Choose a cost review workflow

Start with the decision you need to make. CloudPouch’s three main views answer different questions: Billing shows what was charged, Savings organizes potential optimizations, and Compare explains which billing items changed between two months.

Match the task to the screen

I need to…	Start in	Action and result
Review another account	Main window → Cmd/Ctrl + K	Search and select a profile, then check the period in the view you open.
Shorten the account lists	Settings → Profiles	Search, then Hide or Show a profile. This changes list visibility.
Check my plan or adjust the appearance	Settings → License or Appearance	Review licensing separately from visual preferences.
Connect an AI assistant	Settings → MCP Server, then the assistant’s named section	Check the local server, configure the client, and verify a response against CloudPouch.
Find where the monthly bill is concentrated	Billing	Select a period, inspect the chart, then open a service’s UsageTypes.
Investigate waste in a specific service	Billing → service row	Run Scan for Savings and read that service’s Cost Insights.
Prioritize optimization across an account	Run Savings Scan → Savings → Overview	Check scan context and coverage, then compare the estimated opportunities.
Evaluate a proposed change	Savings → Opportunities (Pro)	Filter the list, expand a finding, and inspect configuration, usage, and cost evidence.
Revisit an earlier assessment	Savings → History	Open a saved run and check its timestamp and snapshot context.
Explain a month-to-month change	Compare	Select a baseline and comparison month, then inspect service and UsageType deltas.

Prepare the account context

For a review of an existing account, use the quick profile picker or sidebar. Confirm the account and period before reading costs or starting a scan.

Organizing profiles is a separate setup task. Open Settings → Profiles to hide or restore entries, close Settings, and then select the account in the main window. Reloading profiles after an external configuration change is another separate operation; it refreshes discovery rather than billing data.

Investigate a service bill

Start in Billing when a service already stands out. Select the month, narrow the region or service filter, and open the service row. UsageTypes identify what AWS billed; Scan for Savings reads the resource state needed for supported Cost Insights.

Read the result below that service’s chart. The ECR walkthrough, for example, turns growing image storage into a repository retention review. The outcome is an evidence-backed investigation for the resource owner.

Build and review an optimization list

For an unfamiliar account, run a Savings Scan. In Savings → Overview, first check the profile, month, scan timestamp, cost basis, and coverage. Report the amount as an estimate, including any coverage gaps or overlapping recommendations.

Choose a solution category such as Reconfigure to open a filtered Opportunities list. On Pro, expand a finding and compare its current configuration, observed usage, proposed change, and cost basis. The illustrated EBS example shows why the estimated amount is only one part of that decision.

Use History → Open when the review needs an earlier assessment. Opening a run reuses saved results; running a new scan creates a new assessment. CloudPouch does not apply the recommended AWS changes.

Explain a change and follow up

In Compare, put the baseline month on the left and the month under review on the right. Check the normalized total, then inspect the UsageTypes within relevant services. Increases and decreases can offset each other inside a small service-level delta.

The result is a specific billing driver to investigate with the workload owner. After an optimization, use later billing periods and a consistent KPI to assess the outcome. A recommendation disappearing from a new scan and a reduction in billed cost are different observations.