Sankey Diagram
Visualize weighted flows across multiple hierarchical levels. Drag N categorical columns into the Levels well and the visual auto-generates links between adjacent levels — no data reshaping required. Ideal for budgets, user journeys, supply chains, and any multi-stage flow analysis.
Examples
When to Use
- Showing how a total quantity distributes across categories or stages
- Multi-level hierarchical breakdowns (e.g., Store → Category → Product → Brand)
- Budget allocation flowing through departments to cost centers
- User flow through a funnel or process
- Energy or resource flow analysis
Data Roles
The Levels well accepts multiple fields. The order you drag fields determines the left-to-right flow: the first field becomes the leftmost level, the second field the next level, and so on. You need at least 2 level fields for the chart to render.
Settings
Color & Appearance
Color Scheme
dropdownControls the color palette for nodes and links.
Default:vibrantNode Settings
Node Width
numberWidth of node bars in pixels.
Default:20Node Padding
numberVertical spacing between nodes in pixels.
Default:12Link Settings
Link Opacity
numberOpacity of flow links (5-100).
Default:45Color Mode
dropdownHow links are colored: gradient between source/target or fixed color.
Default:gradientData Labels
Show Labels
booleanMaster toggle for percentage and value display on node labels.
Default:falseShow Percentage
booleanShow each node's share of its level total (e.g., 26%).
Default:trueShow Value
booleanShow the absolute flow value in parentheses (e.g., (162)).
Default:trueWhen all label options are enabled, nodes display as: Furniture 26% (162)
Common settings like Legend, Tooltip, and Axis configuration are covered in Shared Concepts.
Tips & Best Practices
- Drag fields in logical hierarchy order — the field well order defines the flow direction
- Use the "vibrant" color scheme for presentations with many nodes
- Enable "Show Labels" to see percentage and value breakdowns at each level
- The X-axis shows level column names (e.g., Store, Category, Product) — keep it enabled for orientation
- Sankey works best with 3–20 nodes per level; beyond that, consider filtering