The verdict in three sentences
A decision-making dashboard replaces monthly exports with a consolidated, daily-refreshed view of your real activity. For a London SME, budget 12,000 to 40,000 EUR (excl. VAT) depending on the number of connected sources and indicator complexity. The return comes less from hours saved than from decisions made earlier and budget drifts caught before they get expensive.
What a BI dashboard costs in 2026
Price mostly depends on how many sources you plug in and how fresh the data must be. A dashboard aggregating three systems with daily refresh is nothing like a static monthly report.
| Tier | Connected sources | Refresh | Price EUR (excl. VAT) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | 1 source (ERP or CRM) | Daily | 12,000 - 18,000 | 6 - 7 wks |
| Standard | 2 to 3 sources | Daily + hourly | 18,000 - 28,000 | 8 - 10 wks |
| Advanced | 4+ sources, accounting included | Near real time | 28,000 - 40,000 | 10 - 12 wks |
| Bespoke | Sources + predictive models | Real time | 40,000+ | 12 wks+ |
On top of the initial build, expect annual maintenance of 15 to 20 % of the build cost (connector updates, indicator changes, support), i.e. 2,000 to 8,000 EUR (excl. VAT) per year.
Where the budget goes
Value lives in the plumbing, not the charts. Knowing the breakdown prevents over-investing in aesthetics and under-estimating integration.
| Item | Share of budget | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Source connection | 35 % | APIs, exports, field mapping |
| Data model | 20 % | Consolidation, calculation rules, historisation |
| Indicators and visualisation | 20 % | KPIs, charts, filters, drill-down |
| Security and access | 10 % | Role-based access, GDPR, logging |
| Testing and acceptance | 10 % | Figure checks vs source |
| Training and documentation | 5 % | Team onboarding |
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Claire runs a B2B distribution SME in London, 42 staff. Her team spends 3 days a month consolidating ERP and CRM exports in Excel, and the figures are already stale on arrival. We deliver a Standard dashboard at 23,000 EUR (excl. VAT) connecting the ERP, CRM and accounting, refreshed nightly.
Direct gain: 3 days x 12 months = 36 person-days saved, roughly 11,000 EUR a year at 300 EUR/day loaded cost. But the real win is elsewhere: seeing margin per client in real time, Claire renegotiated two loss-making contracts and recovered 28,000 EUR of margin over the year. The dashboard pays for itself in under 9 months.
FAQ
Why not just use self-service Power BI? The tool is excellent, but it does not solve reliable source connection or calculation rules. 70 % of the effort is in integration and data quality, not the reporting tool.
How long before the first screens? A first version connected to one source appears in 3 to 4 weeks; the full multi-source version takes 8 to 12 weeks depending on your APIs.
What if my tools have no modern API? We use scheduled exports or an intermediate database. That adds 2,000 to 5,000 EUR (excl. VAT) but works with nearly all ERPs on the market.
Who guarantees the figures are right? The acceptance phase compares every indicator to its source. That is 10 % of budget and non-negotiable: a wrong dashboard is worse than none.
Does it work on mobile? Yes, key views are responsive for a leader checking margin or cash from their phone.
Let's scope your project. Tell us how many sources to connect and your top 5 indicators, and we'll price a dashboard within the 12,000-40,000 EUR range. 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.
