Cost Analysis – Diskover Data

Cost Analysis Overview

The Cost Analysis Report provides an at-a-glance view of how your storage budget is being used. It delivers repeatable, customizable reports that can be grouped by storage tier, client, project, data age, or any business-specific criteria your organization tracks.

⚙️ Customizable? This report is customizable.
🌍 Scope: Global (all volumes) unless a specific path is selected in the filters.

How to Access the Cost Analysis Report

From the Analytics menu	From the results pane → path column
Loads the Cost Analysis report across all volumes (unless filters are active).	Loads the Cost Analysis report starting directly at that path.

How to Use the Cost Analysis Report

✏️ Hover over charts to see more details.

CALLOUT	DESCRIPTION
A	Cost by number of items: Shows the estimated storage cost for each configured category based on the number of matching files and/or directories. Click a category name or pie-chart slice to open the matching results on the Search page.
B	Results by item size: Shows the total size of the matching files and/or directories in each configured category. Click a category name or bar in the chart to open the matching results on the Search page.
C	Filters: Refine your results using: Show files only: Excludes directories. Show directories only: Excludes files. Show all: Show both files and directories. Dir size no recurs: Limits directory size reporting to non-recursive calculations. Current top path only: Limits the results to the selected volume. Current dir only: Limits the results to the exact path you locked in on the search page using Current Dir before opening the report. Hide zero values: Hides report categories that contain no matching items or data.
D	Size: Quick cheat sheet for users: Just need the file size? Use `size` Capacity planning? Use `size_du` Learn more about all size options →
E	Download CSV: Downloads the current report in CSV format and saves it to your browser’s configured download location.
F	Reload: Refreshes the cached data.

How to View Storage Costs in the Search Page

Once your System Administrator enables the Cost Analysis tool, cost information appears directly on the Search page. This allows you to view the cost associated with any file or directory as you browse.

How to Customize/Edit Cost Analysis

Cost Analysis comes with sample queries to help you get started, but they’re fully customizable by admins:

You can review the query logic behind each report.
To modify or add new queries, you’ll need an admin account.
If you don’t have admin rights, your System Administrator can make updates on your behalf.

CALLOUT	DESCRIPTION
A	From the user interface > ⚙️ > DiskoverAdmin > Web > Analytics > Cost
B	Query Name: The category name displayed in the Cost Analysis report. It should be short, memorable, and clearly describe what the query returns.
C	Query String: The logic that powers the Cost Analysis. Accepts standard Diskover/Elasticsearch search syntax. This determines the criteria for which files and/or directories appear in the report.
D	Add a query: The Add Item button is located at the bottom of the page and is not shown in this image. Click Add Item to create a new entry. A blank query form appears where you can define the name and query string.
E	Remove query: 🗑️ Removes the selected name/query entry from your configuration. This action cannot be undone, so only delete entries that are no longer needed or are incorrect.
F	Save: After editing or adding queries, click Save to apply your changes. Return to the Cost Analysis report and use Reload if the changes are not yet visible. To return to the report: Click A DiskoverAdmin or Home in the left navigation pane to return to the main Search Page or simply close the tab.

How Storage Costs Are Calculated

Storage costs can be configured globally, per storage volume, or at a more granular directory level. These estimates are managed outside Diskover and entered by your System Administrator. Cost calculations typically include:

Storage hardware or cloud costs
Electricity
Support and service contracts
Administrator labor
Subscription fees
Any other operational overhead

All values must be provided as cost per gigabyte so Diskover can compute and display accurate totals.