Create your first Sankey diagram

This article takes you from an empty start to a finished Sankey diagram in the web editor. The video shows the whole process for an income statement.

Open the editor#

Choose one of these ways:

• On sankeyart.com, select Create diagram. The editor opens with an example diagram that you can change.
• In My diagrams, select Create new, then From template or Import (from PDF, Excel, CSV or image).
• In the editor, select File > New and choose a template.

The editor has two parts: the diagram, and the Data editor next to it (below it on small screens).

Enter your data#

Each row in the Data editor is one flow:

1. In From, enter where the money comes from, for example "Revenue".
2. In To, enter where it goes, for example "Gross profit".
3. In Amount, enter the value.
4. Optional: in Comparison, enter last year's value. See Year-over-year comparison.

Select Add row for more flows. The diagram updates while you type.

You can also copy your data from Excel or Google Sheets: select the cells and paste them into the Data editor.

See Input data structure for how to structure the rows.

Edit the diagram on the canvas#

Select an element in the diagram to change it:

• A node: opens Edit node. Change its Label and Color, add a flow with Add flow, or remove it with Remove.
• A flow: opens Edit flow. Change From, To and Amount.
• The title: opens Edit title. Enter the Company name, Fiscal year, Reporting period and Financial statement type, or select Use custom title to write your own.

Drag a node to move it. While you drag, hold Shift to move in one direction only, or Alt (Option on a Mac) to turn off snapping.

Save your diagram#

With a subscription, SankeyArt saves your changes to the cloud automatically. A cloud icon next to the diagram's name shows that it is saved.

Without a subscription, select Save diagram to subscribe and keep the diagram.

Next steps#

• Labels and number formats
• Colors, fonts and branding
• Export as PNG or SVG