Cost Anomalies Dashboard Widget
The Cost Anomalies widget on the default dashboard shows how many cost increases versus decreases have happened recently and lists the top 7 most significant anomalies, without leaving the dashboard.
Layout
The widget has three regions:
- Header
- Title Cost Anomalies with a small external-link icon (tooltip View All Anomalies) that opens the full Anomalies page. Below the title, a subtitle reads N anomalies detected across M resources.
- Stat cards
- Two cards: Increases (red, with an up arrow) and Decreases (green, with a down arrow). Each shows the count of anomalies in that direction within the selected window.
- Top 7 list
- Section header reads Top 7 Most Significant. Each row shows the date, resource name, and signed change amount with a direction icon. Color follows severity for increases (red for high, amber for medium, gray for low) and green for any decrease.
Controls
- Time window
- Dropdown next to the section header:
1 day,3 days,7 days,14 days, or31 days. - Hide purchases
- Checkbox. Filters reservation purchases, refunds, and Azure Marketplace charges out of the top-7 list.
- View All Anomalies
- External-link icon next to the title. Opens the full Anomalies Explorer. The Hide purchases state carries over so the view stays consistent.
- Row click
- Clicking any row in the top-7 list opens the Anomalies Explorer with that resource pre-selected.
When to use the widget vs. the page
Use the widget for a quick "what's interesting this week?" read on the dashboard. Use the Anomalies Explorer when you need to investigate a specific anomaly, hide a recurring spike, or correlate cost changes with resource history.
Behavior
Top 7 are picked by absolute dollar change
The widget ranks anomalies by absolute dollar change, so the largest financial impact wins regardless of percent change. A 5% increase on a large resource can outrank a 50% increase on a small one.
Widget data matches the Anomalies page
The widget reads from the same pre-computed scan data as the Anomalies page, so values are consistent. Hidden resources are excluded from the widget too.
When nothing matches the current window and filters, the table is replaced with No anomalies detected in the last N days.