The verdict in three sentences
A leader consolidating revenue, margin and cash by hand in Excel works with data that is 7 days old and loses 12 to 20 hours/month to reporting. The choice is between a BI licence (Power BI, or Metabase self-host at 0 licence cost) and a custom dashboard at 9,000-19,000 EUR wired straight into the ERP. Either way, data latency falls from 7 days to under 15 minutes and the cockpit ships in 3 to 6 weeks.
Metabase, Power BI or custom: which to pick
Metabase self-host has no licence cost but needs infrastructure and maintenance. Power BI bills per user. Custom demands a higher upfront investment but delivers UX built around your exact KPIs, with no per-seat licence.
| Criterion | Metabase (self-host) | Power BI | Custom dashboard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence | 0 EUR | ~10-20 EUR/user/mo | 0 EUR |
| Monthly cost | 800-1,500 EUR/mo infra+maint | Per user count | Maintenance 400-700 EUR/mo |
| Upfront build | 3,000-7,000 EUR | 4,000-8,000 EUR | 9,000-19,000 EUR |
| Time | 2-4 weeks | 2-4 weeks | 3-6 weeks |
| Tailored UX | Limited | Limited | Full |
| Cost per added user | 0 EUR | Rising | 0 EUR |
What a real-time cockpit gains you
Beyond reporting hours, the value is decision speed: catch a margin slip on day 0 instead of day 7, manage cash before a squeeze.
| Metric | Before (weekly Excel) | After (real-time dashboard) |
|---|---|---|
| Data latency | 7 days | < 15 minutes |
| Reporting hours/month | 12-20 h | 1-3 h |
| Consultation frequency | 1×/week | Daily |
| Consolidation errors | Frequent | Near zero |
| Margin-drift detection time | 7 days | Real time |
Mini case study
Mr. Sarr, MD of a distribution SME in London (revenue equivalent to about 1.4 bn FCFA), spent two half-days a week consolidating ERP exports. He invests 13,000 EUR in a custom dashboard and pays 550 EUR/month in maintenance. He frees 16 hours/month of reporting, valued at a loaded controller cost of about 22 EUR/h, i.e. ~350 EUR/month. The real gain is elsewhere: by catching two margin drifts the moment they appeared, he preserved an annual margin estimated in the millions — an ROI far beyond the pure hourly saving.
FAQ
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Do I need a modern ERP to wire in a dashboard?
No. We connect equally to a proprietary ERP, flat exports or a SQL database. The connector adapts to the source — that is exactly what scoping is for.
Is free Metabase really 0 EUR?
The open-source licence is free, but budget 800-1,500 EUR/month of infrastructure and maintenance for serious, secure use. "Free" covers only the software.
How long for a first version?
A useful MVP (3-4 critical KPIs) often ships in 2-3 weeks. The full cockpit lands between 3 and 6 weeks depending on the number of sources.
Will the data truly be real time?
In practice latency drops from 7 days to under 15 minutes, ample for executive steering. True second-level real time is rarely useful and more costly.
Can we add users at no extra cost?
With Metabase self-host or a custom dashboard, yes: no per-seat licence. With Power BI, each extra user raises the bill.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your data sources (ERP, Excel, SQL), your 5 priority KPIs and your budget: we'll scope the right cockpit. 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.
