Azure Quick Review (azqr) for Cost Optimization

Azure Quick Review (azqr) generates compliance and governance reports that identify cost-impacting issues and orphaned resources.

Create Filters Configuration

Create a filters.yaml file to focus the scan on cost optimization:

includeSections:
  - Costs
  - Advisor
  - Inventory
  - Orphaned
excludeSections:
  - Recommendations
  - AzurePolicy
  - DefenderRecommendations

Run the azqr Scan

Execute the scan using Azure MCP or CLI:

# Via Azure MCP (preferred if available)
# Use the extension_azqr tool with subscription and optional resource-group parameters

# Or via direct CLI:
azqr scan --subscription "<SUBSCRIPTION_ID>" --resource-group "<RESOURCE_GROUP>" --filters ./filters.yaml --output json

Save Output

Save all generated files to the output/ folder:

1. Create the folder: mkdir output (if it doesn't exist)
2. Save the azqr report as: output/azqr_report_<YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS>.json
3. After the scan completes, delete the temporary filters.yaml file

Report Output

The scan generates a JSON report with recommendations categorized by impact level (High/Medium/Low), including:

• Orphaned resources (NICs, disks, IPs)
• Azure Advisor cost recommendations
• Resource inventory
• Cost breakdown by resource

Notes

• azqr provides qualitative governance recommendations
• Always validate findings with actual cost data before making changes
• The tool requires Reader role on the subscription or resource group
• Save reports to output/ folder with timestamps for audit trail