The verdict in three sentences
To aggregate sales, accounting, and CRM into a reliable dashboard, two paths: a turnkey tool (Power BI, Metabase) at 350-900 EUR/day setup or a custom data warehouse at 15,000-35,000 EUR. Turnkey wins when your data is clean and your metrics standard; custom is required as soon as you cross several heterogeneous sources with hourly refresh. Either way, the goal is to eliminate 3 to 5 days of manual reporting per month.
Power BI vs Metabase vs custom
The tool choice drives licensing cost and depth of customization. Metabase is open-source (self-hostable), Power BI is widespread in SMEs, custom offers full control.
| Criterion | Power BI | Metabase | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial setup | 350-700 EUR/day | 400-900 EUR/day | 15,000-35,000 EUR |
| Licenses | 10-20 EUR/user/month | Open-source / 85 EUR/mo | None |
| ERP/CRM connectors | Many | Good | Unlimited |
| Refresh | Hourly | Hourly | Real-time possible |
| Hosting | MS Cloud | OVH/Scaleway | OVH/Scaleway |
| UX customization | Medium | Good | Full |
| Maintenance | 300-500 EUR/month | 300-600 EUR/month | 400-700 EUR/month |
Project budget and model spec
A BI project breaks down into connectors, data modeling, dashboards, and hosting. A data engineer's day rate sits between 500 and 750 EUR in 2026.
| Item | 2026 range |
|---|---|
| Audit and KPI scoping | 2-4 days (600-750 EUR/d) |
| ERP/CRM/accounting connectors | 3-8 days |
| Data warehouse + modeling | 5-12 days |
| Dashboard design | 4-8 days |
| Hosting (OVH/Scaleway) | 40-120 EUR/month |
| Monthly maintenance | 300-600 EUR/month |
| Refresh | Hourly to real-time |
Mini case study
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Marc, leader of a 60-person B2B distribution SME in Singapore, ties up a controller 4 days/month consolidating 6 Excel files. At a loaded cost of 320 EUR/day, that's 1,280 EUR/month, or 15,360 EUR/year, and figures arrive 8 days late. He invests 24,000 EUR in a custom data warehouse (hosted on Scaleway, 90 EUR/month, maintenance 500 EUR/month). Reporting becomes automatic and hourly: the controller reclaims 4 days/month for value-added analysis. Net first-year saving: ~15,360 EUR of time against ~7,000 EUR of recurring costs, full payback in ~20 months — before counting faster decisions.
FAQ
Power BI or Metabase for an SME? Power BI if your teams already run Microsoft 365 (10-20 EUR/user/month). Metabase if you want to control costs and self-host: open-source, from 400 EUR/day setup.
When to move to custom? As soon as you cross more than 3 heterogeneous sources, need real-time refresh, or a specific business UX. The 2026 break-even sits around 15,000 EUR of manual reporting burden per year.
How long to deliver a first dashboard? As an order of magnitude, 2 to 4 weeks for turnkey, 6 to 10 weeks for a custom data warehouse including connectors.
Where is my data hosted? With an EU host (OVH, Scaleway) for GDPR compliance, between 40 and 120 EUR/month depending on volume. Lock this in from the spec.
What does 300-600 EUR/month maintenance cover? Connector upkeep, adding metrics, refresh monitoring, and user support. Essential to keep a dashboard reliable over time.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your data sources (ERP, CRM, accounting), key KPIs, and volume: we'll price a turnkey dashboard or a custom data warehouse (15,000-35,000 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.
