✅ How to Visualize Azure Billing Data in Power BI

After connecting Power BI to your Azure cost data—via the Cost Management connector or imported files—you can build dashboards to analyze spend by service, time, resource group, and tags.

📥 1. Load the Data

  1. Open Power BI Desktop.
  2. Load your data:
    • From the Azure Cost Management connector (pre-built tables like Usage, Dimensions, etc.)
    • Or from CSV/Parquet files (e.g., UsageDetails.csv)
  3. Click Close & Apply in Power Query to load data into the model.

➕ 2. Create a Cost Measure (If Needed)

If your data has a column like CostInBillingCurrency or PreTaxCost, you can use it directly. Otherwise, create a new measure:

DAXCopyEditTotalCost = SUM(UsageDetails[Cost])

✅ Result: You now have a reusable cost field for your visuals.

📊 3. Build a “Cost by Service” Chart

  1. In Report View, drag ServiceName to the canvas.
  2. Drag your TotalCost measure onto the same visual.
  3. Switch the visual to a Pie Chart or Bar Chart.

✅ Result: You’ll see how total cost is distributed across Azure services (e.g., Compute, Storage, Networking).

📈 4. Add a Time Trend Chart

  1. Create a Line Chart.
  2. Drag Date to the X-axis and TotalCost to the Y-axis.
  3. Adjust the Date hierarchy to show by Month or Day.

✅ Result: A time-based trend of your Azure spend.

🧱 5. Breakdown by Resource Group or Tags

  1. Add a Bar Chart with ResourceGroup on the axis and TotalCost as the value.
  2. If using Tags (e.g., Department, Project):
    • Expand the JSON field if needed (see Guide #14).
    • Use the tag field as the axis.

✅ Result: See which teams, apps, or departments are driving costs.

🎛️ 6. Add Filters and Slicers

To make the dashboard interactive:

  • Add Slicers for:
    • Subscription
    • Service Family
    • Tags
    • Date range

✅ Result: Viewers can explore the data by filtering to their own scope.

🎨 7. Apply Formatting and KPIs

  • Add titles to all visuals (e.g., “Cost by Service”, “Spend Trend”).
  • Use data labels for clarity.
  • Add a Card visual to show: DAXCopyEditMonthlyCost = CALCULATE([TotalCost], MONTH(TODAY()) = MONTH(UsageDetails[Date]))
  • Apply conditional formatting to highlight cost spikes.

✅ Result: A clean, insightful dashboard for stakeholders.

🚀 8. Optional: Use the Microsoft Cost Management App

Microsoft offers a pre-built Power BI app for Azure Cost Management. It includes ready-made charts and KPIs. You can:

  • Customize it further
  • Add your own visuals
  • Combine with other data sources

☁️ 9. Publish and Share

  1. Click Publish to upload the report to the Power BI Service.
  2. Set a refresh schedule:
    • If using the connector, enter your credentials.
    • If using storage, set up a gateway or ensure the files are cloud-accessible.
  3. Share the dashboard with stakeholders for real-time insights.

🎯 Outcome: You now have a powerful dashboard to track Azure costs by service, time, project, and team—helping you drive cost accountability and identify optimization opportunities.