The verdict in three sentences
A decision dashboard enabling real-time consolidated steering costs an Amsterdam mid-market firm EUR 15,000 to EUR 50,000 depending on the number of sources and the depth of the metrics. Power BI or Metabase licences (EUR 10 to 20/user/month) lighten the tooling, but most of the budget goes into connectors and data reliability. Success is measured by adoption: a dashboard nobody opens is a cost, not an asset.
The real cost of a BI dashboard in 2026
Pricing splits between data engineering (connectors, model, cleansing) and delivery (dashboards, permissions, UX). 2026 ballpark figures for a mid-market company.
| Scope | Content | Price EUR | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Departmental dashboard | 1 source, 8-12 metrics | 15,000 – 22,000 | 6–7 wks |
| Multi-source steering | ERP + CRM + accounting, 20+ KPIs | 25,000 – 38,000 | 8–10 wks |
| Group-level BI | Warehouse + subsidiaries + forecast | 40,000 – 50,000 | 10–12 wks |
| Advanced modules | Alerting, forecasting, self-service | +8,000 – 15,000 | +3–4 wks |
Maintenance runs around EUR 400/month: flow monitoring, new metrics, connector upgrades.
Off-the-shelf suite vs custom dashboard
The decision turns on 3-year total cost of ownership and internal adoption capacity. Comparison at equivalent scope.
| Criterion | Suite (Power BI/Metabase) | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Licences | EUR 10 – 20/user/month | None (self-hosted) |
| Initial project cost | EUR 15,000 – 30,000 | EUR 30,000 – 50,000 |
| UX customisation | Standard | Full |
| Custom connectors | Marketplace-dependent | Unlimited |
| Business adoption | Good if data is clean | Optimised to real need |
| 3-year cost (30 users) | ~ EUR 40,000 – 55,000 | ~ EUR 45,000 – 60,000 |
For most mid-market firms, Power BI or Metabase on a well-built data layer offers the best value. Custom is justified for strong UX needs, distribution to third parties, or full vendor independence.
Mini case study
Sanne, COO of a 180-person trading firm in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, steered the business with three weekly Excel exports reconciled by hand, on a two-day lag. We delivered real-time Power BI steering wired to the ERP, CRM and accounting for EUR 32,000, licences at EUR 18/user/month for 15 seats.
The gain: manual consolidation tied up a financial controller for 6 hours/week, roughly EUR 1,100/month loaded. More importantly, margin per product line is now visible on day zero instead of day two, which enabled repricing two lists and recovering 1.5 points of margin on one segment. On EUR 4M of segment revenue, that is EUR 60,000/year: the investment pays back in under 7 months on the pricing decision alone.
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FAQ
What budget for a first serious dashboard?
From EUR 15,000 for a reliable departmental scope. Consolidated multi-source starts nearer EUR 25,000.
Power BI or a custom solution?
Power BI or Metabase cover 80 % of mid-market needs. Custom becomes relevant for strong UX requirements or external distribution to clients and partners.
How long until a usable dashboard?
A first useful scope often ships in 6 to 8 weeks, the fully consolidated set in 10 to 12 weeks.
Why does the data cost more than the visualisation?
Because 60 to 70 % of the effort goes into connectors, cleansing and the data model. A pretty chart on wrong data is worthless.
What does EUR 400/month maintenance cover?
Flow monitoring, new metrics, connector updates and user support. That is what keeps a dashboard reliable and adopted.
Let's scope your project. Share your sources (ERP, CRM, accounting), user count and your 10 priority metrics: we will price the data layer and the delivery (indicative budget EUR 15,000 to 50,000). 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.
