Preview features, usage data and more revealed for Azure Cost Management

Microsoft has detailed recent changes to Azure Cost Management, including the ability for users to get a sneak peek of new features and changes to specific features.

Detailed in a blog post by Michael Flanakin, program manager at Azure Cost Management, the Try preview command has been added to Azure Cost Management's preview section Cost Management Labs.

The command allows users to opt in to individual preview features from the public portal in Azure Cost Management's cost analysis section and is now available in the public portal.

Flanakin also reminded users that some Azure usages and charges datasets services underwent changes as of 1 January 2020.

These changes include Azure Data Box renaming to Azure Stack Edge, Azure Data Share dataset movement meters renaming to Snapshot Execution and many changes to PostgreSQL, MySQL and MariaDB General Purpose Large Scale Storage service tiers and metre IDs and Azure Functions premium plan metre IDs.

“If you're doing any analysis or have setup integration based on product details in the usage data, please update your logic for the following services,” Flanakin said.

He added that key-based Enterprise Agreement billing application programming interfaces (APIs) have been replaced by Azure Resource Manager APIs.

“The key-based APIs will still work through the end of your enrollment, but will no longer be available when you renew and transition into Microsoft Customer Agreement,” Flanakin said. “Please plan your migration to the latest version of the UsageDetails API to ease your transition to Microsoft Customer Agreement at your next renewal.”

Included with the reminders was the change from low priority virtual machines (VMs) to Azure Spot VMs, boasting a 90 per cent discount on PAYG prices, from 3 February. Interested users can access Azure Spot VMs in preview now.