Custom Dashboards Overview
Finout offers the flexibility to build tailor-made dashboards specifically designed for cloud cost management purposes. Whether you need to track cost trends, analyze cost breakdowns, or monitor cost allocation across different projects or departments, our dashboard customization options have got you covered.
You can create personalized dashboards that cater to the unique requirements of various stakeholders, such as finance teams, IT managers, or executives. Our platform allows you to select from a variety of cost visualization widgets, charts, and forecasts to present cost data in a way that is most meaningful and actionable for you and your stakeholders.
Finout supports the following dashboard widgets:
Cost & Usage: Provides a consolidated view of your cloud services' spending and resource usage. It tracks cost data to analyze spending trends and visualizes usage patterns over time for efficient monitoring and analysis.
Text: Provides a space for adding custom text, notes, hyperlinks, or descriptions to your dashboard. This widget is useful for adding context, instructions, URLs, or annotations to your dashboard for better clarity and communication.
Budget: Helps you set and track budget targets for your cloud spending. It allows you to compare actual expenses against planned budgets and forecasts.
CostGuard: Integrates with the CostGuard feature to display insights and alerts on cost-saving opportunities. It highlights areas of potential waste, underutilized resources, and optimization recommendations to reduce cloud costs. This widget is coming soon.
Anomalies: Detects and displays unusual patterns or spikes in your cloud spending or resource usage. This widget is coming soon.
By building tailor-made dashboards for cloud cost management, you can gain better visibility into cost drivers, identify cost-saving opportunities, and make informed decisions to optimize your cloud expenditure. Whether you want to track cost by service, region, or specific resource groups, our customizable dashboards empower you to focus on the metrics and insights that matter most to your organization.
How to Create Custom Dashboards
Navigate to the Dashboard feature and click on the Create Dashboard button.
Click on the Add Widget option.
Choose a widget for your dashboard from a list of available templates or recently saved widgets.
Select the component for your widget based on cost, unit economics, or usage.
Choose the type of data visualization you prefer for your widget or load a dashboard type from your saved views.
Set your desired filters for the widget to narrow down the data displayed:
Group By: Organize data using various aspects of the Finout MegaBill; cost centers, services, custom costs, Virtual Tags, and more.
X-Axis: Select the data for the widget's horizontal axis.
Time interval: Daily, weekly, or monthly.
Timeframe customization: Set a specific timeframe fitting your widget's display needs.
(Optional) You can add a Show Forecast feature to your widget. This enables you to predict future trends based on historical data. The forecast cost is calculated for the selected filter throughout the current month and displayed in an accumulative graph.
Give your widget a name.
Once all the settings have been configured, Finout will provide you with a preview of the widget. This preview gives you a visual representation of how the widget will appear within your custom dashboard. You can review the data visualization, applied filters, and any additional features you have selected.
The preview allows you to ensure that the widget is displaying the desired information and is visually appealing. If any adjustments are needed, you can make changes to the widget's settings before finalizing it.
(Optional) Give your widget a description: If you want to provide additional context or details for your widget, you have the option to include a description. This can help users understand the purpose or specific insights provided by the widget.
(Optional) Change the cost type if needed: If the default cost type assigned to the widget does not align with your requirements, you can select a different cost type from options such as Net Amortized Cost, Amortized Cost, Unblended Cost, Net Unblended Cost, or Blended Cost.
If you have chosen the Unit Economics component for your widget, additional options will be available to further customize it:
Metric: Select the specific metric you want to focus on for your Unit Economic widget. You can choose from metrics such as NumberOfScans, TransactionCount, or ConcurrentAPICalls.
(Optional) Unit aggregation: If needed, you can enable unit aggregation for your widget. This feature allows you to aggregate or group units based on certain criteria, providing a consolidated view of unit economics for easier analysis and understanding.
Once you have completed the configuration of your custom widget and made any desired adjustments, you can save your changes by selecting the Save and Return option. This will ensure that your widget settings are preserved and applied within your custom dashboard.
After saving, you will be automatically redirected to your new dashboard, where you will see your newly created widget.
Please note that the widget will reflect the selected timeframe or interval chosen, as shown in the image below.
