AWS Cost Explorer basics - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is AWS Cost Explorer used for?

AWS Cost Explorer helps you see and understand your AWS spending over time. It shows where your money goes and helps you plan your budget.

beginner

How can you view your AWS costs by service using Cost Explorer?

You can group your costs by AWS service to see which services cost the most. This helps you find where to save money.

intermediate

What is a cost anomaly in AWS Cost Explorer?

A cost anomaly is an unusual or unexpected change in your AWS spending. Cost Explorer can help spot these quickly.

beginner

What time periods can you analyze in AWS Cost Explorer?

You can look at your costs daily, monthly, or for custom date ranges to understand spending patterns.

intermediate

How does AWS Cost Explorer help with budgeting?

It provides cost forecasts and historical analysis to help you plan and manage your budget.

What is the main purpose of AWS Cost Explorer?

A To monitor and analyze AWS spending over time

B To launch new AWS services

C To manage AWS user permissions

D To create AWS virtual machines

AWS Cost Explorer is designed to help you monitor and analyze your AWS costs.

Which of the following can you group costs by in AWS Cost Explorer?

A AWS service

B AWS user login time

C AWS region

D AWS security groups

You can group costs by AWS service and AWS region to see spending per service or region.

What does a cost anomaly indicate in AWS Cost Explorer?

A An unusual change in spending

B A scheduled AWS maintenance

C A new AWS service launch

D A user login failure

A cost anomaly means spending changed unexpectedly.

Which time periods can you analyze in AWS Cost Explorer?

A Only hourly

B Only yearly

C Only weekly

D Daily, monthly, and custom date ranges

AWS Cost Explorer supports daily, monthly, and custom date range views.

How does AWS Cost Explorer assist with budgeting?

A By creating invoices

B By providing cost forecasts and analysis

C By automatically reducing costs

D By managing user accounts

AWS Cost Explorer provides forecasts and analysis to help plan budgets.

Explain how AWS Cost Explorer helps you understand and manage your AWS spending.

Think about how you would check your phone bill to see what you spent on calls, messages, and data.

Describe the types of reports and time frames you can use in AWS Cost Explorer.

Imagine looking at your expenses by day, month, or a special period you choose.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of AWS Cost Explorer?

easy

A. To monitor network traffic

B. To create AWS virtual machines

C. To help you track and understand your AWS spending

D. To manage user permissions

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand AWS Cost Explorer's function

   AWS Cost Explorer is designed to show your cloud spending clearly and help manage costs.

2. Step 2: Compare options with this function

   Options A, B, and D describe other AWS services or features unrelated to cost tracking.

3. Final Answer:

   To help you track and understand your AWS spending -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Cost tracking = C [OK]

Hint: Cost Explorer is for spending, not resources or permissions [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Cost Explorer with EC2 or IAM services
• Thinking it manages network or security settings

2. Which of the following is the correct way to start AWS Cost Explorer from the AWS Console?

easy

A. Go to Services > S3 > Cost Explorer

B. Go to Services > EC2 > Cost Explorer

C. Go to Services > IAM > Cost Explorer

D. Go to Services > Billing > Cost Explorer

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify where billing tools are located

   Cost Explorer is found under Billing in the AWS Console, not under EC2, IAM, or S3.

2. Step 2: Match the correct navigation path

   Only Go to Services > Billing > Cost Explorer correctly shows Services > Billing > Cost Explorer.

3. Final Answer:

   Go to Services > Billing > Cost Explorer -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Billing section = A [OK]

Hint: Cost Explorer is under Billing, not compute or storage [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Looking for Cost Explorer under EC2 or S3
• Confusing IAM with billing tools

3. You use AWS Cost Explorer to view your monthly AWS costs grouped by service. If your report shows $100 for EC2 and $50 for S3, what does this mean?

medium

A. Your EC2 and S3 usage is free this month

B. You spent $100 on EC2 and $50 on S3 this month

C. You reserved EC2 instances worth $100 and S3 storage worth $50

D. You have $100 credit for EC2 and $50 credit for S3

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand grouping by service in Cost Explorer

   Grouping by service shows how much money you spent on each AWS service in the selected time.

2. Step 2: Interpret the amounts shown

   $100 for EC2 and $50 for S3 means those are your costs, not credits or reserved amounts.

3. Final Answer:

   You spent $100 on EC2 and $50 on S3 this month -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Costs shown = spending, not credits or free usage [OK]

Hint: Costs mean spending, not credits or reservations [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking amounts are credits or free usage
• Confusing cost with reserved capacity

4. You tried to filter your AWS Cost Explorer report by a tag, but no data appears. What is the most likely reason?

medium

A. The tag is not activated for cost allocation in AWS Billing settings

B. You have no AWS account

C. Cost Explorer does not support filtering by tags

D. You need to restart your AWS instance

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand tag filtering in Cost Explorer

   To filter by tags, the tags must be activated for cost allocation in Billing preferences.

2. Step 2: Identify why no data appears

   If the tag is not activated, Cost Explorer cannot use it to filter, so no data shows.

3. Final Answer:

   The tag is not activated for cost allocation in AWS Billing settings -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Tag activation needed for filtering = A [OK]

Hint: Activate tags in billing before filtering by them [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming Cost Explorer can't filter by tags
• Thinking AWS instance restart fixes this
• Believing no AWS account is the cause

5. You want to analyze your AWS costs for the last 3 months, grouped by linked accounts and filtered to only show costs for EC2 and S3. Which steps should you take in AWS Cost Explorer?

hard

A. Set the time range to last 3 months, group by linked accounts, and filter services to EC2 and S3

B. Set the time range to last 3 months, group by service, and filter accounts to EC2 and S3

C. Set the time range to last month, group by linked accounts, and filter services to all except EC2 and S3

D. Set the time range to last 3 months, group by tags, and filter services to EC2 only

Solution

1. Step 1: Choose correct time range and grouping

   Set the time range to last 3 months and group by linked accounts to see costs per account.

2. Step 2: Apply service filters correctly

   Filter services to only EC2 and S3 to focus on those costs.

3. Step 3: Verify options

   Set the time range to last 3 months, group by linked accounts, and filter services to EC2 and S3 matches all requirements. Other options have wrong grouping, filtering, or time range.

4. Final Answer:

   Set the time range to last 3 months, group by linked accounts, and filter services to EC2 and S3 -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Time + grouping + filter = B [OK]

Hint: Match time, grouping, and filters exactly for correct report [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Mixing grouping by service vs linked accounts
• Filtering accounts instead of services
• Choosing wrong time range