The verdict in three sentences
A professional BI dashboard for a Berlin mid-market company costs between 15,000 and 50,000 EUR in 2026, depending on the number of connected sources and the tool chosen. The price gap comes not from the charts but from data modelling and the reliability of the connectors feeding the KPIs. Well scoped, a dashboard replaces dozens of hours of Excel exports with real-time steering that pays for itself within the first half-year.
Licence vs open source: the 3-year cost
The first trade-off pits a licensed suite (Power BI, Tableau) against an open-source block (Metabase, Apache Superset). Software price is only part of the total cost; integration and maintenance matter more.
| Item | Power BI / Tableau | Metabase / Superset |
|---|---|---|
| User licence | 10-70 EUR/mo/user | 0 EUR (self-hosted) |
| Setup & modelling | 12,000-30,000 EUR | 15,000-40,000 EUR |
| Hosting | Cloud included | 40-150 EUR/mo |
| Setup time | 6-10 weeks | 8-12 weeks |
| 3-year cost (20 users) | 30,000-70,000 EUR | 20,000-48,000 EUR |
| Best for | Microsoft ecosystem | Control & flexibility |
For 20 users and up, self-hosted open source often becomes cheaper over 3 years, provided you accept a slightly longer setup engagement.
Which KPIs to prioritise and how fast
A failed dashboard piles up 40 indicators no one reads. A useful one shows 8 to 12, ranked by decision. Here are the KPIs to wire first for a mid-market firm and their delivery time.
| Priority KPI | Source | Wiring time | Decision impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real-time revenue | ERP / billing | 1-2 weeks | High |
| Margin per product/client | ERP + accounting | 2-3 weeks | Very high |
| DSO & receivables | Billing | 1 week | High |
| Service level / stock | ERP / WMS | 2-4 weeks | High |
| Sales pipeline | CRM | 1-2 weeks | Medium |
By wiring revenue, margin and DSO first, the leadership team gets usable steering from week 4, before the project even ends.
Mini case study
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Thomas, head of a 180-person industrial mid-market firm in Berlin, has his managers spend two days a month consolidating Excel exports. Kolonell delivers a Metabase dashboard connected to the ERP and accounting for 34,000 EUR plus 90 EUR/month hosting. The 4 managers save 6 hours each per month, i.e. 24 hours at 55 EUR/h: 1,320 EUR/month reclaimed, before counting faster decisions. The project pays back in around 26 months, with an immediate gain in margin responsiveness.
FAQ
Do we need a data warehouse to start?
Not always. Under 5 sources and moderate volumes, you connect databases directly. Beyond that, a small warehouse (BigQuery, PostgreSQL) at 50-200 EUR/month improves reliability and query speed.
Who updates the dashboards afterwards?
Once the modelling is set, a management controller creates new charts alone. We train your team over 1 to 2 days (900-1,800 EUR) for autonomy.
Power BI or Metabase for a first BI?
If your IT is Microsoft, Power BI integrates faster. Otherwise, Metabase offers excellent cost/flexibility and zero per-user licence.
Is real time truly necessary?
Rarely to the second. An hourly or daily refresh covers most decisions and cuts infrastructure cost noticeably.
Let's scope your project. Give us your data sources and the 5 decisions you want to steer: we will scope a licensed or open-source dashboard with budget and timeline. 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.
