---
title: "Architecture"
slug: "cost-analyzer-architecture"
updated: 2026-10-30T07:08:55Z
published: 2026-10-30T07:08:55Z
canonical: "docs.turbo360.com/cost-analyzer-architecture"
---

> ## 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.

# Architecture

## 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.

![cost-analyzer-architecture-overview-five-layers.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/a21734f9-5f67-4835-bb81-a488f8191fa8/Images/Documentation/cost-analyzer-architecture-overview-five-layers.svg)

### 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.

![cost-analyzer-architecture-layer-1-azure-connectivity.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/a21734f9-5f67-4835-bb81-a488f8191fa8/Images/Documentation/cost-analyzer-architecture-layer-1-azure-connectivity(1).svg)

### 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.

![cost-analyzer-architecture-layer-2-data-ingestion-and-storage.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/a21734f9-5f67-4835-bb81-a488f8191fa8/Images/Documentation/cost-analyzer-architecture-layer-2-data-ingestion-and-storage.svg)

### 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

![cost-analyzer-architecture-layer-3-processing-engine.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/a21734f9-5f67-4835-bb81-a488f8191fa8/Images/Documentation/cost-analyzer-architecture-layer-3-processing-engine.svg)

### 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.

![cost-analyzer-architecture-layer-4-user-access.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/a21734f9-5f67-4835-bb81-a488f8191fa8/Images/Documentation/cost-analyzer-architecture-layer-4-user-access.svg)

### 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**. |

![cost-analyzer-architecture-layer-5-deployment.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/a21734f9-5f67-4835-bb81-a488f8191fa8/Images/Documentation/cost-analyzer-architecture-layer-5-deployment.svg)

## 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.

## Related articles

- [What is Cost Analyzer?](https://docs.turbo360.com/docs/what-is-cost-analyzer-1)
- [Benefits](https://docs.turbo360.com/docs/cost-analyzer-benefits)
- [Use cases](https://docs.turbo360.com/docs/cost-analyzer-use-cases)
- [Service principal setup](https://docs.turbo360.com/docs/service-principal-setup)
- [Quick start](https://docs.turbo360.com/docs/cost-analyzer-quick-start)