---
title: "Cost allocation"
slug: "cost-allocation-1"
updated: 2026-09-03T11:07:41Z
published: 2026-09-03T11:07:41Z
canonical: "docs.turbo360.com/cost-allocation-1"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.turbo360.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Cost allocation

## Overview

Cost allocation lets you split the cost of a shared parent resource across its child resources using a distribution strategy you define. Instead of attributing the full cost of a shared resource to a single owner, teams get accurate visibility into what each service or database actually costs.

Cost allocation is supported for two parent resource types:

- **App Service Plan:** costs are distributed to the Web Apps and Function Apps running under the plan.
- **SQL Elastic Pool:** costs are distributed to the SQL databases within the pool.

### Business value

Cost allocation gives teams accurate, resource-level cost visibility instead of a single lump-sum charge on a shared resource. This supports fairer chargeback, more precise budget tracking, and better-informed rightsizing decisions for individual workloads sharing a plan or pool.

## Prerequisites

You need an existing cost management group containing the App Service Plan or SQL Elastic Pool you want to allocate costs for.

### Required permissions

Cost allocation can be configured only by users with sufficient permissions.

| Role | Access |
| --- | --- |
| Account Owner | Can configure |
| Owner | Can configure |
| Contributor | Can configure |
| Custom role with group management permission enabled | Can configure |
| All other roles | Cannot access the feature |

## How it works

- Cost allocation rules are configured per cost management group, and apply to a specific parent resource within that group.
- Three distribution strategies are available: metric-based allocation, equal split, and percentage-based allocation.
- Rules created on a parent group apply automatically to child groups that have no rules of their own. Once a child group has at least one rule configured, the parent group's rules no longer apply to it: the child group's own rules take full precedence.
- You cannot add multiple rules for the same resource type within a single group.
- Once saved, a rule takes effect within a few minutes, and allocated costs become visible in the Analysis view shortly after.

## Steps

Use the following steps to open the cost allocation panel and add an allocation rule. Navigate to **Cost Analyzer** and select the cost management group you want to configure.

1. Click the **Context menu ( ⋮ )** next to the group name in the tree view.
2. Select **Cost allocation**.

The panel shows any existing rules for the group, along with an option to add a new one.

              
              

Rules created in a child group override the parent group's rules for that group.

### Add an allocation rule

Adding a rule opens a three-step wizard that defines the resource, the distribution strategy, and its configuration.

1. Click **+ Add allocation rule**.
2. **Resource:** Enter a rule name (required) and an optional description. Choose the resource type the rule applies to — **App Service Plan** or **SQL Elastic Pool** — and select the specific resource from the list. A single rule covers one resource type.
3. **Strategy:** Choose how the parent resource's cost is distributed across its child resources. See Configuration below for details on each strategy.
4. **Configuration:** Complete the configuration fields for the selected strategy, then click **Add rule** to save. The rule takes effect within a few minutes.

## Configuration

| Strategy | Description | Configuration required |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Metric-based allocation | Distributes costs proportionally based on a usage metric measured at the child resource level. Reflects actual usage and is the most precise option. | Select the usage metric. Available metrics depend on resource type — for example, SQL Elastic Pool supports `dtu_consumption_percent` (DTU Percentage), `cpu_percent` (CPU Percentage), and `storage_percent` (Storage Percentage). A live example in the panel previews the resulting distribution based on current metric values. |
| Equal split | Divides the parent's cost equally across all child resources. For example, a pool with 4 databases costing $500/month assigns $125 to each database. | None. The panel shows a preview of the equal distribution. |
| Percentage-based | Lets you manually assign a fixed percentage to each child resource. | Enter a percentage for each child resource in the table provided. The running total must reach exactly 100% before the rule can be saved. |

## Example scenario

A SQL Elastic Pool costing $500 per month hosts 4 databases used by different teams. The group owner adds a cost allocation rule using the **Equal split** strategy. Each database is assigned $125/month in the Analysis view, giving each team an accurate view of its own database cost instead of a single pooled charge.

## Limitations

- Only App Service Plan and SQL Elastic Pool are supported as parent resource types.
- Only one allocation rule can exist per resource type within a group.
- Percentage-based allocation requires the total across all child resources to equal exactly 100% before the rule can be saved.

## Troubleshooting

1. **Cost allocation option is missing from the Context menu ( ⋮ )** Cause: The signed-in user does not have Account Owner, Owner, Contributor, or a custom role with group management permission enabled. Fix: Ask an account owner or administrator to grant the required role or permission.
2. **Percentage-based rule won't save** Cause: The percentages assigned across child resources do not add up to exactly 100%. Fix: Adjust the percentage values until the running total shown in the panel reaches exactly 100%.
3. **Cannot add a second rule for the same resource type** Cause: A cost allocation rule already exists for that resource type within the group. Fix: Edit or delete the existing rule instead of creating a new one, or apply the new rule at a different group level.
4. **Child resource option is missing from the Expand by menu in Analysis** Cause: No cost allocation rule has been configured for that parent resource, or the rule was saved only moments ago and has not yet taken effect. Fix: Confirm a rule exists for the resource and wait a few minutes for it to take effect before checking Analysis again.
5. **Group by filter resets unexpectedly in Analysis** Cause: The selected time interval has no associated cost data for the parent resource. Fix: Choose a time interval in which the parent resource has recorded cost data, then reapply Group by.

## FAQs

1. **Can I apply different allocation rules to different databases in the same pool?** No. A single rule applies one distribution strategy across all child resources of a given parent resource within a group.
2. **What happens to a child group's costs if I remove its own allocation rule?** The child group falls back to inheriting its parent group's allocation rule, if one exists.
3. **Which strategy is most accurate for reflecting actual usage?** Metric-based allocation, since it distributes costs proportionally based on real usage metrics measured at the child resource level rather than an equal or manually assigned split.

## Related articles

- [Cost analysis](https://docs.turbo360.com/docs/cost-analysis)
- [Change analysis](https://docs.turbo360.com/docs/change-analysis)
- [Managing analysis views](https://docs.turbo360.com/docs/managing-analysis-views)
- [Cost management groups](https://docs.turbo360.com/docs/cost-management-groups)