Getting a Power BI dashboard built usually costs between €1,500 and €10,000, and the first working version is ready within one to two weeks. Where you land in that range depends on your data sources and how complex your data model needs to be, but mostly on something most quotes skip entirely: whether anyone has actually decided which decision that dashboard needs to improve.
Skip that question, and the pattern is predictable: a sleek dashboard, a great first impression at the kickoff meeting, and a few weeks later nobody logs in to look anymore. Sound familiar? Not because the dashboard is technically bad, but because nobody defined upfront what was supposed to change because of those numbers.
What exactly is a Power BI dashboard?
A Power BI dashboard is an interactive screen that automatically pulls data from your source systems, think accounting software, CRM, webshop or Excel files, and turns it into charts, tables and kpi tiles. The difference with an Excel report is fundamental: an Excel report is a snapshot someone puts together by hand, and by the time it’s finished the numbers are already outdated. A dashboard refreshes itself, without anyone needing to download or paste anything.
Good to know: a dashboard isn’t the same as a report. A report explains what happened and why. A dashboard shows at a glance how things stand right now. You need both, they just answer a different question.
In practice a dashboard consists of a handful of kpi tiles at the top, a few charts showing trends over time, and filters that let you zoom into a period, location or product group yourself. Sounds simple, and that’s exactly the point: the complexity isn’t in what you see, it’s in the data model behind it.
What does it cost to get a Power BI dashboard built?
Prices range from around €1,500 for a simple dashboard with one data source to €10,000 or more for custom work with multiple systems and department-level permissions. Three things determine where you land in that range:
🔹 Number and type of data sources. Connecting one Excel export is an hour’s work. A connection to AFAS, Exact or a CRM system needs a stable, repeatable link.
🔹 Complexity of the data model. A dashboard that only shows monthly revenue is simple. Tying revenue, margin and stock together needs a well thought-out data model: work you never see on screen, but that determines whether the dashboard is actually correct.
🔹 Number of users and roles. One report for the board is a different job than a dashboard where twelve locations each see their own numbers, with the right access per user.
The comparison you should really make isn’t just “what does the build cost”, but also “what does it cost afterwards”: billing every small change separately adds up.
How long does the project take?
With us, the first working version of a dashboard is usually ready within one to two weeks. Not because speed is the goal, but because your team needs something concrete to react to. After that comes a period of several weeks to months where the data model gets reinforced, the dashboard gets expanded, and your own people learn how to adjust it themselves. Our four-step approach (analysis, foundation, team development, optimization) is built exactly for that: a working result first, depth after.
Which systems can you connect?
Power BI connects to almost any system that can export data: accounting software like Exact and AFAS, CRM systems, webshop platforms, and of course Excel. Standard connectors exist for most Dutch accounting and ERP packages; specific or older systems get connected through a custom link.
If you have several systems that each tell part of the story, say stock in one package and sales in another, that’s where the data model comes in. That model determines whether Power BI ties those sources together correctly, or whether you end up with two dashboards that contradict each other.
Once connected, the dashboard refreshes itself. With a Power BI Pro licence that can happen automatically up to eight times a day, without anyone needing to run an export. Want to go deeper into the technical side? The official documentation on refreshing data in Power BI is a good place to start.
Start with the decision, not the dashboard
The first question most projects ask is about form: which colours, which charts, how many pages. At Optilise we flip that order. The first question we ask is about outcome: which decision needs to turn out differently after this dashboard than it does now?
That answer differs by role, by organization, and sometimes by quarter. Which is exactly why you can’t skip it: a generic dashboard answers a generic question, and almost nobody is asking that one.
Only once that question is sharp do kpis, definitions and data logic follow, and only after that, Power BI. A dashboard that only summarizes yesterday doesn’t move you forward, it just confirms what you already knew.
Build it yourself, have it built, or build it together?
Power BI Desktop is free, and with some time you can put together a first dashboard perfectly well yourself. Where it usually goes wrong isn’t dragging a chart onto a canvas (anyone can learn that in a day, and right after that everyone assumes they’re done), it’s the data model underneath: how tables relate to each other, whether calculations still hold up under a new filter, and why a report shows a different number to one person than to another.
That’s where the real difference between building it yourself and having it built sits. At Optilise, most clients choose a middle ground: we build the foundation and the first version, your team builds alongside us and gradually takes over. By the end of the project, your own team adds new reports independently. We stay available for the questions that actually matter, not for every small change.
What a good Power BI dashboard needs to deliver
A dashboard that looks good isn’t the same as a dashboard you can trust. Check for these when it’s delivered:
✔️ One source of truth. Figures in the dashboard match your accounts or source data. Nothing undermines trust faster than a dashboard that’s “roughly right”.
✔️ A clean data model. Tables that relate logically, no loose formulas that all calculate things slightly differently. This is the work nobody sees, but it determines whether new kpis can be added easily later.
✔️ Clear ownership. Who’s allowed to make changes, and where the dashboard actually lives: in your own tenant, under your own licences, not tucked away in an external party’s environment.
✔️ Refreshes without manual work. Up-to-date figures every morning automatically, without anyone loading an export first.
Want to go deeper into the technical side? The official Power BI documentation from Microsoft is a good place to start on what the platform can do.
Is this dashboard something you glance at once a month, or a tool you use to steer weekly? Want to know what a Power BI dashboard would cost and deliver for your organization? Get in touch, we’d rather work out a concrete example than talk in generalities.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Power BI knowledge myself to work with a dashboard?
No. Viewing and filtering a dashboard is something anyone picks up within a few minutes. Only if you want to make changes yourself does some knowledge of the data model help, and we build that up with your team during the project.
What's the difference between a dashboard and a report in Power BI?
A report explains what happened and why, across multiple pages and levels of detail. A dashboard shows at a glance how things stand right now. Most clients use both side by side.
Which systems can be connected to Power BI?
Almost any system with an export or API: accounting packages like Exact and AFAS, CRM systems, webshops and Excel files. Standard connectors exist for the most commonly used Dutch packages.
How often does a Power BI dashboard refresh?
Up to eight times a day automatically with a Pro licence. Want it more often? That's possible in real time too, with a Premium licence or a streaming connection.
Can I view a Power BI dashboard on my phone?
Yes, through the free Power BI app for iOS and Android. Dashboards adapt automatically to the screen size.
Can I share a dashboard with people outside my organization?
Yes, with the right licence you can share specific reports with external users, an accountant or a client for example, without giving them access to the rest of your environment.
What does it cost if we want to add kpis later?
That depends on how the data model is built. With a solid foundation, adding a new kpi is usually a matter of hours, not a new project, which is exactly why we plan for that during the build.
What happens to the dashboard if we stop working together?
Nothing. It stays in your own environment, under your own licences, and keeps working. By then your team is trained to manage it themselves.
