Follow the Steps to Enable AWS Cost and Usage Report for CloudForecast

Follow the steps below to enable support for the Cost and Usage reports from AWS with CloudForecast. You are granting READ-ONLY credentials to an S3 bucket.

There are two different options for CUR setup:

  1. Option 1: Existing S3 bucket with historical CUR files
  2. Option 2: CUR files not enabled in the Billing Dashboard

Video Tutorial

Option 1: Existing S3 bucket with historical CUR files

The following is the preferred setup method if you already have an S3 bucket with CUR files in it.

Historical data from existing CUR files will provide better analysis and comparisons for all our reports.

Copy S3 bucket name and prefix

1. Click the following link to log in and navigate directly to Billing and Cost Management dashboard in your AWS Console: https://console.aws.amazon.com/costmanagement/home

2. On the left menu bar, click Data Exports

3. Under the “Export Name” column, click the blue link for the Cost and Usage report you want to use:

4. After that, a new screen showing the settings of the Cost and Usage report will show up. Please ensure the following settings are enabled:

5. Click “Edit” on the top right-hand corner. Scroll down and look for Data export storage settings. In a seperate notepad, copy the S3 bucket and S3 path prefix:

6. Take the copied S3 bucket name and Report path prefix and enter it in to the configuration wizard. Press save.

Credential setup - AWS cost and usage

Enable Cost Allocation tags

1. Click the following link to log in and navigate directly to My Billing Dashboard in your AWS Console: https://console.aws.amazon.com/billing/home

2. Click on Cost allocation tags on the left navigation bar.

3. Under User-Defined Cost Allocation Tags, select all the tags in the table by checking on the first box. Ensure all the tags you have selected are all checked on.

User-defined cost allocation tags - finished loading tags

4. Press the Activate button to finish the process.

5. Proceed to CloudFormation setup process to grant read-only access to the S3 bucket: CloudFormation Method

Option 2: CUR files not enabled in the Billing Dashboard

Enable Cost and Usage Report

1. Click the following link to log in and navigate directly to Billing and Cost Management dashboard in your AWS Console: https://console.aws.amazon.com/costmanagement/home

2. On the left menu bar, click Data Exports

3. In the Create report wizard, select "Legacy CUR export" as the option

4. Under Export name, name the CUR. Under Export content, ensure “Include resource IDs and “Refresh automatically” is enabled.

5. Under Data table delivery options select the following settings: “Hourly” and “Create new report version”. Both Parquet and gZip are the preferred compression type.

6. Under Data export storage settings, press configure to create a new S3 bucket.

7. Name your S3 bucket a generic name related to your company and press to create a bucket.

6. After that, name the S3 Path Prefix as CloudForecast or another generic name.

7. Copy both the S3 bucket name and the S3 Path Prefix and paste them into a seperate notepad. You’ll need this information in the CloudForecast app. Press “Create Report” on the bottom right:

8. Take the copied Report path prefix and enter it in your CloudForecast dashboard under Settings -> AWS Credentials -> Prefix. Press Save

CloudForecast dashboard credential setup - aws

Enable Cost Allocation tags

1. Click the following link to log in and navigate directly to My Billing Dashboard in your AWS Console: https://console.aws.amazon.com/billing/home

2. Click on Cost allocation tags on the left navigation bar.

3. Under User-Defined Cost Allocation Tags, select all the tags in the table by checking on the first box. Ensure all the tags you have selected are all checked on.

User-defined cost allocation tags - select all the tags in the table

4. Press the Activate button to finish the process.

5. Proceed to CloudFormation setup process to grant read-only access to the S3 bucket: CloudFormation Method