AI-Powered Reports#

Changed in version 1.0.0: The report content model has been redesigned. In v1.0.0, the design session produces a reusable HTML template with data placeholders that is saved alongside the schedule. On each delivery, fresh data is injected into the template — the layout and structure stay consistent across runs. The previous model regenerated content from a stored prompt on every send.

Reply CMP can automatically generate and deliver scheduled cloud cost reports — rich HTML emails with charts, executive summaries, cost trends, budget status, and AI-written findings, sent to any recipients you choose on a recurring schedule.

Overview#

Creating a report has two steps:

  1. Design — You open an AI design session where you can describe what you want the report to look like. The AI generates a live HTML preview and updates it as you iterate. When you are happy with the result, the design is saved as a reusable template.

  2. Schedule — You name the report, choose a Data Window (the period of data it covers), set a delivery schedule, and add recipients. On each run, the saved template is populated with fresh data and sent.

Designing a Report#

Starting a session#

Navigate to FinOps → Reports and click New Report. The AI design session opens — a split-screen workspace with a conversation panel on the left and a live HTML preview on the right.

You can also redesign an existing report (Redesign from the report card action menu). The session pre-loads the saved template as the starting point so you can refine it without starting from scratch.

Describing what you want#

Type what you want the report to look like in plain language. The AI will fetch live data from your tenant and render a full HTML preview.

Example prompts:

“Give me a monthly cloud cost overview with spend by connection and top 5 most expensive resource types.”

“Executive summary for the CFO: total spend, vs. prior month, top 3 recommendations with savings estimates.”

“Add a section showing which allocation groups are over budget with a progress bar.”

Iterating#

Respond to the preview with adjustments:

“Make the layout two columns and move the recommendations to the bottom.”

“Change to a dark theme. Add a 12-month cost trend line.”

The AI updates the preview after each message. Follow-up suggestions are shown below the chat to help you refine further. There is no limit on iterations within the 30-minute session window.

Saving#

When you are happy with the design, click Save Report:

  1. Give the report a name

  2. Choose the Data Window — the period of data the report will cover on each delivery:

    Data Window

    Data included

    Daily

    Yesterday (T−1)

    Weekly

    Previous 7 days

    Monthly

    Previous calendar month

    Quarterly

    Previous calendar quarter

  3. Set the Schedule — when the report is generated and sent. Use the quick presets or click Custom to enter an exact cron expression. Reports can be scheduled at most once per day. Times are entered in your local timezone and stored as UTC.

  4. Add recipients (email addresses)

  5. Click Save

The HTML template from the design session is saved with the report configuration. On each scheduled run, the template is populated with fresh data for the selected Data Window and emailed to all recipients. The email renders correctly in Outlook, Gmail, and Apple Mail.

Note

The Data Window determines what data is included. The Schedule determines when the email is sent. They are independent — for instance, you can send a Monthly report every weekday, or a Daily report only on Mondays.

What Data Can Reports Include?#

The AI draws on the following data when building your report:

Data

Examples

Cost totals

Total spend by period, by connection, by resource type, by group

Cost trends

Month-over-month comparison, % change, sparkline data

Budget status

Which groups have active budgets, current utilisation %, alerts

Recommendations

Active cost, security, and reliability recommendations; savings estimates

Reservations

Active reservations, expiry dates, coverage ratio

Allocation

Group hierarchy, cost ownership breakdown

Discovery summary

Total resources by provider, recently discovered/deleted resources

Managing Reports#

Go to FinOps → Reports to see all configured reports. From the list you can:

  • Send now — trigger an immediate send outside the schedule (useful for testing)

  • Preview — view the latest rendered HTML without sending

  • Redesign — re-enter the AI design session to update the template

  • Enable / Disable — pause delivery without deleting the configuration

  • Delete — remove the report and stop all future deliveries

Tips for Good Reports#

Tip

Be specific about the audience. “An executive summary for the CFO with only euro totals and a one-paragraph narrative” will produce a very different result than “a technical breakdown for the team lead with per-resource detail.” The AI adapts tone, detail level, and layout based on this context.

Tip

Ask for comparisons. Reports that show change over time — “this month vs. last month” or “vs. same period last year” — are more actionable than snapshots.

Tip

Use Run now after saving to preview the first output before the scheduled delivery date. This lets you verify recipients and data coverage straight away.