FOCUS 1.3: Show Your Work When Splitting the Cloud Bill
CloudCostChefs TeamThe Problem Every Cloud Kitchen Faces
Picture this: You're managing a bustling cloud kitchen—a shared Kubernetes cluster serving 15 different development teams. Hundreds of pods are cooking simultaneously, consuming CPU, memory, and storage. Then the bill arrives: one massive line item.
How do you split it? Who ordered the expensive lobster (those GPU-heavy workloads)? Who left the oven on overnight (idle development pods)? Without transparent methodology, chargeback becomes a nightmare of spreadsheets, assumptions, and finger-pointing.
FOCUS 1.3: The Bill Itemizer You've Been Waiting For
The FinOps Foundation released FOCUS 1.3 on December 11, 2025, solving three persistent problems that have plagued cloud finance teams since the dawn of shared infrastructure.
Three Major Improvements
Split Shared Costs with Complete Transparency
FOCUS 1.3 introduces allocation columns that expose exactly HOW shared resource costs are divided—not just the final numbers.
Instead of seeing:
- • Team A: $1,500
- • Team B: $2,300
- • Team C: $900
You now see:
- • Team A: $1,500 (allocated by CPU usage 40%, memory 35%, storage 25%)
- • Team B: $2,300 (allocated by CPU usage 60%, memory 30%, storage 10%)
- • Team C: $900 (allocated by CPU usage 20%, memory 45%, storage 35%)
It's like itemizing a restaurant bill—everyone sees what they actually consumed. No more mystery math. No more trust-me-bro allocation models.
Track Contract Commitments in One Place
If you've ever tried to answer "What's our total commitment coverage?" you know the pain. Reserved Instances live in one report. Savings Plans hide in another. Azure reservations require a separate query.
FOCUS 1.3's new Contract Commitment Dataset consolidates everything into a single queryable source with start dates, end dates, committed units, and utilization metrics. One SELECT statement replaces five billing reports.
Know When Your Data Is Actually Fresh
Have you ever built a month-end cost report, shared it with leadership, and then discovered the data was incomplete and subject to revision? Welcome to the club.
FOCUS 1.3 includes metadata fields that indicate whether billing data is complete or still being processed. Stop making decisions on partial data—the standard now tells you when it's safe to close the books.
The Industry Is Lining Up
Standardized cloud billing isn't a nice-to-have anymore. It's becoming table stakes.
Migration Guide: From FOCUS 1.0/1.1/1.2 to 1.3
Upgrading to FOCUS 1.3 requires understanding what changed in each version. Here's your migration roadmap:
From FOCUS 1.0 (Major Changes)
- Column renames: Several columns were renamed for clarity. Update all queries referencing old column names.
- New required columns: Allocation columns are now mandatory. Your ETL pipelines need to handle these new fields.
- Schema validation: 1.0 exports may fail validation against 1.3 schemas. Full re-export may be required.
From FOCUS 1.1 (Moderate Changes)
- Commitment dataset: The new Contract Commitment Dataset requires mapping your existing RI/SP tracking to the new structure.
- Allocation methodology fields: New columns expose allocation logic. Update dashboards to display this transparency.
- Data freshness metadata: Implement logic to check data completeness before generating reports.
From FOCUS 1.2 (Minor Changes)
- Additive columns: Most 1.3 changes are additive. Existing queries should continue to work.
- Enhanced allocation transparency: Add new allocation columns to chargeback reports for better visibility.
- Contract commitment integration: Optional but recommended—consolidate your commitment tracking.
Potential Issues to Watch For
1. Provider Timing Mismatches
AWS has FOCUS 1.2 in GA, but 1.3 support is coming. Azure and GCP are on different timelines. You may need to maintain multiple schema versions simultaneously during the transition period.
2. ETL Pipeline Updates
New columns mean schema changes. If your data warehouse has strict schema enforcement, plan for downtime or implement schema evolution strategies before the switch.
3. Dashboard Compatibility
BI tools with hardcoded column references will break. Audit all dashboards and reports before migration and prepare updated versions.
4. Allocation Logic Exposure
The new transparency means teams will see exactly how costs are split. Be prepared for questions about your allocation methodology—document your logic before migration.
5. Historical Data Reconciliation
FOCUS 1.3 data won't match your legacy reports exactly. Plan for a parallel run period and document expected variances to avoid confusion during month-end close.
6. Commitment Data Migration
Moving to the Contract Commitment Dataset requires mapping existing RI/SP data to new structures. Test thoroughly—commitment coverage errors can mislead financial planning.
Chef's Notes: Your Action Plan
1Review your current allocation methodology
Can you explain HOW you split shared costs, or just WHAT the splits are? Document your logic now.
2Document your allocation logic
CPU weight, memory weight, storage weight—write it down before you need to map it to FOCUS 1.3 columns.
3Monitor provider roadmaps
AWS has FOCUS 1.2 in GA. 1.3 support is coming. Azure and GCP won't be far behind.
4Prepare for conformance certification
The FinOps Foundation is launching a conformance program in 2026. Get ahead of the curve.
Pro Tip
Start documenting your current allocation methodology NOW. Can you explain HOW you split shared costs, or just WHAT the splits are? AWS has FOCUS 1.2 in GA—1.3 is coming fast.
The Bottom Line
FOCUS 1.3 transforms cloud cost allocation from a black box into an itemized receipt. For the first time, everyone in your organization can see not just WHAT they're being charged, but HOW those charges were calculated.
It's Chef's Kitchen Rule #47: Always show your work when splitting the bill.