Business intelligence · Papendrecht

Power BI and KPI dashboard development

VirtuoLab is a software agency in Papendrecht, the Netherlands, building KPI dashboards in Microsoft Power BI and as custom applications with React and Next.js. VirtuoLab connects sources such as Exact Online, AFAS, a webshop or a CRM, and turns scattered spreadsheets into agreed figures. For example, a Power BI report on shared capacity can refresh up to 8 times per day, according to Microsoft. First comes a free intake call, then a fixed price upfront. In 2026, a starter dashboard with 1 to 2 sources costs €2,500 to €5,000. The client owns the data model and the code after delivery.

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Price indication
€2,500 – €35,000+ (starter dashboard from €2,500)
Stack
Power BI (DAX, Power Query), Looker Studio, React, Next.js, PostgreSQL
Service area
On location in the Drechtsteden and Rotterdam; online across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany
Contact
Directly with the developer
After launch
Hosting, monitoring and further development €150 – €750 per month; extra KPI €250 – €1,500

What is a KPI dashboard, and what does VirtuoLab build?

A KPI dashboard is a single screen showing the key figures of a business, such as revenue, margin, stock or open invoices, refreshed automatically from the source systems. VirtuoLab, a software agency in Papendrecht, builds such dashboards in two forms. The first form is a Power BI report with a data model, DAX measures and Power Query transformations. The second form is a custom dashboard built with React and Next.js, inside a web app or a customer portal. React is widely used: 44.7% of respondents used React in the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025. VirtuoLab connects the sources, such as Exact Online, AFAS, SnelStart, WooCommerce, Shopify, Google Analytics or a CRM. Every KPI gets one written definition, so finance and sales read the same number. For example, a definition states whether revenue includes returns and shipping costs. Alerts can warn a manager when a figure crosses a threshold. The client owns the data model, the code and the data after delivery.

How much does a Power BI or KPI dashboard cost?

A KPI dashboard from VirtuoLab is a fixed-price project between €2,500 and €35,000 or more in 2026. First, a Starter dashboard with 1 to 2 data sources and 5 to 10 KPIs in Power BI or Looker Studio costs €2,500 to €5,000. Second, a Professional dashboard with 3 to 6 sources, user roles, the house style and alerts costs €5,000 to €12,500. Finally, a Custom dashboard built with React, embedded in a web app or customer portal, costs €12,500 to €35,000 or more. The price depends mainly on the number of sources, the quality of the data and the complexity of the calculations. For example, margin per customer combining Exact Online and a CRM takes more work than monthly revenue from one webshop. Power BI licences from Microsoft are a separate cost on top of the VirtuoLab price. All amounts are indications. VirtuoLab sets the exact fixed price after a free intake call, once every KPI and every source is on paper.

How long does a dashboard project take, and how does the process work?

The timeline of a dashboard project is part of the fixed quote, because the duration depends mostly on the number of sources and the state of the data. Every project in 2026 follows 4 steps. Step 1 is the intake and scope, with VirtuoLab asking which decisions the dashboard must support before listing the KPIs and the sources. Step 2 is design and validation, where the client approves the KPI definitions and a mock-up of the screens. Step 3 is building and testing in short sprints, with a demo after each sprint. Finally, step 4 is the launch, including a handover to the users and support afterwards. In practice, data quality decides much of the planning. For example, 150 customers entered twice in a CRM, or different product codes in Exact Online and the webshop, need cleaning before any figure is reliable. The quote from VirtuoLab names such risks upfront, so the client knows the assumptions behind the planning.

Power BI or a custom React dashboard: which one fits better?

Power BI is a business intelligence platform from Microsoft, and the logical choice for internal reporting in a company already using Microsoft 365. Finance teams then get DAX measures, drill-down and exports to Excel. Viewers need a paid licence unless the organisation buys a large enough capacity, according to Microsoft Learn. A custom React dashboard is the better fit for figures shown to customers, or for a portal in the house style of the client. Users then need no Power BI licence, and the dashboard runs inside a web app built with Next.js and PostgreSQL. Additionally, embedding Power BI in a customer portal is possible, but Microsoft requires a paid capacity for production use. The trade-off in 2026 is the budget: a Power BI starter dashboard begins at €2,500, a custom dashboard at €12,500. For example, the VirtuoBI demo on virtuolab.dev is a Power BI-style report built in React, running on sample data in the browser. The demo is not a real Power BI file.

Why have VirtuoLab build your dashboard?

VirtuoLab is a one-person software agency, so every dashboard is designed and built by VirtuoLab itself. Clients talk directly with Mustafa Kose, the developer who writes the DAX measures and the code, without an account manager in between. Three agreements apply to every dashboard project in 2026. First, the client receives a fixed price before the build starts. Second, short sprints end with a demo, so a wrong definition surfaces early. Third, the client owns the data model, the code and the data. VirtuoLab is also honest when a dashboard is not the answer yet. For example, a company with one source and three key figures may be fine working with Microsoft Excel for now. When the source data is unreliable, cleaning the data comes before any dashboard. VirtuoLab is reachable on location in the Drechtsteden and Rotterdam or online, Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 18:00. The free intake call checks such points first.

