The verdict in three sentences
In 2026, a decision dashboard wired to 2-3 sources (CRM, accounting, e-commerce) costs 8,000 to 20,000 EUR, while a data warehouse with full BI ranges from 25,000 to 60,000 EUR. The real gain isn't cosmetic: you decide in real time instead of waiting for Excel exports, and you remove up to 80% of manual reporting time. The decisive choice: packaged tool (Metabase, Power BI) versus a custom platform.
Dashboard cost by ambition
Price depends on the number of sources, ETL complexity (extract, transform, load) and the level of indicator governance. Here are the 2026 tiers.
| Level | Scope | 2026 budget | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple dashboard | 1-2 sources, 5-8 KPIs | 8,000-14,000 EUR | 3-5 weeks |
| Multi-source dashboard | 2-3 sources, light ETL | 14,000-20,000 EUR | 5-8 weeks |
| Data warehouse + BI | 4+ sources, history | 25,000-45,000 EUR | 8-14 weeks |
| Full data platform | Governance, real time | 45,000-60,000 EUR | 3-5 months |
These are 2026 orders of magnitude for the French-speaking market. Many SMEs start at the multi-source tier, enough to steer sales, cash and production.
Packaged tool or custom?
Metabase and Power BI cover 80% of needs at lower cost; custom is justified for proprietary business calculations or deep product integration. Recurring cost differs sharply.
| Criterion | Metabase/Power BI | Custom dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Annual licence | 0-4,000 EUR | 0 EUR |
| Initial build | 8,000-20,000 EUR | 25,000-60,000 EUR |
| Hosting | 50-200 EUR/mo | 100-400 EUR/mo |
| UX customisation | Limited | Total |
| Setup time | Short | Long |
The rule: start packaged, migrate to custom only if a business need justifies it. This avoids over-investing up front.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Mini case study
Marc, head of a 60-employee distribution SME in Nantes, consolidates a 4-hour Excel report every Monday from his ERP, CRM and accounting. Kolonell deploys a multi-source Metabase dashboard for 16,000 EUR and 120 EUR/month hosting. Reporting drops from 4 h to 30 min/week, i.e. 3.5 h saved by a profile at 45 EUR/h, about 680 EUR/month. Beyond money, restocking decisions happen same-day: stockouts avoided on three key SKUs in the first quarter.
FAQ
Is Metabase enough or do I need Power BI? Metabase is excellent and open source for internal steering; Power BI wins if your teams already live in the Microsoft ecosystem. Both cover most SME needs.
What is ETL and why does it cost? ETL retrieves, cleans and harmonises data from each source before display. It's the most technical item: dirty or API-less sources push the budget up.
Do I need a data warehouse from day one? No, not for 2-3 sources. It becomes useful beyond 4 sources or to historise and cross large volumes.
How do you guarantee reliable figures? Through indicator governance: a single definition per KPI, validated with you, and automatic consistency checks. Without it, each department has its own numbers.
What maintenance budget should I plan? Budget 10-15% of the build per year, plus hosting (50-400 EUR/month), for changes and adding new sources.
Let's scope your project. Specify your data sources, the KPIs to track and your indicative budget (8-60,000 EUR). 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.
