Overview
Cost Analyzer connects to Microsoft Azure via the Azure Management APIs to import billing data, run background services, and surface cost insights in Turbo360.
Business value
- Understand what data Cost Analyzer accesses and how it is secured
- Set the right permissions for your service principal
- Plan for data availability and sync timing
- Choose the deployment model that fits your organization
How it works
Cost Analyzer is built around five architectural layers: Azure connectivity, data ingestion and storage, processing engine, user access, and deployment. Each layer plays a distinct role in how cost data flows from Azure into Turbo360.
Layer 1: Azure connectivity
Turbo360 authenticates against Azure using a service principal registered in Microsoft Entra ID. You configure it under Settings > Service principals, and Turbo360 stores its credentials securely. The service principal can be configured in two ways:
- Path A: Full subscription: The service principal has Reader access across the entire Azure subscription.
- Path B: Restricted resource groups: The service principal is scoped to specific resource groups within a subscription, limiting the data Cost Analyzer can access.
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Layer 2: Data ingestion and storage
Turbo360 uses the Azure Management API to import billing data into the Turbo360 Internal Database. This enables efficient querying and cross-subscription analysis. Cost Analyzer imports billing data only. It does not access application data or resource configurations. In SaaS, each organization has its own isolated data store.
- On initial setup, up to 12 months of historical data is imported.
- After setup, data is synced automatically every 8 hours, covering a rolling 40-day window.
Layer 3: Processing engine
Once data is in the Turbo360 Internal Database, it is surfaced across four sections in a continuous cycle:
- Analysis: visualize and explore spending patterns
- Monitoring: detect anomalies and check budget thresholds
- Reports: generate and share cost reports
- Optimization: surface recommendations and automate cost-reduction actions
Layer 4: User access
Turbo360 supports two authentication methods:
- Username/password: Turbo360-managed credentials
- SSO (Single Sign-On): via Microsoft Entra ID
Authorization is managed within Turbo360. Roles are assigned to individual users or Entra ID groups, and cost group tree view access controls which data each user can see.
Layer 5: Deployment
Cost Analyzer is available in two deployment models:
| Model | Description |
|---|---|
| SaaS | Hosted by Turbo360. Azure OpenAI for AI agents is included with no extra configuration needed. |
| Private hosting | Self-hosted. You provide and connect your own Azure OpenAI resource for AI agent functionality, under Settings > OpenAI connection. |
Limitations
- Data can be delayed by up to 24 hours due to Azure Cost Management sync cycles.
- Initial import covers up to 12 months of history. Older data is not available and cannot be backfilled.
- Only subscriptions where the service principal has Reader access are included.