Sankey charts are a type of graph that are commonly used in data visualization to represent flows or relationships between quantities. Unlike traditional bar charts and line graphs, sankey charts work with multiple interrelated flows or relationships between two quantities. Today, I’ll take you through how to create a sankey chart, and then demonstrate its various applications.

Step 1: Understanding Sankey Chart Basics

A sankey chart displays how quantities are moving or moving through an interconnected system. Each flow is a series of labeled nodes and associated links. The nodes are the quantities or values that move on the graph, and the links are the paths or routes they have taken.

Sankey charts can represent quantities like the flow of money, data, or information between organizations, institutions or individuals. The bars or horizontal lines can be in the x or y-axis, or on top of each other depending on the orientation of the axis. A flow chart provides a clear, concise view of a complex system and helps users understand the direction of flow or the cause and effect in the relationship between quantities.

The simplest way to create a sankey chart in Microsoft Excel is using the VBA editor. VBA stands for Visual Basic for Applications and is used to create macros for Microsoft Office applications like Excel. The macro code is executed every time you open your workbook.

Here’s how to create a sankey chart in Excel using VBA:

1. Open Microsoft Excel and create a new workbook or open an existing one.
2. In the Excel ribbon, go to Data > New Chart
3. Choose the sankey chart type > create your chart now
4. In the new chart, ensure that your x axis is on the left, and your y axis is on the right.
5. Add nodes to the top of your chart where your quantities first appear. Use the VBA code below:


Sub CreateSankeyChart()
With ActiveSheet.ChartObjects("Chart1")
.Left = 10
.Top = 10
.Columns = Range("A:D")
End With
End Sub


6. Double click on the chart to edit the chart data.
7. In the Data tab, go to Data > Chart Elements
8. Click on Sankey and change the chart type to the one that best represents your data.
9. Close the chart when you’re done.

That’s how to easily create a sankey chart and show the relationships between different quantities or values. Once you’re done, you can share the chart using Microsoft Sharepoint 365, Power BI, or Google Analytics. You can also export the data and use it in other applications like data analysis, business intelligence tools, or even in presentations. In the process, you’ll be able to explain and explore complex systems or relationships that would be challenging or slow to explain using traditional visualization methods like bar or line charts.

In conclusion, sankey charts have a unique ability to explore and represent the movement of quantities within a complex system. These charts have broad applications, from business to science to finance, and they’re easy to create using Excel, Microsoft Sharepoint, Power BI, and other visualization tools. Exploring complex information in this way opens up new ways of understanding data or systems, which can help make data-driven decisions or insights more accessible.

SankeyMaster

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