Google Cloud Unveils FOCUS: Streamlining Cloud Cost Management Across Providers with a Looker Explore and Dashboard
Google Cloud's FOCUS BigQuery view seamlessly integrates with Looker, offering businesses a unified and streamlined approach to cloud cost management across providers.
- FOCUS Looker explore transforms Google Cloud billing data into FOCUS specification, enhancing compatibility.
- Enables querying and analyzing Google Cloud costs alongside other providers using common FOCUS format.
- Utilizes Detailed Billing Export and Price Exports, simplifying setup for users.
- Google Cloud's commitment to open standards enhances collaboration with customers, FinOps practitioners, and industry leaders.
- Detailed Billing Export
- Pricing Export
The LookML is written in BigQuery Standard SQL.
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Prepare Your Looker Environment:
- Ensure you have permissions to create a Looker project dedicated to this analysis.
- Have the following information on hand:
- The name of your database connection in Looker.
- The date you want your analysis to start from.
- The names of the pricing and billing tables within your database.
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Download and Adapt the Repository:
- Fork the following public github repo to another github repo: https://github.com/looker-open-source/google_cloud_focus
- For instructions on how to fork a github repo, refer to the Github documentation:
- Create a new LookML Project and select “Blank Project”.
- On your new LookML Project, Configure Git using SSH or HTTPS using the new repo you created in step 1.
- Locate the manifest file (named manifest.lkml) within the downloaded repository.
- Open the manifest file and modify the following constants to match your specific environment:
- connection: Replace with the name of your Looker database connection.
- date: Replace with the date you wish to start your analysis from.
- pricing_table: Replace with the name of your pricing table.
- billing_table: Replace with the name of your detailed billing table.
- Fork the following public github repo to another github repo: https://github.com/looker-open-source/google_cloud_focus
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Test Your Configuration:
- Navigate to the "Focus" Explore in Looker and verify that the data is loading correctly and as expected.
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Deploy to Production:
- Commit your modified LookML files.
- Deploy the updated LookML model to your production environment.
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Customize and Share:
- Open the "Focus" dashboard within Looker by navigating to the LookML Dashboards folder.
- Make a copy of the dashboard.
- Customize the copied dashboard to your specific needs and preferences.
- Share the customized dashboard with your team members or other stakeholders.
- Temporary Tables: Unlike BigQuery Views, Looker utilizes temporary tables. The provided LookML code will create and manage these tables automatically, so you won't need to create them manually.
- Data Validation: Always double-check your data in Looker to ensure it aligns with your expectations after making changes.