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Configuring Azure FOCUS Exports

2 min read

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Overview

For each Azure billing scope in scope of CerteroX FOCUS Reporting, you will:

  • Create a Storage Account to hold your FOCUS data exports

  • Generate a Shared Access Signature (SAS) for Certero to access the data

  • Configure one or more FOCUS exports

  • Optionally export historical data for previous months

Prerequisites

Certero will provide the preferred Azure region for the Storage Account(s) before you begin.

Storage Account

Create an Azure Storage Account as the destination for your FOCUS data exports.

  1. In the Azure portal, search for and open Storage accounts.

  2. Click Create.

  3. Select your Subscription and create or select a Resource group.

  4. Provide a Storage account name (for example, "certeroxfocus").

  5. Select the Region provided by Certero.

  6. Set performance and redundancy options as required. Minimum settings are acceptable.

  7. Complete the creation wizard.

If you cannot use the preferred region, choose one as geographically close to it as possible. This affects data transfer performance.

Shared Access Signature (SAS)

CerteroX FOCUS Reporting accesses the Storage Account using a Shared Access Signature (SAS), a least-privilege, time-bound key.

  1. Open the Storage Account you created.

  2. In the left navigation, go to Security + networking, then Shared access signature.

  3. Configure Allowed services:

    • Select: Blob

    • Clear: File, Queue, Table

  4. Configure Allowed resource types:

    • Select: Container, Object

    • Clear: Service

  5. Configure Allowed permissions:

    • Select: Read, List

    • Clear: all others

  6. Set the Start and End expiry dates for the SAS token.

  7. Select a Signing key (for example, key1).

  8. Click Generate SAS and connection string.

  9. Copy the Blob service SAS URL and send it to your Certero contact.

The Signing key is the Storage Account key that underpins the SAS token. Revoking or regenerating the key will invalidate the SAS token.

You may be able to use a single Storage Account and SAS token for multiple FOCUS exports.

FOCUS exports

For each billing scope where data is required, configure a FOCUS export.

  1. In the Azure portal, go to Cost Management + Billing.

  2. Select a Billing scope from the list.

  3. In the left navigation, go to Cost management, then Cost analysis.

  4. Click Configure billing account near the top right.

  5. Select Exports.

  6. Click Create, then Cost and usage (FOCUS).

  7. Enter an Export prefix using the billing scope name.

  8. Click the edit icon to open the export configuration editor.

  9. Configure the export settings:

    • Type of data: Cost and usage details (FOCUS) - Preview

    • Export name: [billing scope name]-focus-cost

    • Dataset version: 1.0r2

    • Frequency: Daily export of month-to-date costs

  10. Click Save, then Next.

  11. Configure the Destination settings:

    • Storage type: Azure blob storage

    • Destination and storage: Use existing

    • Subscription: Select the subscription containing your storage account

    • Storage account: Select the storage account you created

    • Container: certero-focus (or your preferred name)

    • Directory: default

    • Format: CSV

    • Compression type: None

  12. Enable File partitioning.

  13. Enable Overwrite data.

  14. Click Next, then Create.

If your billing scopes do not have unique names, add additional characters to ensure export names and prefixes are unique.

The blob storage container and directory are created by the first export and reused by exports for all other billing scopes.

Repeat these steps for each billing scope you want included in CerteroX FOCUS Reporting. Use the same settings, but set a unique export prefix and name for each billing scope.

Historical FOCUS data

Cloud cost reporting is most useful with at least a full month of data. To accelerate time to value, manually export data for previous months.

  1. Navigate to Cost Management + Billing, then your billing scope, then Cost analysis, then Configure billing account, then Exports.

  2. Locate the FOCUS export you created for the billing scope.

  3. Click the context menu (...) on the export row.

  4. Select Export selected dates.

  5. Enter the Start and End dates for a single month (for example, October 1, 2025 to October 31, 2025).

  6. Click Execute.

  7. Repeat for each historical month you want to export.

You can only export one month at a time. Submit multiple requests and monitor the Run history in the export properties to track progress.

Provide details to Certero

Send the following to your Certero contact:

  • Blob service SAS URL (from the SAS step above)

  • Container name