The verdict in three sentences
For a Dublin SME with EUR 55 million in revenue whose financial controller spends 5 days a month consolidating ERP, CRM and payroll data in Excel, automated reporting costs between EUR 10,000 and 28,000 excluding VAT. Combining a small data warehouse with Power BI or Metabase brings management reporting from day 10 to day 3 within 6 to 10 weeks. The real gain is not the visualisation tool: it is the end of copy-pasting and of conflicting spreadsheet versions.
Better Excel, an off-the-shelf tool or a data warehouse
Three architectures dominate in 2026 for an SME with 100 to 400 staff. The choice depends on the number of sources, data volume and the traceability expected by the board and the external accountant.
| Option | Upfront cost (EUR excl. VAT) | Running cost | Timeline | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excel + scheduled Power Query | 3,000 to 6,000 | EUR 0 | 2 to 3 weeks | Fragile beyond 3 sources, depends on one person |
| Off-the-shelf SaaS (Fathom, Jirav, Pigment) | 2,000 to 8,000 | EUR 300 to 1,500/month | 3 to 6 weeks | Imposed data model, cost rises with modules |
| Data warehouse + Power BI | 12,000 to 28,000 | EUR 14/user/month + EUR 80 to 250 hosting | 6 to 10 weeks | Requires rigorous KPI scoping |
| Data warehouse + Metabase | 10,000 to 24,000 | EUR 0 licence + EUR 80 to 250 hosting | 6 to 10 weeks | Less polished financial formatting |
| Consolidation by the external accountant | 0 | EUR 800 to 2,000/month | Immediate | Day 15 to 20, little analysis |
For an SME consolidating an ERP (Sage, Business Central, Odoo), a CRM and payroll software, a data warehouse is almost always the right answer: data is extracted nightly, checked and historised, and the dashboard simply displays it.
What an automated reporting project contains
The visible part, the charts, accounts for less than a third of the budget. Most of the work goes into defining indicators (a gross margin calculated the same way everywhere) and making connectors reliable.
| Step | 2026 budget (EUR excl. VAT) | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| KPI workshop with management (20 to 40 KPIs) | 1,500 to 3,000 | 1 to 2 weeks |
| ERP, CRM, payroll, bank connectors | 3,000 to 8,000 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Data model and calculation rules (margin, working capital, payroll cost) | 2,500 to 7,000 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Board, sales and HR dashboards | 2,000 to 6,000 | 2 weeks |
| Consistency checks and variance alerts | 500 to 2,500 | 1 week |
| Training, documentation, acceptance over 2 closes | 500 to 1,500 | 2 weeks |
| Total | 10,000 to 28,000 | 6 to 10 weeks |
Licence cost ranges from EUR 0 (self-hosted open-source Metabase) to EUR 15 per user per month (Power BI Pro). For 12 readers, that is EUR 0 to 180 a month, plus EUR 80 to 250 to host the warehouse.
The conditions for hitting day 3
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Automated reporting cannot be faster than the accounting close. To publish on day 3, sales invoices must be issued before month-end, recurring accruals must be automated and bank reconciliations must run daily. The dashboard can show a 'provisional' figure from day 1, then 'final' once the controller signs off. Also assign an owner to each indicator: without one, definition debates come back at every board meeting.
Mini case study
Julien, financial controller of an equipment distributor in Dublin (EUR 55 million revenue, 180 staff), spends 5 days a month, or 40 hours, consolidating reporting. After an EUR 18,000 project with a data warehouse and Power BI, he spends only 8 hours on checks. Saving: 32 hours a month, valued at a loaded EUR 55 an hour, so EUR 1,760. Subtract EUR 168 of licences for 12 users, EUR 120 of hosting and EUR 250 of maintenance: a net gain of EUR 1,222 a month. Payback in 14.7 months, and management decides 7 days earlier every month.
FAQ
Power BI or Metabase for an SME? Power BI is richer for financial reports and integrates with Microsoft 365, at EUR 14 per user per month. Metabase is free when self-hosted and covers 70% of operational monitoring needs.
Do we really need a data warehouse? Beyond 3 sources and 2 years of history, yes. Querying the ERP directly slows production systems and prevents freezing a closed month's figures.
What does maintenance cost? Budget EUR 150 to 400 excluding VAT a month to monitor connectors, adjust 1 or 2 indicators and absorb source software updates.
Can payroll data be included? Yes, aggregated by department with restricted access. Personal data stays in the payroll system, in line with GDPR.
How long before the first useful dashboard? A first board dashboard is often live in 4 weeks, the full scope in 6 to 10 weeks.
Let's scope your project. List your sources and your 20 key indicators: we price automated reporting delivered in 6 to 10 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
