Azure Managed Application

EA to MCA? Keep Azure Cost Reporting Working in Power BI.

When you move from EA to MCA, your old Power BI reporting approach does not carry forward cleanly. Your data model changes, historical comparisons get harder, and scale becomes a real constraint.

MCA Continuity solves your problem.

  • Drop-in Power BI replacement — same column names, same DAX measures, no rebuilding dashboards
  • No spend cap, no refresh timeouts
  • Unified historical view — bridge EA and MCA cost data in a single timeline
  • No new Fabric implementation required
Deploy in Azure Marketplace

What changes when you move to MCA

The Power BI Cost Management connector wasn't built for billing transitions. When your agreement type changes, your reports may stop working.

Schema changes

The connector uses different column names for MCA versus EA. DAX measures, calculated columns, and visual bindings can break — and reports may need to be rebuilt from scratch.

$2–5M spend cap

The connector maxes out at $2–5M/month in monitored spend. For organizations above that threshold, Microsoft recommends FinOps hubs with Data Explorer or Fabric.

Fragmented history

Historical cost data stays in the EA billing scope — it doesn't move to MCA. The Power BI connector can't easily bridge both, which can make pre- and post-migration cost comparisons difficult.

Microsoft's recommended path: export to storage, set up Fabric or Data Explorer. MCA Continuity is a simpler alternative.

Microsoft's answer vs. ours

Microsoft recommends the FinOps Toolkit with Fabric capacity. Here's what that actually looks like.

FinOps Toolkit + Fabric

Microsoft's DIY approach

  • Configure cost exports to a storage account
  • Provision Fabric capacity
  • Build incremental refresh pipelines
  • Track monthly toolkit updates and breaking changes
  • Weeks of setup and configuration

Requires significant setup, ongoing maintenance, and drives cost

MCA Continuity

Deploy and connect

  • Deploy from the Azure Marketplace (5 min)
  • Run one PowerShell script (2 min)
  • Connect Power BI to the SQL view (5 min)
  • Same column names — keep your existing dashboards
  • Working in 30 minutes, not weeks

Ready in 30 minutes — no Fabric, no pipelines, no maintenance

How it works

1

Deploy

5 minutes

Deploy from the Azure Marketplace into your tenant. One click, standard Azure deployment.

2

Run onboarding script

2 minutes

A single PowerShell script in Azure Cloud Shell grants read-only permissions. Data collection starts automatically.

3

Connect Power BI

5 minutes

Follow our step-by-step guide to swap your existing Power BI data source for a DirectQuery connection to the MCA Continuity database. Same column names as your EA reports — your dashboards keep working.

Deploys like any Azure resource

This isn't a SaaS app. It's an Azure Managed Application built entirely on native Azure services — Function App, SQL Database, Storage Account — running in your tenant, using your identity provider, and following your governance policies.

Deploys into your Azure subscription

Just like any other resource you'd deploy from the Azure portal. It lives in your tenant, managed by you.

Nothing leaves your tenant

No external endpoints, no telemetry, no callbacks. The application communicates only with management.azure.com, graph.microsoft.com, *.monitor.azure.com (for the in-portal dashboard), and marketplaceapi.microsoft.com (metered billing — subscription count only, no cost data).

Uses Azure RBAC and Entra ID

Your existing access policies apply. Authentication and authorization work exactly the way they do for every other Azure resource.

Read-only access to cost data

The application cannot modify resources, subscriptions, or spending. It reads cost and reservation data — nothing more.

Secrets encrypted at rest

All secrets encrypted at rest by the Azure platform. Managed identity authentication — no credentials in code. Azure AD authentication (EasyAuth) on all endpoints. Publisher access configurable as JIT (just-in-time) only.

Try it free for 30 days

Deploy the full solution into your Azure tenant today. No credit card surprises — the base price is $0 and no charges are emitted during the trial. Billing starts on the 1st of the month after your trial ends.

