Cost Management for Enterprises

Enabling Cost Center

After the owner of an enterprise master account enables Cost Center, the Cost Center is also enabled by default for all its member accounts that are associated for unified accounting management.

If a previously associated account is disassociated but still wants to access Cost Center, they need to enable it as instructed in Enabling Cost Center.

Data Scope

• If you are using a master account, Cost Center shows you the following data:
  • Your own cost and usage data
  • Your member accounts' cost and usage data generated while they are associated with your account
• If you are using a member account associated with the master account for unified accounting management, Cost Center provides you only with the cost and usage data generated during the association period. If you are no longer associated with the master account and have become an individual customer, the cost and usage data generated during the association period will no longer be available to you. You will only be able to access the data generated during the disassociation period.

Cost Tags

The master account manages cost tags, including activating or deactivating cost tags. Member accounts wishing to use tags for cost analysis can only use tags activated by the master account. For details, see Activating Cost Tags.

Once member accounts are disassociated from the master account, they can no longer use the tags activated by the master account. If they wish to continue to use those tags, they need to activate them by themselves.

Cost and Usage Forecasting

If any member accounts disassociated from the master account wish to continue to use cost and usage forecasting enabled during the association period, they need to enable cost and usage forecasting by themselves. For details about how to enable forecasting, see Forecasting.

Budgets

The master account can set budgets for its member accounts for each budget period so that the member accounts can plan usage and budget costs appropriately. If you are using a master account and want to create a budget for your member accounts, select these member accounts from Linked Account. For details, see Creating a Budget.

If any member accounts are disassociated from the master account, the budgets created during the association period will become invalid, and they need to re-create budgets.

Cost Analysis

• The master account can select member accounts from Linked Account to analyze their cost data. For details, see Viewing Cost Analyses.
• If you are using a member account associated with the master account for unified accounting management, Cost Center provides you only with the cost data generated during the association period. If you are no longer associated with the master account and have become an individual customer, the cost data generated during the association period will no longer be available to you. You will only be able to access the data generated during the disassociation period.

Analysis Reports

• The master account can select member accounts from Linked Account to analyze their cost data. For details, see Analysis Reports. If a master account are disassociated from its member accounts, it cannot view the analysis reports of the member accounts.
• If any member accounts are disassociated from the master account, they can only view their own analysis reports.

Reserved Instances

• The master account can select member accounts from Linked Account to analyze their RI utilization and coverage data for the period of time they are associated for unified accounting management. The master account is not allowed to access member accounts' data for RIs purchased when the accounts were not associated.
• If you are using a member account associated with the master account for unified accounting management, Cost Center provides you only with the RI utilization and coverage data generated during the association period. If you are no longer associated with the master account and have become an individual customer, the RI utilization and coverage data generated during the association period will no longer be available to you. You will only be able to access the data generated during the disassociation period.
• For details about how to analyze RI utilization and coverage, see Reserved Instances.

Cost Categories

The master account manages cost categories. Member accounts wishing to use cost categories can only use the cost categories created by the master account. Any member accounts disassociated from the master account cannot use the cost categories created by the master account. If they wish to continue using cost categories for cost analysis and budget management, they need to create by themselves. For details, see Cost Category Management.