FOCUS Specification Now Officially Covers SaaS Platforms
True to its promise, the FOCUS (FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification) has now officially expanded to include SaaS (Software as a Service) offerings. The latest version 1.2 of this specification introduces four new columns designed to facilitate the management of common virtual currencies used by SaaS providers, such as tokens from OpenAI, credits from Snowflake, and DBU (databricks units of capacity), among others.
- PricingCurrency
By the end of 2023, FOCUS version 1.0 introduced the concept of “Billing Currency” (BillingCurrency). With version 1.2, “PricingCurrency” has been added, encompassing virtual currencies used in SaaS transactions. - PricingCurrencyEffectiveCost
This column reflects the actual cost after applying discounts, prepayments, and other potential reductions. - PricingCurrencyListUnitPrice
This indicates the published unit price provided by the vendor, excluding any discounts. It is particularly relevant when discounts are applied to foreign exchange rates. - PricingCurrencyContractedUnitPrice
This shows the contractual unit price for a specific SKU, accounting for discounts but excluding other types of reductions like committed-use discounts.
Overall, these four columns aim to standardize currency management, whether dealing with country-specific fiat currencies or virtual ones, ensuring better normalization across different providers and systems.
Three New Columns Focused on Chargeback Management
In addition, FOCUS 1.2 introduces three columns specifically aimed at supporting chargeback processes—an essential aspect of shared cost attribution within organizations.
- InvoiceID
An identifier assigned by the provider, representing all or part of the charges over a billing period for a given account. It enables tracking of recurring charges, credits, and refunds across multiple billing cycles. - BillingAccountType
Previously, version 1.0 introduced “BillingAccountName.” The new column offers a more granular view, distinguishing terms used across cloud providers: “payer account” in AWS, “billing account” in Google Cloud, “billing profile” in Azure, and others. - SubAccountType
Similar to BillingAccountType, this helps map sub-accounts across providers, with terms such as “member account” in AWS, “project” in Google Cloud, “subscription” in Azure, or “tenancy” in Oracle.
Another notable update in FOCUS 1.2 is the addition of a metadata field called PreviousColumnName, which indicates when a column has been renamed in a particular schema, aiding in data tracking and management.
Last but not least, Alibaba Cloud, Databricks, and Grafana are among the latest to formally adopt this specification. Led by the Linux Foundation, the project has been ongoing for three years, with major tech companies like Adobe, AWS, Datadog, Google, and Microsoft participating actively in its governance.
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