Sankey charts are a powerful and versatile technique for visualizing complex data relationships. One of the key strengths of sankey charts is their ability to communicate intricate links between multiple elements. Sankey charts can be used to graphically represent the flow of data from source to destination, or to provide a visual representation of causality or cause-and-effect relationships between different entities.
Creating a sankey chart requires some basic knowledge of linear equations and graph theory. However, once a chart is designed, the data is straightforward to input and the chart can be used to explore a wide range of complex data relationships. In this article, we will explore the secret code of sankey charts to help you navigate the process and get the most out of your sankey chart creation experience.
Sankey chart creation with an Excel plugin
First, you’ll want to know how to create a sankey chart in Excel itself. The first step is opening a blank Excel workbook and selecting the “Chart” option in the ribbon, then “Sankey Chart” from the dropdown. Adjust dimensions and axes settings as needed to best fit the chart’s purpose.
Next, go to your data. As the data is the core of information in your sankey chart, you’ll need to organize it in a way that makes it easily digestible and visually appealing. Choose a format where your chart can clearly illustrate each node (entity or element) and its direction (source or destination) in a graphical manner. To do this, you’ll need to use cell references. For example, selecting “Cell references” > “Row” in the formatting tab in Excel 2019, you select a different row for each node and fill it with value data in another cell for each element. Finally, add your label and color according to your needs.
A simple example of a sankey chart
Now that you have set up your Excel chart, it’s time to explore the data using data points that are related to your sankey chart objectives. For example, if the chart is an analysis of sales channel data of a company. Each node on the sankey chart represents a sales channel, such as e-commerce, brick-and-mortar, and social media. The numbers represent the amount of sales passed through each channel.
The horizontal axis of the sankey chart shows the path passed through each channel, while the vertical axis shows the amount of sales. The sankey chart helps show the relationship between channels, revealing where most of the company’s sales are going, and where it could potentially improve in the future. It also shows how each channel is performing relative to its competitors, as well as the overall impact of each channel on the overall business.
A sankey chart can be a powerful tool for visualizing complex data relationships, however, it’s important to understand that sankey charts are not always 100% accurate and may contain unexpected results or hidden biases.
If you’re working in a more dynamic environment where you need to make quick decisions, sankey charts can be a great tool to help make sense of the data and prioritize actionable steps. For example, if you have a pie chart that represents the sales channel data, you can easily compare how the data is distributed across the channels and identify which channels are performing the best or could be improved. Sankey charts can be a great way to quickly visualize data relationships and get a quick understanding of the situation.
When creating a sankey chart, it’s important to remember that it’s not just a technical task, but also a creative problem solving process. You’ll need to organize and present your data in a clear and understandable manner to receive a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the relationships between data elements.
To summarize, sankey charts can be a powerful tool for data visualization, however, your need for clear technical understanding and creativity to fully take advantage of the potential of sankey charts. If you are interested in learning more about sankey charts, here are a few additional resources you may find useful:

• https://www.statsci.com/articles/creating-analysis-of-variance-plots/sankey-charts-survey

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1658567/

• https://www.gatsbydatacloud.org/tutorials/sankey-chart/

I hope you find this article useful in your journey towards mastering and understanding sankey charts.

SankeyMaster

SankeyMaster is your go-to tool for creating complex Sankey charts . Easily enter data and create Sankey charts that accurately reveal intricate data relationships.