Customizing Your Dashboard
Customize your dashboard to fit your unique needs and preferences. With customizable options, such as widgets, time parameters, and notifications, you can prioritize the most relevant information, creating a more focused and efficient dashboard. Whether you want to highlight key metrics, adjust layouts, or personalize the look and feel, customizing your dashboard empowers you to streamline data visualization and make better-informed decisions.
Give your dashboard a name
Simply enter a name that accurately reflects the purpose or content of your dashboard.
Add more widgets to your dashboard
Once you have created your dashboard, you can enhance it further by adding as many widgets as you like. To do this, click on the Add Widget option located either at the top or bottom of the screen within your dashboard interface.
Time parameters for your dashboard
Define the timeframe and interval settings globally for the entire dashboard.
Important: Implementing a dashboard-wide timeframe or interval will override the settings of individual widgets. When these changes are made, you'll receive an alert. A detailed filter overview will also be available to show which widget settings have been affected.
Removing time parameters from a dashboard
Select the "X" next to the specified timeframe or interval. Once removed, the dashboard widgets will revert to their default settings.
After removing a setting, at any time, you can return to your prior configurations by selecting Back to dashboard settings.
Editing a widget
Click on the three dots icon to reveal a dropdown menu of options and select the Edit Widget option.
Duplicating a widget
Click on the three dots icon to reveal a dropdown menu of options and select the Duplicate Widget.
Removing a widget from a dashboard
Click on the three dots icon to reveal a dropdown menu of options and select Remove from the dashboard.
Opening the widget in the MegaBill
Dashboard settings
Accessible via the three-dot menu, the Dashboard settings allow for the definition of the overall time parameters.
Time Frame: Activate this to specify a unique time frame for your entire dashboard.
Time Interval: Switch this on to set a custom time interval for all widgets on your dashboard.
Once saved, the chosen parameters will appear at the top of your dashboard.
Important: Implementing a dashboard-wide timeframe or interval will override the settings of individual widgets. When these changes are made, you'll receive an alert. A detailed filter overview will also be available to show which widget settings have been affected.
Creating automatic report notifications for your dashboards
With Finout, you can set up daily, weekly, or monthly reports based on your dashboards. These reports can be conveniently delivered to your email or shared as Slack messages.
To create a report for a specific dashboard, simply navigate to the dashboard view and click on the Subscribe button. This will initiate the process of setting up a report specifically tailored to that dashboard.
Enter a Report Name.
Enter a Report Description.
Select a dashboard.
In the Choose an endpoint, either select a Slack endpoint or enter an email address.
Select a Report time frame (Daily, Weekly, or Monthly) and the required number of days, weeks, or months.
Select the Interval (daily, weekly, or monthly). This defines how often the report will be sent.
For weekly, select the Day of the Week.
For monthly, select the Day of the Month.
Select the time to Send at and the Time Zone.
Click Save Report.
Clone and Delete your Dashboard
Under the Dashboard feature, you can access a list of your custom dashboards. You can clone or delete any custom dashboard. To do so, navigate to the dashboard list and click on the three dots for the dashboard you want to clone or delete.
Additional Dashboard Options
Under the Dashboard feature, you can access a list of your custom dashboards. For any custom dashboard, you have the flexibility to clone or delete it. Simply click on the three dots icon to reveal the respective options.
Cost and Usage Widgets
Finout's cost and usage widgets are designed to assist in effectively monitoring cloud spending and service utilization. The cost widget offers insights into the financial aspects of your cloud services, enabling systematic tracking and analysis of expenditure over time. The usage widget facilitates the visualization of service consumption, aiding in the easy monitoring and analysis of usage patterns and trends.
To create a new cost and usage widget:
In Finout, navigate to Dashboards.
A list of your dashboards appears.
Select the relevant dashboard.
The Dashboard overview appears.
Select Add widget.
The Add Widget popup appears.
Choose Cost or Usage.
The cost or usage widget builder appears.Note: When editing an existing widget, you can reset any changes to revert to the last saved version by clicking Reset changes.
Name your widget: Click
and add a name.
Data type selection: Choose which metric to display: Cost or Usage.
You can enable two of the following specialized layers: Trend Projection and Computational.
