Tanjim Reza
When working with flow analysis, the Sankey diagram is a fantastic tool to use. This diagram portrays the flow characteristics, orientations, and trends of the whole dataset easily and effectively. Now, if you are looking forward to the ways of creating a Sankey diagram, you have landed in the perfect place. In this article, I will show you step-by-step guidelines to make a Sankey diagram in Excel.
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What Is Sankey Diagram?
Sankey diagram is mainly a flow diagram which is very handy and effective when working with flow analysis. The width of arrows is maintained by the quantities and values of the categories.
Any kind of flow analysis such as material flow, energy flow, cash flow, etc. can be visualized and analyzed easily through this diagram.
Advantages:
- The most crucial advantage of the Sankey diagram is you can visualize the trend of multiple categories of your data.
- You can understand the relative weights of every category by the width of the arrows in the Sankey diagram.
- You can portray many complex categories through the Sankey diagram.
Disadvantages:
- It’s hard to draw and understand sometimes due to its complex features.
- If the arrow width of two categories becomes the same, it gets very tough to differentiate between them anymore.
Steps to Make Sankey Diagram in Excel
Say, we have a dataset of a person’s income source and expense destinations. Now, we can make a Sankey diagram based on his varying income sources fulfilling the expense at varying destinations. You can follow the steps below to achieve this target.
📌 Step 1: Prepare Necessary Data to Make Sankey Diagram
First and foremost, you need to prepare your sample dataset properly to make a Sankey diagram.
- It would be better if you make your data range into a table.
- To do this, select your data range (B4:F8 cells here) >> click on the Insert tab >> Table tool.
- As a result, the Create Table window will appear. Subsequently, click on the OK button.
- At this time, it would be better to name your table.
- To do this, click inside the created table >> go to the Table Design tab >> write Dataset inside the Table Name: toolbox.
- Now, you need to specify the space between two categories of the Sankey diagram.
- To do this properly, write the value inside the D10 cell >> go to the Formulas tab >> Defined Names group >> Define Name option.
- At this time, the New Name window will appear.
- Following, write Space inside the Name: text box and click on the OK button.
Thus, your sample dataset is prepared to complete further calculations to make a Sankey diagram in Excel.
Read More: Descriptive Statistics – Input Range Contains Non-Numeric DataÂ
📌 Step 2: Prepare Sankey Lines Table
After preparing the dataset properly, it is time to do further calculations and prepare the Sankey Lines table.
- To do this, at the very beginning, create a table named Lines containing From, To, and Value columns.
- Afterward, click on the D5 cell and insert the following formula.
=IF(LEFT([@From],5)="Space",Space,INDEX(Dataset,MATCH([@From],Dataset[From / To],0),MATCH([@To],Dataset[#Headers],0)))- Subsequently, hit the Enter button.
- As this is a table, all the cells below this column will follow the same formula and will be automatically filled.
- At this time, add some new columns named End Position, Astart, Amid1, Amid2, Aend, Vstart, Vmid1, Vmid2, Vend, Bstart, Bmid1, Bmid2, and Bend for obtaining values to draw the charts.
- At these created helper columns, for getting the values, insert the following formula and hit the Enter button.
Astart Column:
=SUM(Lines[[#Headers],[Value]]:[@Value])-[@Value]Amid1 Column:
=[@Astart]Amid2 Column:
=[@Aend]Aend Column:
=SUM([Value])-SUMIFS([Value],[End Position],">="&[@[End Position]])Vstart Column:
=[@Value]Vmid1 Column:
=[@Value]Vmid2 Column:
=[@Value]Vend Column:
=[@Value]Bstart Column:
=SUM([Value])-[@Astart]-[@Vstart]Bmid1 Column:
=SUM([Value])-[@Amid1]-[@Vmid1]Bmid2 Column:
=SUM([Value])-[@Amid2]-[@Vmid2]Bend Column:
=SUM([Value])-[@Aend]-[@Vend]- Besides, create another table for obtaining the source pillars.
