The verdict in three sentences
If your leadership team waits until Monday noon to learn last week's numbers, the problem is not Excel but the lack of a direct connection to the sources. A custom executive dashboard connected to the ERP, CRM and bank costs EUR 12,000 to 28,000 (about USD 14,000 to 32,000) in Miami for around fifteen KPIs refreshed daily. Power BI at EUR 10 to 20 per user per month works if you have someone in-house able to maintain it; otherwise the dedicated app is cheaper over 3 years.
What the Monday consolidation really costs
In an 80-employee SME in distribution, construction or port logistics, the ritual is often the same: the financial controller exports revenue from the ERP, the sales pipeline from the CRM, cash from the bank portal and hours from the payroll system. Four files, a morning of copy and paste, and a spreadsheet sent to the CEO around 1 pm with figures already three days old.
| Data source | Typical KPIs | 2026 connection method | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| ERP (NetSuite, Sage, Odoo) | Revenue, gross margin, orders, stock | API or SQL database read | Medium |
| CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive) | Weighted pipeline, conversion rate | Native REST API | Low |
| Bank | Cash, receipts, 13-week forecast | Aggregator (Plaid type), EUR 30 to 150 per month | Medium |
| Payroll and time tracking | Payroll cost, hours, absenteeism | Scheduled export or API | High |
| Business Excel files | Targets, annual budget | Import into the dashboard database | Low |
| Accounting | Monthly profit, working capital, DSO | Vendor API or ledger export | Medium |
Fifteen KPIs is a good target: beyond 20, leadership stops reading them. The most useful work in the project is fixing the definition of each indicator, for example 'gross margin after discounts and before freight', so that everyone talks about the same number.
Power BI or a dedicated app: the comparison
| Criterion | Power BI (Pro or Premium per user) | Custom dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | EUR 10 to 20 per user per month | None, hosting EUR 50 to 200 per month |
| Set-up by an integrator | EUR 6,000 to 15,000 | EUR 12,000 to 28,000 |
| 3-year cost for 12 users | EUR 10,300 to 23,600 excluding maintenance | EUR 17,400 to 42,400, maintenance and hosting included |
| In-house skills required | Yes, an analyst trained in DAX | No |
| Mobile experience for the CEO | Adequate, generic | Designed for the CEO, alerts by email or WhatsApp |
| Actions from the dashboard | Limited | Approvals, comments, board-pack PDF export |
| ERP connectors | Depends on vendor, sometimes paid | Built on demand |
| Timeline | 4 to 8 weeks | 6 to 10 weeks |
The rule of thumb: if the company already has a financial controller comfortable with data models, Power BI is an excellent choice. If nobody will maintain the queries, reports break at the first ERP upgrade and the project dies within 6 months. The custom app then includes connector maintenance in a EUR 150 to 400 monthly retainer.
What moves the price from EUR 12,000 to 28,000
| Level | Scope | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | 2 sources, 10 KPIs, daily refresh | EUR 12,000 to 15,000 |
| Standard | 3 to 4 sources, 15 KPIs, alerts, PDF export | EUR 16,000 to 22,000 |
| Advanced | 5+ sources, cash forecasting, role-based access | EUR 23,000 to 28,000 |
| Maintenance | Connectors, hosting, minor changes | EUR 150 to 400 per month |
Mini case study
Daniel, CEO of an 80-employee industrial supplies distributor in Miami, ties up his financial controller for 5 hours every Monday and spends 1 hour himself reviewing and correcting. Over 46 weeks that is 276 hours, valued at an average loaded rate of EUR 55: EUR 15,180 per year. The chosen Standard dashboard costs EUR 19,500, plus EUR 250 per month of maintenance, i.e. EUR 3,000 per year. Consolidation time drops to 1 hour per week. Net annual gain: about EUR 9,650 (EUR 15,180 minus EUR 2,530 of remaining consolidation and EUR 3,000 of maintenance), a payback of about 24 months, before counting decisions taken on Monday morning instead of Thursday.
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FAQ
How long does it take to deliver an executive dashboard?
Allow 6 to 10 weeks: 2 weeks to define the 15 KPIs, 3 to 5 for connectors and interface, 1 to 3 for acceptance with the financial controller.
Does our data have to leave our servers?
No. The dashboard can be hosted in a US region of a major cloud provider for EUR 50 to 200 per month, or directly on your own infrastructure.
Can we connect an old ERP with no API?
Yes, by reading the SQL database directly or through a nightly scheduled export. This connector usually adds EUR 1,500 to 4,000 to the budget.
Does the dashboard replace the financial controller?
No, it gives them back 4 to 5 hours a week to analyse variances instead of copying numbers. That is often where the real value of the project lies.
What if we start with Power BI?
That is possible, and the data model you build stays reusable. Just budget EUR 10 to 20 per user per month and a trained person to maintain the reports.
Let's scope your project. List your data sources and your 10 to 15 key KPIs: we will price the right level, the maintenance and the delivery 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.
