Twilio provides a CSV supplement for our invoices to help users tabulate their monthly data, and analyze trends. Have you ever wondered how your Twilio usage has changed from month to month, or are you interested in manipulating your invoicing data to gain additional insights into your usage and spend? This guide is intended to help users properly read and utilize the data presented in the CSV supplement.
Access the Invoice CSV Supplement
Invoiced and Pay as you Go customers can download the CSV supplemental invoice from the Billing Overview page in Console. Select CSV from the drop-down menu, and then click Download.
Notice: We launched CSV supplement for Twilio invoices in March 2019, so customers will only be able to see CSV supplements from March 2019 onwards.
For more information, see When and Where Can I Find my Invoice.
What can you do with the CSV Supplement?
The CSV supplement gives you the ability to sort, filter, and manipulate your invoicing data, allowing you to gain valuable insights into your Twilio product usage across different countries and time frames. Here are some examples of what's possible:
- Analyze the total dollars spent in each country.
- Find the variance in the number of SMS segments sent each month.
- Analyze the usage of each item group across different accounts on the same invoice.
- Analyze the usage across different subaccounts.
- Combine CSVs from multiple months to see usage trends.
What data is found in the CSV supplement?
The columns in the CSV supplement match the information in your PDF invoice. The difference is that in CSV format, you can manipulate this data as needed. Here's an overview of what all is included:
- Account names (Columns A - B): The first two columns show the names of the accounts for each row. "Project" shows the project name for subaccounts, and "Company Name" shows the name as entered in the Console Invoicing Settings.
- Itemized billing (Columns C - F): The next few columns show billing line items, categorized from high-level to more detailed. This starts with "Item Category" (services, credits, promos, taxes), then breaks down into "Item Group" (product), and "Item Country" (usage country, or non-geographic).
- Quantity and amount (Columns G - I): After the line item breakdown, you'll find the "Quantity" for each line item, the cost "Amount" (in your project's currency), and "Bucket Inclusion" if it applies to any bucket pricing strategies you are registered for.
- Account identification (Columns J - L): In these columns, you'll find the "Account SID", and "Account Type" (combined invoice totals, master account combined with all subaccounts, master account only, subaccount, linked account, etc.). We'll also display the "Parent SID" for any subaccounts, so you have the owning project Account SID.
- Date and Invoice ID (Columns M - O): The last columns show the "Month" and "Year" of the invoice data, and "Invoice Number" shows the PO number as entered in the Console Invoicing Settings.
Notice: For help understanding the different account types, see Getting started with Twilio projects and subaccounts.
Where can I see credits, promos, or taxes applied to my account?
Twilio calculates credits, promos, and taxes at the invoice level. If you have multiple subaccounts or projects on one invoice, the credits, promos, or taxes are calculated jointly for all the usage, and added on the master account.
I have subaccounts but cannot see them on the CSV. Why is that?
There could be a few reasons for why a subaccount isn't found on your invoice:
- Subaccounts without usage in the calendar month are not shown in the CSV.
- Some account types do not have subaccounts, such as flex or reseller-resold accounts.
- Our platform is currently unable to show subaccount details for your invoice if any one of the accounts on your invoice is a flex account.
Using pivot tables to analyze and visualize the CSV data
Opening the Invoice CSV in a spreadsheet application (examples: Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc, Apple Numbers, etc.) allows you to build pivot tables and charts, and better analyze the information presented:
- You can analyze the total service spent or usage across countries.
- Customers with multiple Twilio projects on one invoice can use pivot charts to analyze the usage of each item group across different projects, or the consumption in each project across different countries.
- You can also combine CSVs from multiple months to see the trend of usage.
For help creating pivot tables and charts, please see the following resources:
Future features
We are working on the following enhancements:
- The platform is currently unable to show subaccount details for invoices with multiple accounts if any one of those accounts are a Flex account. We are working on updates to the system to show all subaccounts - even if there's a Flex account involved.
- We are investigating adding unit prices to the CSV supplement.