The verdict in three sentences
A custom executive dashboard for a group with 5 entities costs roughly USD 30,000 to 70,000 (about AED 110,000 to 257,000) in Dubai in 2026, delivered in 8 weeks. The price depends mainly on the number of data sources to connect (here 4) and how clean they are, far more than on the number of charts. The return shows up quickly: 2 days a week of consolidation removed and Monday morning decisions made on yesterday's numbers.
The Monday morning problem
The CEO of a Dubai distribution group with 5 entities (import, wholesale, two retail chains and a logistics subsidiary) waits every Monday for a consolidated file. Two financial controllers spend Thursday and Friday pulling figures from the accounting software, the POS systems, the ERP and the subsidiaries' Excel files. Data arrives 4 to 7 days late, and gaps between entities are spotted too late to fix a stock level or a discount.
What drives the price
| Item | Essential version (USD) | Advanced version (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping of 12 KPIs and calculation rules | 3,500 | 6,500 |
| Connectors to 4 sources (accounting, ERP, POS, Excel) | 10,500 | 24,000 |
| Data warehouse and multi-entity consolidation | 6,500 | 15,500 |
| Web and mobile interface, 4 to 6 screens | 5,500 | 12,000 |
| Threshold alerts (SMS, WhatsApp, email) | 1,700 | 5,200 |
| Access rights by entity and role | 1,300 | 3,500 |
| Testing, training, documentation | 1,000 | 3,300 |
| Total | 30,000 | 70,000 |
Connecting the sources is a third of the budget. Accounting software with an API or automated export costs 3 to 4 times less to connect than an on-premise database with no remote access, which needs a small sync agent installed on site.
The 12 KPIs of a distribution group
| Area | KPIs | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | Revenue by entity, gross margin, average basket | Daily |
| Inventory | Stock value, days of cover, stockouts on top 50 SKUs | Daily |
| Cash | Consolidated cash position, card and digital wallet receipts | Daily |
| Customers | Receivables and payments overdue by more than 60 days | Weekly |
| Costs | Payroll and fixed costs as a share of revenue | Monthly |
| Logistics | On-time delivery rate of the logistics subsidiary | Weekly |
Twelve KPIs are enough. Beyond 20, the CEO only looks at the first three, and maintaining calculation rules costs 30 to 50% more.
An 8-week plan
| Weeks | Deliverable |
|---|---|
| 1 | Scoping workshop, written definition of the 12 KPIs |
| 2 to 4 | Connectors to the 4 sources, data warehouse |
| 5 to 6 | Screens, consolidation, access rights |
| 7 | Parallel run against the manual file, fixing gaps |
| 8 | Go-live, training for leadership and controllers |
Week 7 is essential: running the old file and the dashboard side by side confirms that figures match within 1% before manual consolidation is dropped.
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Omar, CEO of the group, approves a USD 48,000 project. His two financial controllers, at USD 7,500 a month fully loaded each, spend 2 days a week on consolidation, or 40% of their time. That is USD 6,000 a month, or USD 72,000 a year, now redirected to margin analysis.
The main gain, though, comes from faster decisions: spotting stockouts on the top 50 SKUs 5 days earlier avoids about 1% of lost sales on USD 20 million of annual revenue, or USD 200,000. With maintenance at USD 7,000 a year, the project pays back in under 3 months.
FAQ
Why not just use Power BI or Looker Studio?
Licences are cheap (about USD 14 per user per month for Power BI Pro), but most of the budget is still connecting and consolidating data. We sometimes use them as the display layer, which cuts USD 4,000 to 8,000 from the cost.
Can the data stay in the UAE?
Yes, local cloud regions in the UAE cost USD 250 to 900 a month. The UAE federal data protection law (PDPL) mainly applies to customer data, and some free zones such as DIFC have their own rules.
What if a source system has no API?
A sync agent installed on the local server extracts data every night. That adds USD 2,000 to 6,500 to the project depending on the software.
Can the CEO check the dashboard on a phone?
Yes, the interface is mobile first, and a daily summary can be pushed via WhatsApp at 7 a.m. Screens load in under 3 seconds even on a weak connection.
What does adding a sixth entity cost?
If it runs the same software, plan USD 2,000 to 4,500. With a new data source, budget USD 6,500 to 11,000.
Let's scope your project. List your entities, your software and the KPIs you consolidate by hand: we will price a dashboard between USD 30,000 and 70,000, delivered in about 8 weeks. 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.
