Rack rate vs. billing cost vs. amortized cost
Distinguish rack rate, billing cost, and amortized cost.
5 lessons.
Read in order, or jump to what you need.
What "rack rate" actually means
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to define rack rate, explain how it is calculated, and identify the right contexts to quote it.
Billing cost: and why it's lower than rack rate
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to enumerate the discount layers that move billing cost below rack rate and trace the gap on any specific resource.
Amortized cost: Azure's gotcha
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain why Azure ActualCost shows $0 for reservation-covered resources and use AmortizedCost as the correct column for per-resource reporting.
The two-source cost model
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to describe the two-source cost model and pick the right source for any cost question.
Currency, FX, and the date-specific exchange rate
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to convert non-USD cloud bills to USD using date-specific exchange rates and recognize the three FX-conversion mistakes that distort reports.