Small

1–5 subscriptions

$100 /month

after your 30-day trial

  • All capabilities included
  • Cancel anytime
  • Deploys entirely within your Azure tenant
Start Free 30-Day Trial

Medium

6–15 subscriptions

$250 /month

after your 30-day trial

  • All capabilities included
  • Cancel anytime
  • Deploys entirely within your Azure tenant
Start Free 30-Day Trial

Enterprise

16+ subscriptions

$500 /month

after your 30-day trial

  • All capabilities included
  • Cancel anytime
  • Deploys entirely within your Azure tenant
Start Free 30-Day Trial

Automatic tier selection. You don't pick a tier. The app counts your active subscriptions each month and applies the matching rate.

Predictable flat fees. Every tier is a fixed monthly amount — no per-subscription charges, no usage metering, no surprises.

Infrastructure cost is separate. Azure resources (Function App, Storage Account, SQL Database) run in your tenant at ~$28–35/month, paid directly to Microsoft.

Available in Azure Marketplace. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your billing period.

Frequently asked questions

Do my existing Power BI reports work?
Yes. The SQL view uses EA-compatible column names — Cost, CostInBillingCurrency, PreTaxCost, UsageDate, SubscriptionGuid, InstanceId, ConsumedQuantity, Currency, and ServiceName are all available. Change your data source from the Cost Management connector to a SQL DirectQuery connection, and your existing DAX measures and visualizations should work without modification.
What column names are available?
The CostManagement_Usage view includes EA, MCA, and PAYG column names simultaneously. For example: Cost = CostInBillingCurrency = PreTaxCost, Date = UsageDate, SubscriptionId = SubscriptionGuid, ResourceId = InstanceId, ResourceName = InstanceName, ConsumedService = ServiceName. You don't need to know which naming convention your reports use — all three work.
Is there a spend cap?
No. Power BI connects to the SQL database via DirectQuery, which sends live queries to SQL. There's no dataset import, no refresh window, and no $5M ceiling. It works at any spend level on a $15/month SQL database.
Do I need Microsoft Fabric?
No. MCA Continuity runs on a standard Azure SQL Database (S0 tier, ~$15/month). No Fabric capacity, no Data Explorer cluster, no storage account exports to configure. If you want to use Fabric or import mode, the application also exports Parquet files to blob storage — but it's optional, not required.
What does it cost to run in my tenant?
The Azure infrastructure — Function App, Storage Account, and SQL Database — runs at approximately $28–35/month, paid directly to Microsoft as part of your Azure bill. The MCA Continuity subscription fee ($100–$500/month depending on your subscription count) is separate and billed through the Azure Marketplace.
How does the free trial work?
Deploy MCA Continuity from the Azure Marketplace. Your first 30 days are completely free — no charges at all. Billing starts on the 1st of the month after your trial ends. There's nothing to cancel if you decide it's not for you.
Does any data leave my Azure tenant?
No. All data is collected, stored, and served within your tenant. The application makes no outbound calls except to Azure's own management APIs (management.azure.com, graph.microsoft.com, and *.monitor.azure.com for the in-portal dashboard). There are no telemetry endpoints, no analytics, and no callbacks to the publisher.
What permissions does it need?
Cost Management Reader (read-only cost data) and Reservations Reader (read-only reservation data). Both are read-only — the application cannot modify any Azure resources. Permissions are granted by running a single PowerShell script in Azure Cloud Shell.
What happens if I cancel?
Billing stops at the end of the current period. Your data remains in your tenant until you delete the managed application resource. If you cancel, you lose the unified timeline that bridges your EA and MCA cost data — rebuilding that view would require manual scope switching in the Azure portal.
How is my tier determined?
The app counts all Azure subscriptions visible to its managed identity, minus any you manually exclude. Your tier is based on this count: 1–5 subscriptions is Small ($100/month), 6–15 is Medium ($250/month), and 16 or more is Enterprise ($500/month). You never have to pick a plan — it's assessed automatically each month.

MCA Continuity is designed to work across a wide range of Azure environments. Results may vary based on tenant configuration, Microsoft API availability, and billing account setup. See our Terms of Use for details.