How to Create Sankey Diagram in Excel? Easy Steps

Video Tutorial:

In this video tutorial, you’ll learn how to:

Top 5 Excel Sankey Diagram Templates with Examples

Plenty of data visualizations in Excel can be used to represent the flow of resources or information between multiple entities. These are particularly useful for illustrating the distribution, allocation, or transition of quantities such as energy, materials, costs, or other resources.

Now we will discuss some of the most commonly used examples, which are as follows:

1. Job Application Analysis Example
2. Sentiment Analysis Example
3. Presenting Financial Flows Example
4. Package Delivery Analysis Example
5. Store Order Analysis Example

Example #1: Job Application Analysis

Recruiting is one of the undertakings that can produce monstrous data. As a human resource professional, you’ve got to track requests for employment until the onboarding stage.

The data produced along the way can help inform future decision-making processes. Excel flow visuals are particularly helpful here, as they allow you to refine recruiting data into meaningful insights by representing the full movement of applications through the Job Application Tracker system directly from your spreadsheet.

What’s more, this can save lots of hours, which you can use to unwind or execute different assignments.

The visualization above tracks the job application flow from the recruitment phase to onboarding.

Example #2: Sentiment Analysis

You can use the chart to track the sentiments of a particular niche market towards a brand or its offerings.

The example above tracks market sentiments toward a fast-food brand.

Example #3: Presenting Financial Flows

You can use chart to track and analyze the cash flow diagram in Excel from cash sources to the final recipients.

Example #4: Package Delivery Analysis

The example above tracks the packages from dispatch to the intended consumers. The final recipients are segmented based on their country of residence.

Example #5: Store Order Analysis

The chart can also be used to track online store orders to prevent problems, such as loss of packages along the way. Also, you can use the charts in Excel to track products sold based on their respective brands.

How to Create a Sankey Diagram in Excel?

Before we get down to business, here is a fun fact you need to know about Excel.

Excel has billions of users because it is our most common spreadsheet. With this spreadsheet in your office tool, you can create a Sankey graph in Excel. Here is the truth: an Excel worksheet does not have this advanced chart; it’s a list of graphs. Excel is limited to a few basic charts.

But don’t lose hope just yet. There is a solution to our problem. You want to know what it is. Let’s get to it.

What is the solution?

Think about this for a moment. Since Excel does not include a built-in flow visual, how can you create one? One effective approach is to enhance Excel with an add-in that allows you to build flow charts directly from your spreadsheet data.

One of the most useful tools is ChartExpo, a reliable add-in for visualizing data effectively. In other words, it serves as a powerful chart maker in Excel.

This online tool works smoothly in any browser, ensuring a stable experience while you create and customize your charts.

In addition, ChartExpo is an affordable add-in for most users. When you want to use it, you won’t incur any cost. It is available for you to use in your data analysis.

Let us explain ChartExpo and how it can help you as a data analyst.

What is ChartExpo?

In brief, ChartExpo is an add-in that utilizes cloud-hosting features to create data visualizations. This add-in to your Excel worksheet allows you to create many graphical presentations. It is one of the simplest add-ins for your Excel charts.

But that is not all.

You do not need a fancy manual to work your way around the add-in. This is because it takes quick and easy steps to create a chart of your choice. If you ever find yourself in a dilemma about which chart to use, ChartExpo has got you covered.

Let us dig deeper using a practical example:

In this section, we will use a chart to visualize the data from the table below.

Energy Type	Main Source	Source type	Energy Source	Usage	End-User	Mega Watt
Agricultural waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Losses in the process	Lost	3.5
Agricultural waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	5.1
Agricultural waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	HVAC Commercial	3.6
Agricultural waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	HVAC homes	2.6
Agricultural waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Appliances Commercial	3.4
Agricultural waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Appliances homes	1.4
Other waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Losses in the process	Lost	5.0
Other waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	3.8
Other waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	HVAC Commercial	4.7
Other waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	HVAC homes	3.4
Other waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Appliances Commercial	5.2
Other waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Appliances homes	1.8
Marina algae	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Losses in the process	Lost	0.5
Marina algae	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	0.4
Marina algae	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	HVAC Commercial	0.6
Marina algae	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	HVAC homes	0.4
Marina algae	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Appliances Commercial	0.6
Marina algae	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Appliances homes	0.4
Biomass import	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Losses in the process	Lost	0.3
Biomass import	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	0.5
Biomass import	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	HVAC Commercial	0.6
Biomass import	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	HVAC homes	0.2
Biomass import	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Appliances Commercial	0.4
Biomass import	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Appliances homes	0.1
Nuclear reserves	Nuclear Plant	Solid	Thermal generation	Losses in the process	Lost	35.0
Nuclear reserves	Nuclear Plant	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	9.1
Nuclear reserves	Nuclear Plant	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	HVAC Commercial	5.6
Nuclear reserves	Nuclear Plant	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	HVAC homes	4.2
Nuclear reserves	Nuclear Plant	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Appliances Commercial	7.7
Nuclear reserves	Nuclear Plant	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Appliances homes	2.8
Gas reserves	Natural Gas	Gas	Thermal generation	Losses in the process	Lost	3.6
Gas reserves	Natural Gas	Gas	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	5.9
Gas reserves	Natural Gas	Gas	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	HVAC Commercial	5.5
Gas reserves	Natural Gas	Gas	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	HVAC homes	3.4
Gas reserves	Natural Gas	Gas	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Appliances Commercial	5.1
Gas reserves	Natural Gas	Gas	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Appliances homes	2.5

To get started, install the ChartExpo add-in for Excel.

