AWS Standalone FAQs
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Is it necessary to perform manual actions for the proper functioning of this connector?
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Do the invoices generated by this connector include the AWS support plan charges?
What is "Native Rating"?
This connector serves an alternative to using CloudCheckr for calculating customer usage and charges. Previously, all our connectors relied on CloudCheckr for usage and billing computations. With Native Rating, however, we leverage AWS’s native capabilities—such as Athena and the Cost and Usage Report (CUR)—to process usage data internally before uploading it to Connect. As a price-rated connector, it also calculates customer pricing (e.g., MSRP), enabling more streamlined and cost-effective billing workflows.
Is a markdown possible for this connector?
You can use the AWS Discount and Credit Manager to perform AWS rating within CloudBlue, without relying on third-party systems. For additional information, refer to the AWS Discount and Credit Manager documentation.
How can I specify margin for AWS Marketplace Services?
You can use the AWS Discount and Credit Manager to configure discounts for items of "Marketplace" type. For additional information, refer to the AWS Discount and Credit Manager documentation.
How can I set up the manual acceptance of usage files?
If a distributor needs to adjust the exchange rate parameters, custom markup parameters, or other configurations after the usage file for a billing cycle has been generated, they can use this process to request a new usage file or reprocess a usage file.
To reprocess the usage file, it is essential to change the Usage Rules. To do so, complete the following steps:
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Log in to the Distributor portal in CloudBlue Connect and click Usage Rules.
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Set the default action to Wait for operator assistance.
To learn more about this feature, refer to the following article in CloudBlue Connect documentation: Usage - Distributor & Reseller Portals - CloudBlue Connect
Important: Reprocessing the usage file is considered an exception and should not be performed routinely. Only request reprocessing after all other available options have been exhausted. For further guidance, contact your assigned product manager for more information.
How does billing work?
To ensure the reliability of billing data, each new AWS Standalone Account must be managed using a dedicated S3 bucket and a separate Athena table within the AWS Master account. In this setup, the customer is responsible for configuring S3 bucket replication to copy Cost and Usage Report (CUR) data from their own S3 bucket to the designated bucket in the master account.
Learn more about S3 replication here: AWS S3 Replication.
Once replication is in place, the connector reads data from all the Athena tables associated with the Standalone Accounts, ensuring accurate and consolidated usage reporting.
How does the exchange rate work?
Distributors can manually configure the appropriate exchange rate parameter in the Connect Distributor Portal. Once configured, this value is used to adjust the pricing data in the usage file available in Connect.
The connector retrieves the Cost and Usage Report (CUR) file from AWS and applies the exchange rate defined under the fxRate parameter (configured in the Connect Distributor Portal). It then recalculates the prices accordingly, updates the usage file with the adjusted values, and uploads the revised file back into the Connect Distributor Portal.
Can discounts be applied for customers?
Yes, you can use the AWS Discount and Credit Manager to manage discounts. For additional information, refer to the AWS and Credit Manager documentation.
What type of orders are supported?
Import Scenario
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What is an import scenario?
An import scenario refers to the process of creating an AWS subscription in CloudBlue Connect and CloudBlue Commerce platforms for already existing AWS accounts. -
Which type of AWS accounts can be used for the import scenario?
Only AWS Standalone Accounts are supported. These accounts must be onboarded through the AWS Partner Network Portal and must have completed the required manual configuration steps described
Provisioning AWS Standalone accounts to CloudBlue end customers
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Providers can define a pool of preconfigured accounts to avoid lengthy waiting periods for customers.
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The connector validates the pre-created accounts configured via the AWS Management extension and then selects the next "available" account during the provisioning process to assign it to the customer.
For additional details, see the Creating an AWS Standalone Account section.
Assisted Manual Account Cancellation
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Since AWS does not support account offboarding or cancellation via API, manual steps are required to complete the cancellation requests received in Connect. There are two available options:
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Account closure: The CloudBlue provider manually closes the account, which results in the account being moved to Suspended status on the AWS side.
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Account Transfer-out: The CloudBlue provider removes the role
OrganizationAccountAccessRole, which was originally created to provide access to usage data.
After completing one of these actions, the provider must click the confirmation link included in an automated email to mark the account as canceled in the system. For additional details, see the Canceling an Account section.
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How can I sign in to new AWS accounts? (SSO or OTP)
The Single Sign-On (SSO) feature is no longer supported, as mandated by AWS. Instead, access to accounts is now established using a one-time password (OTP) mechanism. The figure below illustrates the updated access flow using OTP.
Is it necessary to perform manual actions for the proper functioning of this connector?
The following manual steps are required :
- Configuring parameters in the Connect Distributor Portal
- Additional steps when importing existing AWS Standalone Payers
- Steps to be performed in the AWS Management Extension
Is it possible to suspend an AWS account?
The suspend scenario is not supported by any AWS connector, as AWS does not support the suspension of resources. As a result, whenever a customer or reseller submits a suspend request from CloudBlue Commerce on behalf of a customer, Connect will automatically reject it.
This is expected behavior, and an error message may be displayed to indicate the rejection.
Is it possible to cancel an AWS subscription?
Yes, but the process involves manual steps. When a cancellation request is submitted, an email is sent to the provider with details about the pending cancellation and the available options for handling it on the AWS side:
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Account closure: The provider can manually close the AWS account, which will change its status to Suspended.
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Account Transfer-Out: The provider can transfer the account to another distributor by deleting the
OrganizationAccountAccessRole. This role contains the trusted entity for the current distributor.Important: If this role is not removed, the connector will not detect the transfer, the cancellation request will remain in a Pending state, and usage will continue to be billed.
Once the appropriate action is completed on the AWS side, the provider must click the confirmation link included in the cancellation email to mark the account as canceled in Connect.
The connector will then verify whether the account has been successfully canceled on AWS. If the account is no longer accessible, the connector will wait for a configurable number of days before automatically approving the cancellation request in Connect, provided the account was marked as canceled by the provider.
Note: Providers can configure cancellation emails in multiple languages using product and marketplace configuration parameters.
When is the usage file generated for this connector?
Usage is processed on the 5th of every month, generally at 00:00 hours (time zone: CEST – 2). For example, usage for the month of April will be generated on the 5th of May.
Do the invoices generated by this connector include the AWS support plan charges?
Yes, these charges are billed to the end customer and they will be available as a separate line in the invoice. The AWS usage file generates the usage charges for linked accounts, and these charges flow into Commerce for invoice generation.