Is FOCUS a tool or a file format?

Neither, exactly. It's a specification: the column names, definitions and rules a billing dataset must follow. Providers and tools produce and read data in that shape.

What is the difference between BilledCost and EffectiveCost?

BilledCost is what was invoiced for a charge in the billing period. EffectiveCost spreads prepaid and committed amounts across the usage they covered, so it's the FOCUS equivalent of amortized cost.

Does FOCUS replace the Cost and Usage Report?

Not yet. AWS offers FOCUS as another Data Exports table alongside CUR 2.0, and providers keep their native exports, which carry detail FOCUS leaves out.

FinOps foundations

FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification (FOCUS)

The FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification (FOCUS) is an open standard for cloud, SaaS and other technology billing data: one set of column names and definitions, such as BilledCost and EffectiveCost, that every provider fills the same way. AWS, Azure and Google Cloud can all export cost data in FOCUS format.

In plain English

Think of the standard shipping container. Before it, every port loaded cargo its own way; after it, the same box fits every ship, crane and truck. FOCUS does that for billing rows: the same columns, whichever cloud they came from.

Worked example

Worked example. One hour of a Northwind Labs instance covered by its Savings Plan, as a FOCUS row. The on-demand rate is the illustrative $0.20 an hour from the on-demand price example, and the Savings Plan rate is 25% lower.
ChargeCategory	Usage
ListCost: list price × quantity	$0.20
ContractedCost: after negotiated discounts, none here	$0.20
BilledCost: fully covered by the Savings Plan, whose fee is its own purchase charge	$0.00
EffectiveCost: the share of the Savings Plan commitment this hour used	$0.15
Saving on this hour: ListCost − EffectiveCost	$0.05

BilledCost adds up to the invoice; EffectiveCost spreads commitments over the usage they covered, like amortized cost. Because every FOCUS dataset uses the same columns, 'what did commitments save?' is one query across AWS, Azure and Google Cloud, not three.

Why FOCUS matters

Every cloud names the same ideas differently. AWS has unblended and amortized cost in the Cost and Usage Report, Azure has actual and amortized cost exports, and Google Cloud has its BigQuery billing export, each with its own columns. Comparing them meant building and maintaining a mapping for every provider.

FOCUS replaces those mappings with one specification. It's an open, community-driven project of the FinOps Foundation, and it now covers SaaS, data centre and other technology spend as well as cloud.

Versions

FOCUS 1.0 was announced in June 2024, followed by 1.1 in November 2024, 1.2 in June 2025, 1.3 in December 2025 and 1.4 in June 2026. Providers move to new versions at their own pace, so check which version an export follows.

Common mistakes

Mixing BilledCost and EffectiveCost. BilledCost matches the invoice; EffectiveCost spreads commitment purchases over the usage they covered. Adding one to the other, or switching between them, double-counts or hides commitments.
Double-counting commitments in savings. When you compare ListCost with what you paid, leave out either the commitment purchase charges or the usage they cover, as the specification warns.
Assuming every export is complete. Providers publish conformance gaps: Google Cloud's FOCUS 1.2 export, for example, doesn't fill SubAccountType or InvoiceId. Check before relying on a column.
Ignoring the version. Columns change between versions; FOCUS 1.3, for example, replaced the provider and publisher columns. Record which version each export follows.

Where to find it in AWS, Azure and Google Cloud

Where to find FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification by cloud provider
Cloud	What it is called	Where to find it
AWS	Data Exports: FOCUS 1.2 with AWS columns	AWS Data Exports delivers a FOCUS 1.2 table, with extra AWS-specific columns, to Amazon S3, alongside CUR 2.0. FOCUS 1.2 became generally available in November 2025.
Azure	Cost and usage details (FOCUS)	Cost Management exports a FOCUS dataset that combines actual and amortized cost, in FOCUS 1.0 or the 1.2 preview. Some scopes, such as management groups, don't support it.
Google Cloud	FOCUS billing export to BigQuery	A FOCUS export to BigQuery, with columns up to FOCUS 1.2, is in Preview. Google publishes a conformance report listing the columns it doesn't fill yet.

How CloudYali helps

CloudYali reads each provider's own billing data, the AWS Cost and Usage Report, Azure Cost Management exports and the Google Cloud billing export in BigQuery, and brings it into one cost model, so you can compare clouds and AI tools side by side without building FOCUS exports first.

See the feature Read how it works in the docs

Billing & cost types
Amortized cost
Amortized cost spreads each commitment fee across the period it covers, so a one-year Reserved Instance or Savings Plan paid up front shows up as a share of the fee every day of the term instead of one large charge on the day you buy it.
Billing & cost types
Unblended cost
Unblended cost is AWS cost as billed: each line priced at the rate actually charged for it, on the day the charge occurs. Upfront commitment fees appear in full on the day you pay them and discounts can show as separate lines, which makes unblended cost the view that matches the invoice.
Billing & cost types
Cost and Usage Report (CUR)
The Cost and Usage Report (CUR) is AWS's most detailed billing dataset: every charge, down to the hour and the resource, with its usage, rates, discounts and commitment details, delivered as files to an S3 bucket you own. CUR 2.0, created through AWS Data Exports, has a fixed set of columns.
FinOps foundations
FinOps Framework
The FinOps Framework is the FinOps Foundation's open model for running a FinOps practice. It sets out principles, personas, the Inform, Optimize and Operate phases, four domains of capabilities, scopes and a crawl, walk, run maturity scale, and practitioners update it every year.
Commitments & rates
Effective savings rate (ESR)
Effective savings rate (ESR) is net savings as a share of what all commitment-eligible usage would have cost at on-demand prices. Because it subtracts commitment you paid for but didn't use, it is the one rate-optimization number that buying too many Reserved Instances, Savings Plans or committed use discounts can't inflate.

Frequently asked questions

Is FOCUS a tool or a file format?
Neither, exactly. It's a specification: the column names, definitions and rules a billing dataset must follow. Providers and tools produce and read data in that shape.
What is the difference between BilledCost and EffectiveCost?
BilledCost is what was invoiced for a charge in the billing period. EffectiveCost spreads prepaid and committed amounts across the usage they covered, so it's the FOCUS equivalent of amortized cost.
Does FOCUS replace the Cost and Usage Report?
Not yet. AWS offers FOCUS as another Data Exports table alongside CUR 2.0, and providers keep their native exports, which carry detail FOCUS leaves out.