The verdict in three sentences
A CEO of a 100 to 500 employee company who gets the numbers on the 15th of the following month is steering one month late. Power BI (about 14 USD per user per month, plus 3,050 to 7,620 EUR of setup with an integrator) fits when an in-house team knows how to analyse data. A custom dashboard built into a web application, 2.5 to 4 M FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR) at Kolonell, fits better when leadership wants 8 to 15 key indicators, refreshed daily, without relying on an analyst.
Why the numbers arrive too late
In most mid-sized companies, reporting relies on a financial controller who consolidates Excel exports from accounting (Sage, Odoo, QuickBooks), sales, logistics and payment platforms. They spend 3 to 5 days a month on it, and the final document arrives after the decisions have been made.
| Situation (250-employee company, 2026 order of magnitude) | Manual Excel reporting | Automated dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh frequency | Monthly | Daily or hourly |
| Availability | D+10 to D+20 | D+1 |
| Controller time | 3 to 5 days/month | 0.5 day/month of checks |
| Indicators tracked | 30 to 60, often redundant | 8 to 15 key indicators |
| CEO mobile access | File sent by email | Secure app on smartphone |
| Version conflicts | Frequent | Single source of truth |
| Alerts (cash, stock, overdue invoices) | None | Configured thresholds, notifications |
Power BI or custom: a 3-year comparison
| Criterion (20 users, 2026 order of magnitude) | Power BI + integrator | Kolonell custom dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | 2 to 5 M FCFA (3,050 to 7,620 EUR, integrator market price) | 2.5 to 4 M FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR) |
| Licences | About 14 USD per user per month, roughly 3,360 USD/year | No per-user licence |
| Hosting | Included in Microsoft cloud | 25,000 to 75,000 FCFA/month (40 to 110 EUR, managed hosting) |
| Maintenance | Variable integrator contract | 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA/month (50, 110 or 180 EUR) |
| Estimated 3-year total | 7.8 to 10.8 M FCFA (11,890 to 16,460 EUR) | 6.1 to 8.5 M FCFA (9,300 to 12,960 EUR, Standard maintenance) |
| Self-service analysis by teams | Very strong | Limited to planned views |
| Usability for a non-technical CEO | Fair, needs training | Designed around their 8 to 15 indicators |
| Data entry and actions in the tool | Not intended | Possible (approvals, comments, targets) |
The 3-year figure for the custom column assumes a 2.5 to 4 M FCFA project, 75,000 FCFA maintenance and 25,000 to 50,000 FCFA hosting per month. Custom becomes clearly cheaper beyond 20 users. Power BI remains the better choice if you already run Microsoft 365 and have an analyst who builds their own reports. For European and US SMBs, the logic is the same, with higher integrator rates that widen the gap.
Choosing your 8 to 15 indicators
A good executive dashboard fits on one screen. For a distribution or services company, the most useful indicators are often:
- revenue for the day and month, and variance to budget;
- gross margin by product family or branch;
- available cash across all banks and payment wallets;
- receivables over 60 days;
- stock turnover and stock-outs;
- payroll as a share of revenue;
- late deliveries.
Mini case study
Mamadou, CEO of a 250-employee food distributor in Dakar (illustrative case), receives a 40-tab file each month that his controller prepares in 4 days, or 32 hours. At a loaded hourly cost of about 7,500 FCFA, this reporting costs 240,000 FCFA a month, or 2,880,000 FCFA (4,390 EUR) a year. A custom dashboard at 3,200,000 FCFA, with 75,000 FCFA maintenance and 25,000 FCFA hosting per month, costs 1,200,000 FCFA a year to run. On time saved alone, the net annual saving reaches 1,680,000 FCFA (2,560 EUR), so payback in under 2 years, before counting stock-outs or overdue invoices caught earlier.
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FAQ
How long does a custom dashboard take to deliver?
Allow 6 to 10 weeks: 2 weeks scoping indicators, 3 to 5 weeks connecting sources and building, then 2 weeks of acceptance testing with leadership.
Can it connect to Sage, Odoo or payment platforms?
Yes. Connectors to Sage, Odoo or QuickBooks are common, and Stripe, Wave or Orange Money transactions can be pulled via API or daily export. Each extra source adds 300,000 to 800,000 FCFA (460 to 1,220 EUR) depending on complexity.
Is the data secure?
Named accounts, two-factor authentication, encryption and access logs. GDPR applies in Europe and Senegal's data protection law 2008-12 applies in Senegal whenever employee or customer data is involved.
Is Power BI really 14 USD?
Power BI Pro is listed at around 14 USD per user per month in 2026, before tax. Premium per-user licences cost about twice that, and the effective price depends on your Microsoft agreement.
Can we start small?
Yes. A first release with 8 indicators and 2 sources fits the 2.5 to 4 M FCFA range, and modules can be added later.
Let's scope your project. List your data sources and the 8 to 15 numbers you want to see every morning: we will price the scope within the 2.5 to 4 M FCFA grid with a 6 to 10 week delivery. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33. Or request your free quote.
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.
