Unleashing the Power of Flow: A Guide to Mastering Sankey Charts

Sankey charts are a powerful visualization tool that can help you better understand and analyze your data. By organizing your data into a flowchart, you can easily see the flow of materials, goods, or services through a system, and identify areas for improvement. In this guide, we’ll show you how to create your own Sankey charts and how to apply them to real-world scenarios.

Sankey Chart Basics

A Sankey chart is a flowchart that is used to represent the flow of items or information through a system. The chart starts with a “source” at the top, and flows down to a “sink” at the bottom. Each step in the flow is represented by a “node” that connects the nodes above and below it. The chart can also show the amount of flow through each node, using arrows or other visual cues.

Sankey charts are often used to visualize supply chain processes, financial transactions, or any other system with multiple inputs and outputs. The charts are easy to create and customize, making them a versatile tool for data analysis.

Creating Sankey Charts

To create a Sankey chart, you’ll need to start with a dataset that includes the flow of items or information through your system. The dataset should include information on the source, sink, and each step in the flow, along with the amount of flow through each node.

Once you have your dataset, you can use a charting software or online tool to create your Sankey chart. Many popular charting programs, such as Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and Lucidchart, have built-in Sankey chart functionality. These programs allow you to easily import your dataset, create the chart, and customize the chart’s appearance and layout.

Applications of Sankey Charts

Sankey charts are a powerful tool for data analysis and process visualization. Here are some examples of how they can be used:

1. Supply chain management: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of products through a supply chain. This can help identify bottlenecks, excess capacity, and other areas for optimization.
2. Financial analysis: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of money through a financial system, such as an investment portfolio or a company’s cash flow. This can help identify areas where investments can be redirected or where cost savings can be cut.
3. Environmental monitoring: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of materials or pollutants through an environmental system. This can help identify sources of pollution and areas where efforts can be focused to reduce pollution.
4. Customer journey mapping: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of a customer’s journey through a business. This can help identify pain points and areas where customer experience can be improved.

In conclusion, Sankey charts are a powerful and versatile visualization tool that can be used to better understand and analyze a wide range of data. By organizing your data into a flowchart, you can easily see the flow of materials, goods, or services through a system and identify areas for improvement. Whether you’re working on a supply chain, a financial system, an environmental system, or a customer experience, Sankey charts can help you unlock the power of flow.

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.