Trend Projection Layer
Enables users to generate future-oriented estimations based on past and current data trends. This layer utilizes selected time frames to provide forecasts, helping in strategic planning and decision-making.
Functionality:
Trend Identification: Based on the analysis of historical data, the trend line identifies the general direction of the data trend, using linear forecast method.
Forecasting: Using linear forecast algorithm, the trend line extrapolates future data points beyond the available dataset. It generates forecast of future values based on the observed trend, enabling users to anticipate future trends and plan accordingly.
Visualization: See the trend line alongside the actual data points in a visual form, making it easier to identify deviations from the trend and data-driven decisions.
Use cases:
Budget Forecasting: Users can leverage the trend projection layer to understand future cloud costs based on historical spending trends. By selecting relevant time frames, such as the past month, users can generate estimates of future cost trends and plan resource allocation more effectively.
Capacity Planning: Users can predict future resource utilization and capacity requirements. By analyzing past usage patterns and projecting trends forward, users can anticipate changes in demand, optimize resource allocation, avoid over-provisioning or under-provisioning, and ensure smooth operation of cloud environments.
Cost Optimization Strategies: Users can identify potential cost-saving opportunities by forecasting future cost trends. By analyzing historical cost data and projecting future spending patterns, users can proactively identify areas where cost optimization measures can be implemented. This includes optimizing resource utilization, rightsizing instances, leveraging reserved instances or savings plans, and adopting cost-effective pricing models.
To enable a trend projection layer:
1)Projection Technique - Choose the method for the projected trend.
2)Projection time range baseline - select the time range for the data to evaluate.
3)Forecasted time frame - select the time frame for which you would like to see the forecasted data.
4)Time interval - select the time interval displayed in the widget.
Computational LayerThe Computational layer allows you to add computation capabilities to define and track business KPIs by setting operators between metrics, enabling comparisons and calculations between costs and usages, or a combination of both. The results of these operations can be visualized directly within your widgets, providing a powerful means for custom analysis and deeper insights.
Computations layer combinations:
Cost and Cost:Cost / Cost: Cost Ratio
Cost - Cost: Cost Difference
Cost + Cost: Cost Aggregation
Cost % Cost: Cost Percentage Difference
Usage and UsageUsage / Usage: Usage Ratio
Usage - Usage: Usage Difference
Usage + Usage: Usage Aggregation
Usage % Usage: Usage Percentage Difference
Cost and UsageCost / Usage: Price per unit (e.g., dollars per CPU hour).
Usage and CostUsage / Cost: Efficiency measure (e.g., CPU hours per dollar).
To enable a computational layer:
1)Select the Cost or Usage Widget.
The widget configuration appears.
2)Click Computational.
The computational layer popup appears.
3)Enter a name for the computational layer.4)Choose the Cost /Usage computational data points:
For Cost:
Choose the filters that you want to use.
Choose cost type. See Cost and Usage Types for an explanation of all the cost types.
For Usage:
Choose the filters that you want to use.
Choose usage and unit type. See Cost and Usage Types for an explanation of all the usage and unit types.
5)Click Save.
You are brought back to the configuration page.
8. Widget Main Settings -
Note: The main settings are dynamically adapted based on the chosen widget type (cost/usage) and specialized layer (trend projection/computation layer configurations).
Customize the time frame and interval: Modify the time frame and time interval displayed in the widget to a different range.
Load from view : Select a created and saved view from the MegaBill to use its configuration.
Choose Filters : Select which cost data to view. When loading from view, the filters will be populated automatically.
Group By: Select value to group the cost/usage data by.
X-Axis grouping: For bar, or table visualization, decide whether the X-axis will show dates or values.
Daily Average: Toggle-on to view the daily average over time for Cost or Usage widgets in the bar and table visualizations.
When looking at monthly and weekly reports, understanding the daily average cost over time is crucial as it uncovers spending trends that total cost can hide.Note:
- The default mode for visualizations shows the total cost or usage.
- Showing the daily average is currently not supported when applying trend or computational layers.
9. Widget Advanced Settings -
Note: The advanced settings are dynamically adapted based on the chosen widget type (cost/usage) and specialized layer (trend projection/computation layer configurations).
