DATA COST VISIBILITY
You see the bill.
But do you see where it comes from?
Your cloud console shows what you spent. It doesn't show which team, which dashboard, or which pipeline is responsible. Without that connection, cost management stays reactive.
I help you build visibility into your BigQuery or Snowflake costs. Who consumes what, why, and what you can do about it.
Native tools show costs. They don't explain them.
BigQuery and Snowflake have cost explorers. They tell you how much you spent by project, by day, by slot. But they don't answer the questions that matter:
- •Which dashboard is costing €3,000/month and gets opened twice a week?
- •Which dbt models run hourly but nobody needs that freshness?
- •Which team's ad-hoc queries are quietly driving a disproportionate share of compute?
Without this level of attribution, you're left optimizing blind. You can reduce costs, but you can't govern them.
An audit connects the dots. It turns raw cost data into something actionable.
From raw data to clear answers
A structured process to build visibility without disrupting your operations.
Discovery call
30 minutes to understand your setup and current challenges. No commitment.
Secure access
Read-only access to warehouse metadata. Your production data is never touched.
Analysis & attribution
I map costs to their source: queries, pipelines, dashboards, teams.
Report & recommendations
Clear findings with prioritized actions. Quick wins first, strategic changes second.
ENGAGEMENT OPTIONS
Choose the depth of analysis you need
From a quick sanity check to ongoing governance support.
Rapid Diagnostic
A fast read on your cost landscape
A focused 2-4 hour analysis to identify your main cost drivers and most obvious opportunities. Useful for quick context before a budget conversation, or to validate whether a deeper engagement makes sense.
- Top cost-driving workloads identified
- 3-5 potential quick wins highlighted
- Executive summary (2-3 pages)
- 30-minute findings call
Comprehensive Audit
Full visibility and attribution
A thorough analysis of your entire data platform. Understand where every euro goes, map costs to teams and use cases, and get a prioritized action plan. The foundation for real cost governance.
- Full cost attribution (queries, pipelines, dashboards, teams)
- dbt model efficiency review
- Dashboard cost vs. usage analysis
- Architecture & configuration review
- Prioritized action plan
- Executive report + 60-min walkthrough
Monthly Optimization
Continuous visibility and governance
Visibility isn't a one-time project. As your platform evolves, new blind spots appear. I monitor costs continuously, flag anomalies, and help you maintain governance as you scale.
- Monthly cost review + trend analysis
- Proactive anomaly alerts
- Quarterly deep-dive audit
- Direct Slack/email access
- Priority response (24h)
Not sure where to start? Book a free call and we'll figure it out together.
FREQUENTLY OBSERVED PATTERNS
What audits often uncover
Every environment is different, but certain patterns show up regularly. These are the areas I investigate first.
Concentrated cost drivers
In many environments, a small fraction of queries or pipelines generates most of the compute costs. Identifying them is the first step to any optimization.
Dashboard refresh patterns
Dashboards refreshing frequently while actual usage is much lower. A common pattern worth investigating in most BI-heavy environments.
Accumulated storage
Staging tables, temporary datasets, and backups retained longer than needed. Storage costs are often overlooked because they grow slowly.
Scheduling mismatches
Pipelines running more frequently than business needs require. Hourly when daily would suffice, or peak hours when off-peak would cost less.
Attribution gaps
Costs spread across teams and projects without clear ownership. When nobody owns a cost, nobody optimizes it.
Configuration opportunities
Partitioning, clustering, materialization strategies, or warehouse sizing that could better match actual usage patterns.
Potential savings vary significantly by environment. A discovery call helps assess what's realistic in your case.
APPROACH
More than a dashboard
Cost explorers show you data. An audit interprets it.
Attribution, not just aggregation
Native tools aggregate costs by project or time. I map them to business context: which team, which use case, which decision led to this spend.
Cross-layer analysis
I connect warehouse costs to dbt models, dbt models to dashboards, and dashboards to actual usage. That's where the real insights are.
Prioritized and actionable
Every finding comes with context: potential impact, implementation effort, and whether it's a quick win or a longer-term project.
Built for governance
The goal isn't just to cut costs once. It's to give you the visibility to make informed decisions going forward.
HOW IT WORKS
What to expect
Zero disruption. Zero access to your actual data. Just metadata analysis and clear recommendations.
Discovery Call (30 min)
We discuss your current platform, pain points, and what you're hoping to achieve. I'll be honest about whether an audit is the right next step.
Access Setup
You grant read-only access to warehouse metadata and query logs. BigQuery: INFORMATION_SCHEMA. Snowflake: ACCOUNT_USAGE views. I never access your actual data.
Analysis
I analyze your environment during off-peak hours. Your pipelines, dashboards, and users are completely unaffected.
Findings Report
You receive a structured report: where costs come from, why, and what you can do about it. Prioritized by potential impact and implementation effort.
Walkthrough & Handoff
We review findings together. I answer questions, clarify priorities, and make sure your team has everything needed to take action.
Privacy by design
I only access metadata and query logs. Your actual data is never viewed, touched, or transferred.
You decide what to implement
Every recommendation includes effort estimates. You choose what fits your team's priorities and capacity.
Audits done by Jonathan Kini. 9 years of senior data engineering on BigQuery, Snowflake and dbt, including platforms with six-figure monthly cloud bills. More on the About page.
Let's start with a conversation
Book a free 30-minute call. I'll ask about your setup, discuss your current challenges, and help you figure out if an audit is the right next step.
Book Your Free Call30 minutes. No commitment. No sales pitch.