- Create two columns named From and Value in this table.
- Afterward, click on the C28 cell and insert the following formula for source pillars values.
=SUMIFS(Lines[Value],Lines[From],[@From])- Following, press the Enter button.
- Similarly, create another table for destination pillars containing two columns named To and Value.
- Following, click on the C38 cell and insert the following formula.
=SUMIFS(Lines[Value],Lines[To],[@To])- Subsequently, hit the Enter button to get all the destination pillars’ values.
- Last but not least, you will need spacing values of the X-axis to draw the diagram properly.
- Write the spacing values as 0,10,90 and 100 at C46, D46, E46, and F46 cells.
Thus, now you have all the values that you need to draw the Sankey diagram of your dataset.
 Read More: How to Move Data from Row to Column in Excel (4 Easy Ways)
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📌 Step 3: Draw Individual Sankey Lines
Now, after getting all these values, you need to draw individual Sankey lines.
- To do this, first and foremost, click on the Insert tab >> Insert Line or Area Chart tool >> 100% Stacked Area option.
- Consequently, a 100% stacked area chart will appear.
- Now, right-click on the chart area and choose the option Select Data… from the context menu.
- Asa result, the Select Data Source window will appear.
- Following, at the Legend Entries (Series) pane, click on the Remove button to delete all the initial entries.
- Afterward, click on the Add button.
- As a result, the Edit Series window will appear.
- Subsequently, write 1 at the Series Name: text box >> choose the F5:I5 cells reference in the Series values: text box.
- Finally, click on the OK button.
- Now, at the Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels pane, click on the Edit button.
- At this time, the Axis Labels window will appear.
- Refer to the F46:I46 cells in the Axis label range: text box.
- Following, click on the OK button.
- Now, double-click on the Y-axis >> tick the option Values in reverse order from the Format Axis pane on the right side.
As a result, your Sankey lines are drawn.
Read More: How to Create an Organizational Chart in Excel (2 Suitable Ways)
📌 Step 4: Draw Sanky Pillars and Complete Sanky Diagram
Now, you need to draw the Sankey pillars to complete the diagram.
- To do this, select the B28:C34 cells >> click on the Insert tab >> Insert Column or Bar Chart tool >> 100% Stacked Column option.
- As a result, a stacked chart will appear.
- Now, go to the Chart Design tab >> Change Chart Type tool.
- At this time, the Change Chart Type window will appear.
- Now, choose the second option and click on the OK button.
- At this time, you will see your desired pillar which will look like the following.
- Now, you don’t need the space to be shown.
- So, click on the space area and choose the option No fill from the Format Chart Area pane on the right side.
- As a result, you will get your final source pillar to make the Sankey diagram.
- Similarly, you can make pillars for destination sources and change their colors for better understanding by choosing the Fill Color option from the Format Data Series pane on the right side.
- Finally, you have everything to make the Sanky diagram.
- Now, combine these Sankey lines with the Sankey pillars to complete the Sanky diagram.
Thus, you have made a Sankey diagram successfully. And, the final diagram would look like this.
Read More: How to Make a Venn Diagram in Excel (3 Easy Ways)
Understanding a Sankey Diagram
Sankey diagram can easily portray the sources, destinations, and contributing pathways from sources to destinations.
Generally, the sources are situated on the left side and the destinations are on the right. From the sources to destinations, several pathways are drawn to depict the tradition and contribution of each source and destination. Besides, the width of these pathways helps to visualize the greater and lesser contribution of pathways.
Read More: How to Make Fishbone Diagram in Excel (with Easy Steps)
Conclusion
So, I have shown you all the steps to make a Sankey diagram in Excel. Go through the full article carefully to understand it better and apply it afterward according to your needs. I hope you find this article helpful and informative. If you have any further queries or recommendations, please feel free to contact me.
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