The verdict in three sentences
Replacing Excel reporting with a real-time decision dashboard costs 12,000 to 22,000 EUR in 2026 for an SME, including connectors, warehouse and alerts. The typical timeline is 6 to 12 weeks and the real gain is reactivity: spotting a margin or cash drift in days rather than weeks. SaaS BI is often enough to start; custom is justified when sources and business logic are specific.
The cost of a decision dashboard
The budget breaks down into data collection, modelling and presentation. The most underestimated part is making sources reliable (connectors, warehouse).
| Item | 2026 range (EUR) | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Source connectors + warehouse | 5,000 - 7,000 | CRM, accounting, ERP, e-commerce |
| KPI dashboards (revenue, margin, cash) | 5,000 - 10,000 | Modelling, visualisations |
| Automatic alerts | 1,500 - 2,500 | Thresholds, email/Slack notifications |
| User training | 800 - 1,500 | Onboarding, reading |
| Hosting / tools / month | 40 - 300 | By volume and tool |
| Maintenance / year | 2,000 - 4,000 | Evolutions, new KPIs |
SaaS BI vs custom dashboard
SaaS BI (Power BI, Metabase, Looker Studio) is fast and economical; custom offers fine integration and a business-tailored experience.
| Criterion | SaaS BI | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | 4,000 - 10,000 EUR | 12,000 - 22,000 EUR |
| Timeline | 3 - 6 weeks | 6 - 12 weeks |
| Subscription / month | 40 - 300 EUR | 40 - 150 EUR (hosting) |
| Customisation | Medium | Full |
| Complex sources | Variable | Excellent |
| Best for | Standard KPIs | Proprietary logic |
Mini case study
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Antoine, manager of a 40-person trading SME in Bordeaux, steered his margin from monthly Excel exports. Project: 6,000 EUR warehouse + 8,000 EUR dashboards + 2,000 EUR alerts = 16,000 EUR, plus 120 EUR/month. He now detects per-product margin drifts in 48 h instead of 3 weeks. By fixing a supplier price spotted earlier, he recovers about 1,900 EUR/month of margin: ROI in under 9 months, on top of the reporting hours saved.
FAQ
Does a dashboard replace our accountant? No. It consolidates and visualises data from your tools (accounting, CRM, ERP) for steering; it replaces neither accounting nor management control.
Which KPIs should we track first? Revenue, margin by product/customer, cash forecast, payment delay (DSO) and order book. Three to five well-chosen indicators beat thirty.
Do we need a data warehouse? As soon as you cross several sources, yes. It makes figures reliable and avoids gaps between tools; budget 5,000 to 7,000 EUR.
SaaS BI or custom? Start with SaaS if your KPIs are standard (3 to 6 weeks, 4,000-10,000 EUR). Move to custom when sources or business logic become specific.
What is the setup timeline? From 3-6 weeks in SaaS BI to 6-12 weeks in custom, depending on the number of sources to connect and make reliable.
Let's scope your project. Specify your data sources, the KPIs to steer and your budget, and we'll price the warehouse and priority dashboards. 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.
