Creating a Sankey diagram in Google Sheets can provide a visual representation of data flows and relationships. This guide will walk you through the steps to create a Sankey diagram using Google Sheets.
You'll learn how to set up your data, use a Google Sheets add-on, and customize your diagram for clarity and impact.
While Google Sheets works for creating Sankey diagrams, Sourcetable offers a simpler solution as an AI-powered spreadsheet platform. Instead of manually working with complex functions, you can chat with Sourcetable's AI to analyze data, create visualizations, and generate charts from any file size. Try Sourcetable to instantly answer any spreadsheet question through natural conversation.
Start by creating a new Google Sheets document. Structure your data with columns designated for the source, target, and flow values. Each row should represent a flow between entities.
Ensure your data is formatted correctly. Use clear headings for the source, target, and flow columns. Highlight the data range you want to use for the Sankey diagram.
In Google Sheets, go to the Add-ons menu and search for a Sankey diagram add-on in the Add-ons marketplace. Install the appropriate add-on to enable Sankey diagram creation.
With your data highlighted, open the Sankey diagram add-on. Select the appropriate columns for the source, target, and flow values from the drop-down menus in the add-on. Click on the "Create Sankey Diagram" button to render your diagram.
If you prefer using the Google Visualization library, initialize the chart using google.visualization.Sankey()
. Render the chart using the draw()
method and provide a set of rows, each containing the from, to, and weight of a connection.
Set various options for the Sankey diagram using the options variable. The D3 layout engine will experiment with different node layouts for a multilevel Sankey. Adjust the sankey.iterations
to control layout complexity vs. rendering speed.
You can set the height and width of the Sankey diagram in pixels. Use getBoundingBox
to retrieve the left, top, width, and height of a Sankey diagram element for further customization.
Sankey diagrams visually represent flow data, making complex flows understandable at a glance. Creating them in Google Sheets provides a free, accessible way to generate these powerful visualizations.
These diagrams are essential for business analysis, showing relationships between inputs and outputs, revenue streams, or user journeys. Using Google Sheets for Sankey diagrams eliminates the need for expensive specialized software.
Sankey diagrams in Google Sheets help analyze budget allocations, track conversion funnels, and visualize resource distribution. They're particularly valuable for project managers, data analysts, and business strategists who need to communicate complex flows effectively.
The skill enables teams to collaborate on data visualization in real-time through Google's cloud platform. This accessibility makes it easier to share insights and make data-driven decisions across organizations.
Visualizing Data Flows |
Understanding the flow of resources, information, or money within an organization can be greatly enhanced by creating a Sankey diagram in Google Sheets. It allows stakeholders to identify bottlenecks and optimize processes efficiently. |
Project Management |
Project managers can track the allocation of time and resources across various project phases. A Sankey diagram in Google Sheets helps in visually communicating this information to team members and stakeholders. |
Marketing Campaign Analysis |
Marketers can utilize Sankey diagrams to show the conversion paths of potential customers, from initial contact through to final purchase, allowing for better analysis and optimization of marketing strategies. |
Budget Tracking |
Financial analysts can use Sankey diagrams to visualize the flow of funds between different departments or initiatives, providing a clear picture of how budgets are being spent and identifying areas for cost savings. |
Supply Chain Management |
Operations managers can use Sankey diagrams to map out the flow of materials through the supply chain, helping to identify inefficiencies and improve overall supply chain performance. |
Energy Consumption Analysis |
Organizations can track energy consumption and distribution through Sankey diagrams, identifying areas where energy efficiency can be improved and costs reduced. |
Educational Purposes |
Teachers and students can employ Sankey diagrams in Google Sheets to understand and present complex data flows in subjects such as environmental science, economics, and logistics. |
Website Traffic Analysis |
Digital marketers and web analysts can visualize the path of user navigation on a website using Sankey diagrams, helping to improve user experience and conversion rates. |
Google Sheets is a widely-used spreadsheet application that offers basic and advanced functionalities through its extensive formula options and compatibility with Google Workspace. However, certain tasks, such as creating a Sankey diagram, require manual effort and third-party integrations, making the process time-consuming and complex.
Sourcetable, on the other hand, is an AI-first spreadsheet that simplifies intricate tasks by leveraging artificial intelligence. Its built-in AI assistant can write complex spreadsheet formulas and SQL queries, making tasks like generating a Sankey diagram effortless. Unlike Google Sheets, the need for extensive manual input or external add-ons is eliminated.
Sourcetable also integrates with over five hundred data sources, allowing seamless data search and analysis. This functionality is particularly useful for users looking to create visualizations such as Sankey diagrams without the hassle of importing and arranging data manually, as required in Google Sheets. Thus, Sourcetable makes advanced spreadsheet tasks easily accessible to anyone, regardless of their expertise level.
To create a Sankey diagram in Google Sheets, use the google.visualization.Sankey() method.
Use the draw() method to render the Sankey diagram.
Provide a set of rows where each row contains the from, to, and weight of a connection.
Yes, you can set the colors of the nodes and the link colors to a range of colors with the same hue and different brightnesses.
The sankey.iterations option controls how many times the D3 layout engine attempts to place nodes. Increasing this number makes the layout more pleasing but takes longer to render, while decreasing it makes rendering faster.
Examples include using a tooltip with a red text color and setting a font size of 10 pixels for the node labels.
There may be add-ons for Google Sheets that allow you to create a Sankey Diagram.
Creating a Sankey diagram in Google Sheets can be a complex process that requires specific functions and features.
Sourcetable eliminates this complexity by letting you create visualizations through natural conversation with an AI chatbot. Simply upload your data files and tell Sourcetable's AI what analysis or visualization you want to create.
Sourcetable's AI handles all the technical work, from generating sample data to creating stunning charts and performing complex analysis. Sign up for Sourcetable today to answer any spreadsheet question instantly: Sourcetable.