Commitments Log

The Commitments Log feature within Finout, available to all customers, provides you with a comprehensive audit and monitoring capability for all AWS Reserved Instance (RI) actions. With Finout, you gain more than just cost control - you ensure RI plan transparency and accountability. By leveraging this feature, you can optimize your management of RIs, enhance operational efficiency, and make more informed decisions regarding your AWS RI actions. The system sources its data directly from AWS, presenting all relevant information for user convenience.

Note: RIs will automatically appear from your primary AWS account in the Commitment Log. However, if you have AWS sub-accounts purchasing RIs or savings plans and wish to view their data in the Commitment Log, kindly follow the steps outlined below to integrate these accounts with Finout.

Commitments Log - Overview

Filter options

The Commitments Log comes equipped with a multitude of filtering options to allow for targeted viewing:

• Time Frame: Filter the log entries based on a specific period or date range. Will filter on any action done in the timeframe.

  • Please note that the standard time frame is set to 30 days. If no activity occurs within this period, the page will display as empty.

• Action Type:

  • Bought: The purchase of an RI.

  • Expired: The expiration of an RI term.

  • Listed: The RI was listed for sale.

  • Sold: The RI has been successfully sold.

  • Cancelled: The listing was withdrawn before any action occurred.

    Note: The actions "Listed," "Sold," and "Canceled" are only relevant if an account is registered as a seller.

• Region: Filter entries based on AWS regions.

• Instance Type: View logs based on the type of AWS instance.

• Operating System: Filter the logs by the OS type of the instance.

Metadata access

You can access the plan's metadata for an in-depth perspective, providing clarity on the specific details that characterize each plan.

Data export option

For those who prefer offline or external evaluations, there is an option to download a CSV file, which reflects the view based on the filters chosen.

Customizable columns

Tailor the Commitments Log table to your needs:

• Rearrange columns to fit your viewing preference better.

• Manage columns by adding or removing them, ensuring the table displays only what is relevant.

Connecting AWS sub-accounts

To view the RI actions from your sub-accounts in Finout, permissions are necessary for the sub-accounts where the RIs were bought, sold, or listed.

If you have any sub-accounts that manage RI purchases and wish to display their data in Finout’s Commitment Log, you must grant permissions for those specific accounts.

There are two methods to link your AWS sub-accounts to Finout:

1. Use StackSet permissions (recommended approach).

2. Manually grant sub-account permissions.

Add StackSet permissions using CloudFormation

• Create a CloudFormation StackSet from a template by following the instructions on the AWS website.
• Use the following Amazon S3 URL for your Stackset template. You can use the role name you previously used for the Main account or use a new role name.

  New role:

  https://finout-public-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/FinoutCommitmentsNewRole.json

  Existing Role:

  https://finout-public-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/FinoutCommitmentsExistingRole.json
• provide the role ARN to the Finout team by reaching out through your customer support channel.

Adding permissions manually

Use the following JSON file to add permissions manually to your accounts:

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Sid": "FinoutCommitments",
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "ec2:DescribeReservedInstances",
        "ec2:DescribeReservedInstancesListings",
        "rds:DescribeReservedDBInstances",
        "elasticache:DescribeReservedCacheNodes",
        "redshift:DescribeReservedNodes",
        "ce:GetReservationUtilization",
        "ce:GetSavingsPlansUtilization",
        "ce:GetSavingsPlansUtilizationDetails"
      ],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

Permissions issues

Should you encounter the screen detailed below:

Here's how to proceed:

• If the main account handles RI purchases:

  • For those who utilized CloudFormation during the onboarding process, run the update function.
  • For manual onboarding, modify the JSON based on the onboarding process.
• If sub-accounts manage the RIs purchases:

  • Please follow the provided guidelines to grant permissions to the sub-account.