> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.cloud-halo.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.cloud-halo.io/finops/cost-explorer.md).

# Cost explorer

Cost explorer helps you analyse Azure spend across dimensions, tags, resources, and time periods.

## Date ranges

Use the date range controls to review:

* Month to date
* Previous months
* Custom date ranges
* Multi-month comparisons

Historical views depend on synced cost history. New workspaces become more useful as they accumulate more sync data.

## Grouping

You can group spend by:

* Subscription
* Service
* Region
* Resource group
* Meter category
* Resource
* Tag

For tag grouping, choose the tag key you want to analyse, such as Environment, Team, Project, CostCenter, or Owner.

## Resource-level drilldown

Click a service, resource group, or other supported dimension to review daily spend trends for that value.

Use drilldown when you need to understand whether a cost increase came from one-off usage, steady growth, or a recurring pattern.

## Multi-period comparison

Use comparison views to review recent months or rolling quarterly periods side by side.

This is useful for:

* Budget reviews
* Capacity planning
* Stakeholder reporting
* Identifying seasonal spend patterns

## Granular cost alerts

Cloud Halo supports cost alerts below the workspace level.

Use granular alerts when you need thresholds such as:

* SQL Database costs exceed a monthly amount
* A resource group exceeds a threshold
* A service family crosses an expected level

Granular alerts are evaluated after sync alongside budget alerts.


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