• Click on your Excel spreadsheet to open your workbook.
• On your worksheet menu, click on Insert.
• The Insert menu will display the My Apps.

• Select the ChartExpo add-in and click Insert.

• Click on the “Chart” in the list of available charts in Excel, as shown below.

• After selecting the data, click on the Create Chart From Selection button, as shown below.

• Check out the final Diagram below.

How to Edit a Sankey Chart in Excel?

You can edit the chart with the colors you choose and add a heading. Click Edit Chart.

Here are some of the insights from your table that will appear like this in your chart.

Amount of Energy Used

Energy from Nuclear Sources

Multi-Level Sankey Plot in Excel

You can create a multi-level chart in Excel if your data contains multiple layers of information. In the example above, we easily built a multi-level chart in Excel with just a few clicks because the data was well-structured.

As a data analyst, you can use Excel flow visuals to help stakeholders clearly understand long-term plans and performance insights directly from spreadsheet data.

Application of Sankey Graph in Excel

Where can flow visuals be used in Excel? This is an important question. You can use Excel flow visuals to represent any data that shows movement or transfer between stages, such as:

• Presenting survey results
• A website’s customer base for digital marketing
• Supply chain administration
• Visualize Funds Flow
• Visualizing hierarchical data
• Energy Administration
• Visualizing the customer journey
• Revenue information, particularly for budgetary and monthly cash flow.

What Types of Excel Data Can Be Visualized?

Many people get confused about the type of data needed for this Excel chart.

This is a question that needs a lot of interpretation to eliminate confusion. The reality is that examples are mainly used to identify weighted networks, such as flows.

In other words, your data should have flow-like attributes.

The diagram’s nodes are depicted in two or more categories that represent various data stages. Once you’ve outlined your data properly, it becomes easier to analyze it and generate essential insights.

These diagrams are magnificent, especially in communicating flow systems. They can assist with uncovering examples and help in investigating, tracking down bottlenecks, or showing clients how cycles flow.

Plus, they prove to be useful, particularly in addressing large volumes of data.

The flow of data through a system, a process, or even a decision process can undoubtedly be examined for in-depth insights.

While investigating what is happening, it’s frequently challenging to get to the root of a problem. An example can show where the issue exists and what it might mean for the general framework.

So, when should you not use this diagram?

Limitations of Creating a Sankey Diagram in Excel

Creating charts in Excel without add-ins can be challenging and time-consuming. Here are some key limitations:

• No Built-in Option: Excel doesn’t have a native chart type, so you must manually design flows using shapes or lines.
• Complex Setup: Building and adjusting flow connections between nodes takes significant effort and can easily lead to errors.
• Difficult Customization: Changing flow width, colors, or labels requires manual formatting, which limits flexibility.
• Poor Data Updates: When data changes, the chart doesn’t update automatically—you have to rebuild or adjust it manually.
• Limited Visualization Quality: Manually created Sankey charts in Excel often lack smooth transitions, consistent scaling, and a professional appearance.

Best Practices for Sankey Chart in Excel

• Keep It Focused: Highlight only the key data flows that matter most to your analysis to avoid clutter and confusion.
• Use Meaningful Colors: Apply consistent and intuitive color schemes to distinguish categories or processes clearly.
• Label Key Elements: Add clear labels to nodes and flows so viewers can quickly understand what each part represents.
• Use an Add-in for Efficiency: Tools like ChartExpo make it simple to create, edit, and visualize charts without complex setup or coding.

FAQs

How do I create a Sankey chart in Excel?

Simply follow the steps below.

• Step 1: Open your Excel Application.
• Step 2: Click Insert>My Apps>ChartExpo for Excel.
• Step 3: Look for the Chart in Excel in the list.
• Step 4: Select your data and click Create Chart From Selection.
• Step 5: You will get a chart in Excel, which you can edit and customize.

Can you make a Sankey diagram in Excel?

Yes, you can achieve this by downloading and installing the ChartExpo add-in, since Excel doesn’t include a built-in template for it. ChartExpo offers a variety of chart templates, allowing you to easily create a Sankey diagram in Excel.

Wrap Up

Let’s recap everything we’ve discussed.

We now know that this type of chart in Excel is a powerful way to capture your audience’s attention and present your data story clearly.

If you’re working in Google Sheets or Power BI, you can also create similar visuals by following our guides on these platforms.

A Sankey Diagram in Excel makes it easy to visualize complex data flows and highlight key insights, helping your audience quickly understand the most important parts of your analysis.