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SOA-C02: What should SysOps do to track cost changes and detailed cost metrics in the MOST operationally efficient way

By: Author Alex Lim

Posted on  - Last updated:

Categories Exam

Question

A company runs multiple workloads across an organization in AWS Organizations. The company’s finance team needs detailed dashboards to track cost changes and provide detailed cost metrics. The finance team needs to track trends as granular as every hour. What should a SysOps administrator do to meet these requirements in the MOST operationally efficient way?

A. Generate Amazon CloudWatch dashboards by using CloudWatch insights and AWS Cost Explorer data.
B. Generate an AWS Cost and Usage Report. Store the report in Amazon S3. Use Amazon Athena to query the data. Use Amazon QuickSight to develop dashbosrds based on the data in the AWS Cost and Usage Report.
C. Create an AWS Lambda function that runs once a day and assumes a role in every account in the organization. Configure the Lambda function to read AWS Cost Explorer data in each account and to store the cost data in an Amazon S3 bucket. Use Amazon Athena to query the data. Use Amazon QuickSight to display the data in dashboards.
D. Create an IAM user for the finance team. Grant permissions to the IAM user to view AWS Cost Explorer data and billing data in the management account.

Answer

B. Generate an AWS Cost and Usage Report. Store the report in Amazon S3. Use Amazon Athena to query the data. Use Amazon QuickSight to develop dashbosrds based on the data in the AWS Cost and Usage Report.

Explanation

The correct answer is B. Generate an AWS Cost and Usage Report. Store the report in Amazon S3. Use Amazon Athena to query the data. Use Amazon QuickSight to develop dashboards based on the data in the AWS Cost and Usage Report.

AWS Cost and Usage Report is a service that enables you to track and analyze your AWS costs and usage in a detailed and granular way. You can use AWS Cost and Usage Report to generate a report that contains comprehensive information about your AWS costs and usage, such as the amount, type, and Region of the resources that you use, the services that you use, and the pricing options that you choose. You can also customize your report by applying various filters, such as tags, accounts, or time periods. You can specify the frequency of your report generation, such as daily or hourly, and the format of your report, such as CSV or Parquet. You can also choose to store your report in an Amazon S3 bucket of your choice, where you can access it using various tools and services.

Amazon Athena is a service that enables you to query data in Amazon S3 using standard SQL. You can use Amazon Athena to analyze your AWS Cost and Usage Report data without having to load or transform it. You can simply point Athena to the S3 bucket where your report is stored, define a table schema that matches your report format, and start querying your data using the Athena console, API, or SDKs. You can also use various functions and operators to perform calculations, comparisons, and conversions on your data.

Amazon QuickSight is a service that enables you to create and share interactive dashboards that visualize your data. You can use Amazon QuickSight to connect to various data sources, such as Amazon S3 or Amazon Athena, and create visualizations, such as charts, graphs, or tables, for your data. You can also use various features and capabilities to enhance your dashboards, such as filters, parameters, calculations, themes, or stories. You can then share your dashboards with other users or groups within or outside your organization.

By using this solution, you can generate detailed dashboards to track cost changes and provide detailed cost metrics for your workloads across an organization in AWS Organizations. This solution meets the requirements of the company, as it allows them to track trends as granular as every hour, using a single AWS CloudFormation template that offers flexibility to make changes. This solution is also the most operationally efficient one, as it does not require them to write any custom code or use any additional services. It also leverages the existing functionality and scalability of AWS Cost and Usage Report, Amazon Athena, and Amazon QuickSight.

The other options are not correct for the following reasons:

A. Generate Amazon CloudWatch dashboards by using CloudWatch insights and AWS Cost Explorer data.

This option is not correct, as CloudWatch insights and AWS Cost Explorer data do not provide the same level of detail and granularity as AWS Cost and Usage Report data. CloudWatch insights is a feature that enables you to analyze and visualize your log data in CloudWatch Logs. It does not provide any information about your costs and usage. AWS Cost Explorer is a service that enables you to visualize and monitor your AWS costs and usage over time. It provides some predefined reports and charts that can help you understand your spending patterns and trends. However, it does not provide the same level of customization and flexibility as AWS Cost and Usage Report.

B. Create an AWS Lambda function that runs once a day and assumes a role in every account in the organization. Configure the Lambda function to read AWS Cost Explorer data in each account and to store the cost data in an Amazon S3 bucket. Use Amazon Athena to query the data. Use Amazon QuickSight to display the data in dashboards.

This option is not operationally efficient, as it requires you to write and maintain a custom Lambda function that will perform the cost data collection logic. It also does not leverage the existing functionality and scalability of AWS Cost and Usage Report.

D. Create an IAM user for the finance team. Grant permissions to the IAM user to view AWS Cost Explorer data and billing data in the management account.

This option is not correct, as it does not allow them to generate detailed dashboards to track cost changes and provide detailed cost metrics for their workloads across an organization in AWS Organizations. It only allows them to view some predefined reports and charts in AWS Cost Explorer and billing data in the management account. It does not provide them with the same level of detail and granularity as AWS Cost and Usage Report data.

Reference

Amazon AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate certification exam practice question and answer (Q&A) dump with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the Amazon AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate exam and earn Amazon AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate certification.