The verdict in three sentences
In 2026, a custom BI dashboard costs between EUR 10,000 and EUR 45,000 depending on the number of sources and depth of metrics, shipping in 6 to 12 weeks. It consolidates sales, margins and cash in near real time and cuts reporting time by about 60 %. The choice between a SaaS BI tool (Power BI, Metabase) and a custom build comes down mostly to the number of heterogeneous sources and the business logic to model.
SaaS BI or custom: the real trade-off
A SaaS tool is faster to start but hits limits quickly when data comes from incompatible sources or when business calculations are specific.
| Criterion | SaaS BI (Power BI/Metabase) | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Setup cost | EUR 5,000-15,000 | EUR 10,000-45,000 |
| Annual licences | EUR 1,200-6,000 | 0 (self-hosted) |
| Timeline | 3-6 weeks | 6-12 weeks |
| Heterogeneous sources | Medium | Excellent |
| Specific business logic | Limited | Unlimited |
| Data control | Shared | Full |
The rule: below 4 standard sources, SaaS wins. Beyond that, or if calculation logic is unique to your business, custom avoids a costly pile-up of workarounds.
Cost per source and data warehouse
Most of the budget goes into collecting and cleaning data, not into charts. Each source adds a connection and cleansing cost.
| Connected source | Integration cost | Sync frequency |
|---|---|---|
| ERP (orders, invoices) | EUR 3,000-9,000 | Real-time or hourly |
| CRM (pipeline, sales) | EUR 2,500-7,000 | Hourly |
| Excel/Google Sheets files | EUR 1,500-4,000 | Daily |
| Accounting/cash | EUR 3,000-8,000 | Daily |
| Data warehouse | EUR 4,000-12,000 | Central foundation |
| Annual maintenance | 15-20 % of build | Ongoing |
The data warehouse is the foundation that unifies everything: without it, each dashboard recalculates its figures differently and trust collapses.
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Mini case study
Claire, CFO of a 60-person industrial SME in Lyon, spends 2 days a month with her controller manually consolidating sales, margins and cash in Excel. Combined cost: about EUR 1,400/month in loaded time, i.e. EUR 16,800/year, before counting entry errors. She invests EUR 28,000 in a custom dashboard connected to the ERP, CRM and accounting, with EUR 4,500/year maintenance. Reporting drops from 2 days to 2 hours per month (-90 %), saving EUR 15,100/year excluding maintenance, a payback under 20 months, plus decisions made on reliable, up-to-date figures.
FAQ
How long to deliver a custom dashboard? Expect 6 to 12 weeks depending on the number of sources: 2-3 weeks of framing and modelling, then 4-9 weeks of connection, testing and metric refinement.
Do I need a data warehouse? As soon as you have 3 or more sources, yes. It guarantees that every dashboard speaks the same figures; without it, trust in reporting erodes fast.
Can we start on Power BI then move to custom? Yes, and it is a prudent strategy: validate the metrics on SaaS, then internalise once the number of sources or business logic justifies the investment.
What is the annual run cost? Budget 15 to 20 % of build cost per year for maintenance, plus any SaaS licences (EUR 1,200 to 6,000). Self-hosting removes licences but adds a little infrastructure.
Is real time essential? Rarely. Hourly or daily sync covers 80 % of steering decisions. Real time raises infrastructure cost without always changing the decision.
Let's scope your project. List your sources (ERP, CRM, Excel, accounting) and the 5-6 key metrics to steer: we will scope perimeter, indicative budget (EUR 10,000-45,000) 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.