Choose a cost type for the widget. See Cost Types and Usage for all of the cost types.
Provide a brief of your cost/usage widget. You can opt to display this description at the bottom of the widget.
10. Select a visualization type (bar, line, pie, table, or numeric) that best suits your cost/usage data.
Note: You can view the daily average over time in the bar and table visualizations.
Your widget is configured.
Budget Widget
The Budget widget within Finout is a powerful tool designed to assist you in setting and monitoring budget targets for your cloud spending. This feature enables you to compare your actual expenses with your planned budgets and forecasts, providing a clear picture of your financial performance. By utilizing the budget widget, you can gain insights into how your spending aligns with your financial goals, identify areas where adjustments may be needed, and make informed decisions to optimize your cloud expenditure.
For more information about the budget feature, please refer to the main documentation.
To create a new budget widget:
Navigate to the Dashboard feature in the navigation bar.
Select Add widget and then choose Budget from the presented options.
From your list of created budgets, choose the one you want to use as the data source for your new widget.
The budget widget builder will be presented.
Name your widget: Click
Budget selection (optional): You can opt to select a different budget for visualization if needed.
Metric selection: Determine which metrics (cost, budget, forecast) to display. You can select more than one metric.
Enable visualization layer (optional).
Widget main settings:
Date customization (optional): If needed, you can adjust the budget timeframe displayed in the widget to a different range.
Filter on budget values: Select specific budget values to display. You have the option to group by these values.
X-Axis configuration: For bar, line, or table widgets, decide whether the X-axis will show dates or values. For Numeric widgets, select either sum or average as the calculation method.
Operator configuration: For the numeric widget, select the operator; either the sum of the entire chosen budget date or the average of the chosen budget date.
Widget advanced settings:
-Choose a cost type to show the actual cost.
-Provide a brief of your budget widget. You can opt to display this description at the bottom of the widget.Select a visualization type (bar, line, pie, table, or numeric) that best suits your cost/usage data.
Click Save.
Your widget is configured.
Budget Visualization Layers
In Finout widgets, users can enhance customization and insights with widget layers, allowing multiple dimensions of data analysis within a single widget. Widget layers offer discrete levels of data manipulation or visualization, representing various types of data interactions such as computational calculations, trend projections, or custom metrics creation. This enables complex and rich data analysis without needing multiple separate widgets.
Benefits of using the widget layers:
Enhanced customization: Tailor your widgets to show exactly what you need, from basic metrics to advanced computational analyses.
Deeper insights: By layering different types of data analysis, gain a nuanced understanding of your metrics and their interrelations.
Efficiency: Consolidate complex data views into single widgets, reducing clutter and improving dashboard readability.
Computational layer
The Computational Layer allows for the creation of custom ratio metrics. This is achieved by performing mathematical operations, such as division, subtraction, or percentage calculations between any two data points you select. The results of these operations can be visualized directly within your widgets, providing a powerful means for custom analysis and deeper insights.
Functionality:
Build ratios: Combine different data sources to create meaningful ratios, such as cost-to-revenue, to monitor efficiency or other key performance indicators.
Customize metrics: Tailor new metrics that are not readily available, enabling you to analyze specific aspects of your data in a way that suits your unique business needs.
Visualize relationships: See the direct relationship between chosen data points in visual form, making it easier to draw conclusions and make data-driven decisions.
Use cases:
Budget analysis: Calculate and visualize cloud spending as a percentage of your total budget to assess how much of your resources are allocated to cloud services.
Operational efficiency: Create a metric that compares production output to labor hours to determine operational efficiency over time.
ROI tracking: Monitor the return on investment by comparing the revenue generated against the marketing spend for each campaign.
How to use the computational layer:
Choose the two data points you want to use; cost, budget, or forecast.
Select the mathematical operation (division, subtraction, percentage) to apply to your chosen data points.
Once your custom metric is created, it will appear as an additional visualization in your widget.
Example:
You can create a metric to represent cloud spending as a percentage of the total budget. This visualization provides valuable insights by highlighting the proportion of your budget allocated to cloud expenses, helping you evaluate spending efficiency and guide strategic budgeting decisions.
Still need help? Please feel free to reach out to our team at [email protected]..