Which businesses is a KPI dashboard suitable for?

A KPI dashboard is a good investment for small and medium-sized businesses whose figures sit in 2 or more systems and get combined by hand every month. Step 1 is a quick check: how many hours per month go into copying exports into one spreadsheet? Typical cases are a webshop combining WooCommerce or Shopify sales with Google Ads costs, a wholesaler following margin and stock per product group, and a service company tracking hours, revenue and open invoices from AFAS or Exact Online. Management then gets one weekly view. Additionally, a custom React dashboard suits companies offering customers a portal with live figures. For example, a logistics company with 40 customers can show each customer the shipments and delivery times in a branded portal. A dashboard is less useful when nobody acts on the figures, or when one spreadsheet already answers every question. VirtuoLab works on location in Papendrecht, Dordrecht, Rotterdam and the rest of the Drechtsteden, and online across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

Our own products

Software we build and run ourselves

FiscalDesk and Bouwklok are VirtuoLab products. Both are live and can be tried. The images below are recordings and screens from the software itself.

Accounting software for accounting firms

FiscalDesk

  • Reads and books invoices automatically
  • Only exceptions reach the accountant
  • App for clients to scan receipts
Next.jsReactPostgreSQLClaude (Anthropic)
View the projectfiscaldesk.nl

Frequently Asked Questions

How often does a Power BI dashboard refresh its data?

Scheduled refresh is the standard way a Power BI dashboard updates data, and the maximum depends on where the report lives. On shared capacity, a semantic model refreshes on schedule at most 8 times per day, according to Microsoft Learn. On Premium, Premium Per User or Fabric capacity, the limit rises to 48 times per day. Additionally, a refresh on shared capacity must finish within two hours. DirectQuery works differently: Power BI then queries the source with every interaction, so the figures stay current, but the source system carries more load. For example, a weekly management meeting is often well served by one refresh every morning at 07:00. A custom dashboard built with React follows a schedule set in code, from a nightly import to live updates through webhooks. VirtuoLab sets the refresh rhythm per KPI together with the client during the intake.

Which Power BI licence do dashboard users need?

Power BI licensing is a combination of per-user licences and capacity licences, according to Microsoft Learn in October 2026. First, a free licence covers content for personal use only, because free users cannot share or collaborate. Second, a Power BI Pro licence lets a user publish content and share content with other Pro users. Third, Premium Per User adds most Premium features, but sharing then works only between PPU users. Free users can view shared reports only when the workspace sits in a Premium capacity or a Fabric capacity of F64 or larger. A team of 10 people working in a shared-capacity workspace, for example, therefore needs a Pro licence for each of the 10 people. Licence costs come from Microsoft and are separate from the VirtuoLab price. A custom dashboard built with React needs no per-user Power BI licences at all.

Can sales and finance see different figures in the same dashboard?

Row-level security is the Power BI feature for such a need: one report, in which every user sees only the permitted rows. Filters defined in roles restrict the rows a user sees, according to Microsoft Learn. First, RLS only applies to users with Viewer permissions, not to workspace Admins, Members or Contributors, so role assignment matters as much as the filter. Second, dynamic rules with USERPRINCIPALNAME() filter the data per signed-in user, based on a mapping table. For example, in a sales team of 12 people, a regional manager sees only the figures for region 3. The finance team sees all regions. In a custom React dashboard, VirtuoLab builds the same principle into the application, with permissions checked in the API and in PostgreSQL. Microsoft warns that the built-in role preview evaluates dynamic rules with the tester's own identity. VirtuoLab therefore tests every role with a real test account.

Which data sources can a dashboard connect to?

A data source is any system holding figures a business wants to track, from accounting software to a simple Excel file. Common sources are Exact Online, AFAS and SnelStart, webshops on WooCommerce or Shopify, CRM systems, Google Analytics and SharePoint lists. Power BI reads many sources through Power Query. For a source without a ready-made connector, VirtuoLab builds a small API integration, which first writes the data into a PostgreSQL database. Sources inside an office network, such as a local SQL Server, need an on-premises data gateway, according to Microsoft. In practice, the number of sources drives the price more than the number of charts. For example, the Professional tier covers 3 to 6 sources, the Starter tier 1 to 2. Even a shared Excel list kept by 3 people can be a source, as long as the columns stay fixed. During the intake, VirtuoLab checks which sources offer an API or an export.

What does a dashboard cost after launch?

The running cost of a dashboard is a monthly amount for hosting, monitoring and further development, plus any Power BI licences. In 2026, VirtuoLab charges €150 to €750 per month for hosting, monitoring and further development, depending on the scope. Depending on whether the figure needs a new source or only a new calculation, an extra KPI after launch costs €250 to €1,500. Power BI licences are a separate cost from Microsoft, while a custom dashboard built with React needs hosting instead of per-user licences. In practice, a dashboard often grows after launch, because users ask new questions once the first figures are visible. For example, a margin report soon leads to a question about margin per customer. Because the client owns the data model and the code, another developer or an internal team can also take over maintenance.