How to Create and Configure Sankey Charts

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Prerequisites: How to build queries using the Define panel - read this article first

What you'll learn

By the end of this article, you'll know how to:

• Create a Sankey diagram to visualise data flow between categories.
• Understand the terminology: nodes, links, source, and target.
• Edit an existing Sankey diagram query.
• Customise the diagram appearance using all available Design properties.
• Apply top/bottom filtering to focus on key flows.
• Choose between a Sankey diagram and a funnel chart for your use case.

Overview

A Sankey Diagram depicts the flow of data through a hierarchy, a process, or time using lines whose width represents the volume of the flow. With varying line widths and colours, a Sankey diagram can convey complex movement patterns in a clear and concise manner.

Common use cases include employees transferring between departments, performance rating changes between review periods, candidates progressing through recruitment stages, and career path transitions over time.

Unlike funnel charts, which show a linear top-to-bottom sequence, Sankey diagrams can show flows in multiple directions between any set of categories. This makes them better suited for non-linear processes or any analysis where you want to see where things come from and where they go.

Before you begin

Confirm that you have the CanCreateStoryboard and CanExploreData permissions. Your Admin configures these in Admin > Application Role > Permissions. Without CanCreateStoryboard, the options to create a new Storyboard won’t appear. You will also need Storyboard edit permission to make any modifications to the Storyboard. 

The Data Access Role permissions govern the data that you are able to view. To build these tiles using the Define panel, you also need CanExploreData. 

Sankey diagram terminology

Before creating your first Sankey chart diagram, it helps to understand the key terms:

Creating a Sankey diagram

A Sankey diagram requires:

• 1 Metric - the flow value or link (for example, Headcount (EOP)).
• 2 Dimensions - the source and target nodes (for example, Previous Performance Rating and Current Performance Rating).
• 1 Pivoted Dimension - typically a time period (for example, Year - 2022).

Then follow these instructions:

1. Enter Modify Mode by clicking the Edit (pencil) icon.
2. Click the Add (+) icon to reveal the Build a Storyboard menu, then select Sankey Chart.
3. A modal window displays where you can Define the query. Add your metric, two dimensions, and a pivoted dimension (time period). When selecting your metrics, dimensions, and pivoted dimensions, the eye icon indicates whether it has been selected, and the check/cross icons are your filters. Click the > arrow to drill down to the next level.
4. Click Run & Preview Query to preview your Sankey diagram.
5. Click the Table tab to switch to a table view of the data. Click Sankey to return to the diagram view.
6. Click Insert to Storyboard to add the Sankey diagram. You can also edit the query definition and re-run the query before inserting.
7. Enter a name for the Tile Title, click Save at the top right, and Exit Modify Mode.

To create more advanced Sankey diagrams, the possibilities depend on how the data is structured in your One Model instance. For example, data can be analysed over multiple time periods using consistent dimensions (Previous Org Unit to Current Org Unit), or additional nodes can represent process stages (Applied > Interviewed > Offered > Hired).

Editing a Sankey diagram

8. Enter Modify Mode by clicking the Edit (pencil) icon.
9. From the Tile Configuration Panel, click the Settings icon to return to the query definition modal window.
10. Update or edit the query definition and click Run & Preview Query.
11. Click Update to Storyboard to apply the changes. Alternatively, click Cancel to return to the Storyboard with no updates applied.

Note: If you click the Explore icon from the Tile Configuration Panel in Modify Mode, the query will open in Explore. The visualisation type "List for Sankey" returns the data in Explore but the diagram is only rendered when pinned to a Storyboard.

Customizing a Sankey diagram

To customize the appearance of your Sankey, enter Modify Mode, click the Settings icon on the Tile Configuration Panel, and open the Design tab. The following properties are available:

Normalize Colors

Default: On. Determines the colour of the nodes and linking lines. When enabled, source and target nodes use consistent colours from your colour palette when the dimension nodes match. For example, a "High" rating node will be the same colour in both the source and target areas. Colours are set through your company branding and default colour palette.

Hide Unchanged Datapoints

Default: Off. When off, all data defined in the query displays, including flows where the source and target are the same category (no change occurred).

When enabled, unchanged nodes are hidden. For example, employees whose performance rating stayed at "High" from one period to the next will not appear. This is useful for focusing on actual movements and changes, which is what Sankey diagrams specialise in.

Tip: Enable Hide Unchanged when you want to focus on movement. When turned off, unchanged flows (employees who stayed in the same category) can dominate the visual and obscure the interesting transitions.

Inverted

Default: Off. When off, the Sankey diagram displays horizontally (source on the left, target on the right). When enabled, the diagram switches to a vertical orientation (source at the top, target at the bottom).

Show X Axis Labels

Default: On. Displays the axis labels (typically the dimension names) below the source and target areas. Turn off if the labels are redundant with the tile title.

Show X Axis Line

Default: On. Displays the axis line beneath the diagram. Turn off for a cleaner appearance when the axis labels provide enough orientation.

Custom Node Width

Default: Empty (auto). When no value is entered, the standard node width displays. Enter a numeric value to increase or decrease the width of the nodes. A higher value (for example, 200) makes nodes wider; a lower value makes them narrower. Adjust this to balance readability when you have many nodes or very few.

Any changes to Design settings apply immediately to the Sankey diagram. When you are finished, close the settings panel, Save, and Exit Modify Mode.

Filtering top or bottom results

You can filter a Sankey diagram to show only the top or bottom N results, giving you greater control over the data displayed. Click the metric chip in the Define panel, select Top or Bottom under Filtering, and specify the number of rows to include. This is useful for focusing on the largest flows (top 10 movements) or the smallest (bottom 5) without showing every data point.

Quick reference - Design properties

Quick reference - Sankey vs Funnel

Next steps

Now that you can build Sankey diagrams, you might want to explore:

• How to create and configure funnel charts - for sequential stage-based flows with conversion rates.
• How to add context to your charts - adding reference lines, annotations, legends, and AI insights to complement your diagram.
• How to use Storyboard filters - filtering sankey flows dynamically by dimension.
• How to customise Storyboard appearance using the Design panel - colours, layout, and broader styling options.