housing your cost exports.
  • Select the requisite .csv file (usually ending with usage.csv).

3.3 Transform and Clean Your Data

  • Click Transform Data to open the Power Query Editor.
  • Utilise filters, rename columns, or adjust data types as necessary.
  • Key columns to focus on include:
    • MeterCategory.
    • ResourceGroup.
    • UsageDate.
    • PreTaxCost.
    • ConsumedService.
  • Click Close & Apply once you are satisfied with the modifications.

Step 4: Create Visualisations and Reports

4.1 Essential Charts to Begin With

  • Total Cost by Resource Group
    • Opt for a Clustered Bar Chart.
    • Axis: ResourceGroup | Value: PreTaxCost.
  • Cost Trend Over Time
    • Choose a Line Chart.
    • Axis: UsageDate | Value: PreTaxCost.
  • Cost by Meter Category or Service.
  • Custom Filters
    • Add slicers for Subscription, Tag, and Region.

4.2 Save and Publish Your Report

  • Save your .pbix file locally.
  • Click Publish to upload it to Power BI Service for online access and sharing.

Step 5: Automate Data Refresh

To ensure your dashboards are always current:

5.1 Set Up a Scheduled Refresh

  • In Power BI Service, go to your report > Settings.
  • Under Dataset Settings, configure the following:
    • Refresh frequency: daily or multiple times throughout the day.
    • Credentials for accessing Azure Storage.

This guarantees that your cost data remains aligned with the latest exports from Azure.

If you are looking to save time, consider pre-made templates:

  • Azure Cost Management Power BI App.
  • GitHub repositories like Azure-Samples may have .pbix templates with pre-created visuals.
  • Adjust these to incorporate your unique dimensions and branding.

Pro Tips for Maximising Power BI + Azure

  • Tag your Azure resources for improved filtering and cost attribution.
  • Utilise Azure Budgets alongside Power BI to visualise expenditures against set thresholds.
  • Develop separate dashboards tailored for finance and leadership teams.

Challenges in Power BI Azure Cost Reporting

This section examines the challenges associated with implementing Power BI dashboards in intricate Azure environments, along with how Turbo360, a third-party Azure cost management solution, addresses these issues.

Pitfall with Power BI Turbo360’s Solution
1. Static, Delayed Reporting Power BI relies on scheduled exports or API refreshes, often leading to outdated data. Real-Time Cost Visibility Turbo360 continuously retrieves data, fostering real-time dashboards, alerts for anomalies, and quicker responses to cost surges.
2. Manual Setup & Maintenance Creating reports needs connecting to storage, transforming CSVs, designing visuals, and crafting DAX expressions — a process that can be time-consuming and fraught with errors. Zero-Setup Dashboards Turbo360 provides Azure-native dashboards ready for use, eliminating the need for coding, Power BI expertise, or report upkeep.
3. No Built-in Anomaly Detection As a passive tool, Power BI won’t notify you of unexpected cost spikes without custom logic. Proactive Anomaly Alerts Turbo360 employs smart detection to inform you of unusual usage or spending patterns across various services and subscriptions.
4. Inefficient Multi-Tenant Management For large organisations or managed service providers (MSPs), handling multiple customers or business units necessitates complex data modelling and filtration. Designed for Multi-Tenant FinOps Turbo360 supports multiple tenants and scopes natively, allowing for effortless management, segmentation, and reporting across subscriptions, clients, or teams.
5. Lack of Self-Service Access for Stakeholders Power BI reports are often managed by central teams, limiting business users, engineers, or clients from independently exploring costs. Role-Based, Self-Service Views Turbo360 enables stakeholders to log in and view relevant cost reports without needing access to the Azure portal or Power BI.
6. Absence of Azure Optimisation Context While Power BI displays cost trends, it lacks insights into underutilised resources, wasted expenditure, or potential savings. Built-In Optimisation Insights Turbo360 identifies idle resources, recommends cleanup actions, and tracks Azure Advisor recommendations in one centralised location.

Case Study: How Wortell Transitioned from Power BI for Azure FinOps

Consider the case of Wortell, a prominent Microsoft partner and cloud service provider.

The company initially relied on self-created Power BI reports to offer FinOps services to their clients. As their cloud operations expanded, however, the limitations of their approach surfaced:

We found ourselves manually consolidating data, and our reports only provided a snapshot — never real-time. Furthermore, our clients couldn’t access their own data, hindering their cost understanding. — Alex, Wortell

Key challenges they encountered included:

  • Limited visibility of costs due to static reports.
  • Time-consuming manual processes to manage multiple tenants.
  • Lack of real-time insights or alerts.
  • No self-service access for clients.

This scenario made it difficult for them to provide scalable, proactive FinOps services — until they implemented Turbo360.

Bridging the Gaps: Why Turbo360 Enhances or Replaces Power BI

Turbo360 was specifically developed to tackle the challenges that Wortell and many other Azure users face. It offers immediate cost visibility, intelligent alerts, and multi-tenant FinOps capabilities with no manual reporting burden.

With Turbo360, FinOps became integral to our managed services rather than an additional task. It empowered us to efficiently scale our services and support our clients. — Alex, Wortell

Conclusion

Power BI excels at custom data visualisations, especially for executive reporting. However, when it comes to real-time, actionable, and scalable Azure cost management, Turbo360 stands out as a purpose-built solution that eliminates manual effort and unlocks true FinOps automation.

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