Google Billing
Author: Ronald Fung
Creation Date: 8 June 2023
Next Modified Date: 8 June 2024
A. Introduction
Cloud Billing is a collection of tools that help you track and understand your Google Cloud spending, pay your bill, and optimize your costs.
A Cloud Billing account defines who pays for a given set of Google Cloud resources. To use Google Cloud services, you must have a valid Cloud Billing account, and must link it to your Google Cloud projects. Your project’s Google Cloud usage is charged to the linked Cloud Billing account.
You must have a valid Cloud Billing account even if you are in your free trial period or if you only use Google Cloud resources that are covered by the Google Cloud Free Tier.
You also need a Cloud Billing account to pay for your use of the Google Maps Platform APIs
B. How is it used at Seagen
Seagen can use Google Billing to manage their Google Cloud usage and costs. Here are some steps to get started with Google Billing:
Create a billing account: Seagen can create a new billing account in the Google Cloud Console. The billing account will be associated with a Google Cloud project and can be used to manage all charges incurred by the project.
Configure billing: Seagen can configure billing settings such as billing cycle, payment method, and billing notifications in the Google Cloud Console. They can also set up budgets and alerts to monitor usage and costs.
View billing reports: Seagen can view detailed billing reports in the Google Cloud Console to analyze usage and costs. The reports can be filtered by date range, project, and service.
Set up billing export: Seagen can set up billing export to export billing data to BigQuery, Cloud Storage, or a file in a specified format. This can be useful for analyzing billing data in external tools or integrating with other systems.
Optimize costs: Seagen can optimize their costs by using Google Cloud services that offer cost-saving features such as automatic scaling, resource optimization, and per-second billing. They can also use tools such as the Google Cloud Pricing Calculator to estimate costs and compare pricing across different services.
Overall, by using Google Billing, Seagen can manage their Google Cloud usage and costs effectively and efficiently. By carefully configuring billing settings, monitoring usage and costs, and optimizing costs, Seagen can minimize their costs while maximizing the benefits of Google Cloud services for their biopharma research applications.
C. Features
Google Billing provides a range of features that can help users manage their Google Cloud usage and costs effectively. Some of the key features include:
Billing accounts: Billing accounts provide a way to manage all charges incurred by a Google Cloud project. Users can create, view, and manage billing accounts in the Google Cloud Console.
Billing reports: Billing reports provide detailed usage and cost information for Google Cloud services. Users can view and download billing reports in the Google Cloud Console, and can filter by date range, project, and service.
Budgets and alerts: Budgets and alerts allow users to set up notifications when their Google Cloud spending exceeds a certain threshold. Users can create budgets and alerts in the Google Cloud Console and receive notifications via email or SMS.
Cost optimization: Google Billing provides tools and features to help users optimize their costs, such as per-second billing, automatic scaling, and resource optimization. Users can also use the Google Cloud Pricing Calculator to estimate costs and compare pricing across different services.
Billing export: Billing export allows users to export billing data to external systems such as BigQuery, Cloud Storage, or a file in a specified format. This can be useful for analyzing billing data in external tools or integrating with other systems.
Payment methods: Google Billing supports a range of payment methods, including credit cards, bank transfers, and invoicing. Users can manage payment methods in the Google Cloud Console.
Overall, Google Billing provides a powerful set of features to help users manage their Google Cloud usage and costs effectively. By carefully configuring billing settings, monitoring usage and costs, and optimizing costs, users can minimize their costs while maximizing the benefits of Google Cloud services.
D. Where Implemented
E. How it is tested
Testing Google Billing involves ensuring that billing is working correctly and accurately reflecting the usage and costs of Google Cloud services. Here are some steps to test Google Billing:
Create a test environment: Create a test environment that mimics the production environment as closely as possible. This includes creating test data, configuring Google Cloud services, and setting up test infrastructure.
Set up billing: Set up billing in the test environment and configure billing settings such as billing cycle, payment method, and billing notifications. Ensure that the billing account is associated with the correct Google Cloud project.
Generate usage: Generate usage of Google Cloud services in the test environment by invoking the services with various inputs and verifying that the output is correct. This includes testing different scenarios, error conditions, and edge cases.
Verify billing reports: Verify that the billing reports accurately reflect the usage and costs of the Google Cloud services in the test environment. Compare the billing reports to the expected usage and costs.
Test budgets and alerts: Test budgets and alerts by setting up a budget and alert in the test environment and verifying that notifications are sent when the budget is exceeded.
Test billing export: Test billing export by exporting billing data to BigQuery, Cloud Storage, or a file in a specified format in the test environment. Verify that the exported data is accurate and matches the billing reports.
Overall, testing Google Billing involves creating a test environment, setting up billing, generating usage, verifying billing reports, testing budgets and alerts, and testing billing export. By thoroughly testing Google Billing, users can ensure that it accurately reflects the usage and costs of Google Cloud services and provides an accurate representation of the total cost of ownership of their applications.
F. 2023 Roadmap
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G. 2024 Roadmap
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H. Known Issues
While Google Billing is generally reliable and stable, there are a few known issues that users may encounter. Some of the known issues are:
Billing errors: Google Billing may encounter errors when calculating usage and costs for Google Cloud services. Users should carefully monitor their billing reports and contact Google Cloud Support if they encounter any billing errors.
Budget and alert delays: Budgets and alerts may be delayed in the Google Cloud Console or may not be triggered immediately when a threshold is exceeded. Users should carefully monitor their budgets and alerts to ensure that they are working correctly.
Payment method issues: Users may encounter issues with their payment method, such as a declined credit card or an expired payment method. Users should update their payment method in the Google Cloud Console to ensure that their billing is not interrupted.
Cost estimation accuracy: The Google Cloud Pricing Calculator provides cost estimates for Google Cloud services, but the estimates may not always be accurate. Users should carefully review their billing reports and adjust their cost estimates accordingly.
Third-party billing issues: Users who use third-party billing systems to manage their Google Cloud usage and costs may encounter integration issues or billing errors. Users should carefully review their billing reports and contact their third-party billing provider if they encounter any issues.
Overall, while these issues may impact some users, Google Billing remains a powerful and flexible tool for managing Google Cloud usage and costs. By carefully monitoring billing reports, setting up budgets and alerts, and optimizing costs, users can minimize the impact of these issues and ensure that their Google Cloud usage and costs are accurate and manageable.
[x] Reviewed by Enterprise Architecture
[x] Reviewed by Application Development
[x] Reviewed by Data Architecture