Finally Understand Why Your Data Platform Bill Looks the Way It Does
A proven methodology to trace every euro back to specific dashboards, pipelines, and owners. Know exactly where your BigQuery or Snowflake money goes.
For BigQuery and Snowflake platforms. Results in less than a week.
The problem isn't high costs.
It's the inability to explain them.
Your cloud console shows what you spent. It doesn't show why.
THE COSTLENS FRAMEWORK
From cloud bill to business owner
Most tools stop at the warehouse. CostLens traces costs all the way to the people responsible.
Cloud Bill
What you pay
Warehouse
Where it runs
dbt & Pipelines
How it flows
Dashboards
What people see
Teams & Owners
Who's accountable
THE DATA COST STACK
Four layers of visibility
The CostLens Framework analyzes your platform across four layers. Most tools only cover one.
Layer 1
Usage
Who runs what
Layer 2
Flow
How data moves
Layer 3
Design
How it's structured
Layer 4
Ownership
Who's responsible
Without Layer 4 (Ownership), recommendations don't stick. Six months later, costs are back.
WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER
Real findings from real platforms
Examples from actual engagements. Names changed.
Dashboard
Weekly Sales Report
dbt Model
stg_legacy_orders
Service Account
svc-analytics-prod
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
Actionable deliverables
Everything you need to explain your costs today and keep them under control tomorrow.
Executive Summary
One-page overview for leadership
Top Cost Drivers
Ranked by impact and actionability
Ownership Map
Who owns what across your platform
Asset Inventory
Dashboards, models, and their true costs
dbt Recommendations
What to keep, deprecate, or optimize
Action Roadmap
Prioritized next steps with owners
HOW IT WORKS
Simple process. Clear milestones.
Minimal disruption. You keep working while I analyze your platform.
Setup
- 30-min kickoff
- Read-only access
- Platform review
Analysis
- Cost attribution
- Usage patterns
- Ownership mapping
Delivery
- Findings call
- Full report
- Action roadmap
PRICING
Two options. Clear pricing.
Most teams start with Starter. It's enough to understand where your money goes.
Starter
4-6 days
Quick visibility into your top cost drivers and ownership gaps.
- Top 10 cost drivers ranked
- Ownership mapping
- Quick wins list
- 30-min walkthrough
Comprehensive
10-14 days
Full analysis with governance framework and action roadmap.
- Full cost attribution
- Dashboard inventory + usage
- dbt model review
- Governance framework
- Prioritized roadmap
- 60-min walkthrough + Q&A
Need ongoing visibility?
Platforms evolve. Advisory keeps costs visible with monthly check-ins, proactive alerts, and strategic guidance.
Learn about AdvisoryWHO'S BEHIND THIS
Jonathan Kini
9+ years building production data platforms. BigQuery, Snowflake, Databricks. Banking, pharma, media, e-commerce. I built the CostLens Framework after seeing the same pattern everywhere: teams that could see their costs but couldn't explain them.
FAQ
Common questions
Why isn't BigQuery Billing Export or Snowflake Account Usage enough?
Those tools show raw consumption. But they don't tell you which dashboard triggered a query, which team owns that pipeline, or whether anyone still uses that expensive model. The CostLens Framework connects billing data to business context: who, what, and why.
What access do you need?
Read-only access to warehouse metadata and BI tool usage data. I never access your actual data. Production systems are untouched.
Will this disrupt our operations?
No. Analysis uses historical metadata only. Read-only queries during off-peak hours. Your team keeps working normally.
Do you implement the recommendations?
The deliverables are designed for your team to act on. If you want ongoing support, we can discuss Advisory.
Ready to understand your data platform costs?
Book a 30-minute call. We'll discuss your platform and see if the CostLens Framework fits.
Book a Free CallNo commitment. Starter from €2,000.