Exporting to Excel
Lakemeter exports your estimates to professionally formatted Excel spreadsheets — ready for RFP responses, procurement reviews, internal planning, or vendor comparisons.
Animated: exporting an estimate — click the Excel button and the file downloads automatically.
How to Export
Single Estimate
- Open the estimate you want to export
- Click the Excel button (download arrow icon) in the top bar
- An
.xlsxfile downloads automatically
File name format: Databricks_Estimate_{estimate_name}_{YYYYMMDD}.xlsx
Bulk Export (All Estimates)
From the Estimates list page, click the Export All button to download a summary spreadsheet containing all your estimates in one file. This creates an "All Estimates" sheet with each estimate's name, cloud, region, tier, status, and dates.
What's in the Excel File
The exported spreadsheet contains a single sheet called "Databricks Estimate" with several sections:
1. Header
The top rows display your estimate metadata:
- Estimate name, cloud provider, region, and pricing tier
- Status and version number
- Created and last-updated dates
2. Workloads Table (34 Columns)
Each workload in your estimate produces a primary row. Workloads with separately priced components can add sub-rows. The columns are grouped by purpose:
| Group | Columns | What's there |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | #, Workload Name, Type, Mode, Configuration, SKU | What this workload is and how it's configured |
| VM Configuration | Driver Node, Worker Node, Workers, Driver Tier, Worker Tier | Instance types and cluster shape (Classic only) |
| Usage | Hours/Mo | How much this workload runs — calculated from runs/day or entered directly |
| Token Configuration | Token Type, Tokens/Mo (M), DBU/1M Tokens | For FMAPI workloads: token volumes and rates |
| DBU Costs | DBU/Hr, DBUs/Mo, DBU Rate (List), Discount %, DBU Rate (Disc.), DBU Cost (List), DBU Cost (Disc.) | The core Databricks billing — all formula-based |
| DSU Costs | DSUs/Mo, DSU Rate (List), DSU Cost (List), DSU Cost (Disc.) | Databricks-managed storage charges using the exact regional DATABRICKS_STORAGE rate |
| VM Costs | Driver VM $/Hr, Worker VM $/Hr, Driver VM Cost, Worker VM Cost, Total VM Cost | Infrastructure costs for Classic compute (zero for Serverless) |
| Totals | Total Cost (List), Total Cost (Disc.) | Combined DBU + DSU + VM costs at list and discounted rates |
| Notes | Notes | Workload-specific details (e.g., "Photon enabled", "Storage Optimized") |
:::info Key Detail All cost cells use Excel formulas, not static values. If you change an input (like discount percentage), the costs recalculate automatically in Excel. :::
3. Multi-Row Workloads
Some workloads can produce additional rows:
- Lakebase — Compute, plus optional database storage, point-in-time restore, and snapshot rows
- AI Search — Row 1: compute costs, optional reranker row, then storage costs (if storage GB > 0)
- Databricks Default Storage — Stored data, Tier 1 operations, and Tier 2 operations
- Unity AI Gateway — One row for each enabled Inference Tables or Usage Tracking component
- Agent Evaluation — Separate rows for evaluation input tokens, output tokens, and synthetic-data questions when enabled
Lakebase, Unity AI Gateway, and Agent Evaluation emit only configured or
enabled components. Databricks Default Storage always emits all three
component rows, including zero-quantity rows. AI Search emits a storage row
when configured storage is greater than zero. The totals row uses SUM
formulas that include every primary row and sub-row.
4. Workload Cost Summary
Below the workloads table, a pre-add-on summary shows:
- Monthly and annual totals for DBU costs, DSU costs, VM costs, and combined workload cost
- Totals at both list price and discounted price
5. Platform Add-on
This section shows:
- The selected add-on, if any
- Product Spend at List, calculated from DBU and DSU list cost
- The applied uplift and active promotion
- Add-on list cost, negotiated discount, and final add-on cost
VM infrastructure cost is excluded from the add-on calculation base.
6. Final Estimate Summary
The final summary combines workload and Platform Add-on costs. It shows monthly and annual values for workloads and add-ons at list and discounted prices, followed by the final estimate.
7. Legend
A color-coded legend explaining the column groups:
- Blue — DBU-related costs (Databricks compute units)
- Violet — DSU-related costs (Databricks storage units)
- Cyan — Token-based pricing (FMAPI workloads)
- Pink — Discount pricing (discounted DBU rate and cost)
- Green — VM infrastructure costs (cloud provider)
- Purple — Workload total cost (DBU + DSU + VM combined)
Orange headers are used for general workload identity columns (name, type, configuration, SKU, notes) but are not listed in the legend section.
8. Assumptions & Notes
The bottom section documents:
- That all pricing uses Databricks list rates
- DBU rate source and lookup method
- How discount percentages are applied
- Export timestamp
Formatting
The exported file includes professional formatting:
- Color-coded column headers matching the legend colors
- Frozen panes — the header row and first two columns stay visible when scrolling
- Currency formatting — all dollar amounts formatted as
$#,##0.00 - Percentage formatting — discount column formatted as
0% - Auto-sized columns — widths adjust to content
- Landscape orientation — fits on standard paper for printing
- Borders — light grid lines for readability
Common Use Cases
RFP Response
Export your estimate to attach to a Request for Proposal. The professional formatting and complete cost breakdown make it ready for procurement teams. Adjust the discount percentage column to reflect your negotiated rates.
Internal Planning
Use the export to share cost projections with stakeholders who don't have Lakemeter access. The formula-based cells let finance teams adjust assumptions (hours, discounts) directly in Excel.
Vendor Comparison
Create separate estimates for different configurations (e.g., Classic vs Serverless, different instance types) and export both. Compare them side-by-side in Excel to find the most cost-effective option.
Cost Modeling
Since all cells use formulas, you can build additional analysis on top of the export — add growth projections, what-if scenarios, or integrate it into a larger financial model.
Tips
- Export after finalizing your estimate — the file reflects the exact state at download time
- The discount percentage column is editable in Excel. Set it to your negotiated rate and all costs recalculate
- For FMAPI workloads, the token configuration columns show your volume assumptions — adjust these for different usage scenarios
- Lakebase and AI Search storage-related costs can appear on separate rows. Include every emitted sub-row when referencing total costs
- Review the Platform Add-on and Final Estimate sections rather than treating workload totals as the final estimate