Alluvial
Multi-stage flow. What the alluvial is for, the data it needs and every option it has.
3 min read
On this page
Multi-stage flow. It sits in the Flow & network group of the widget library.
When to use it#
An Alluvial chart follows the same items through ordered stages, such as account, then category, then merchant. It answers "how does spending split at each step, and where do paths cross?". You pick two or more stage columns in order, and an optional amount sets the width.
When to pick something else#
- Just one hop from source to target? A Sankey is simpler.
- Want nested boxes instead of paths? Use a Treemap or Sunburst.
- Comparing the mix within each group? Use a 100% stacked bar.
The data it needs#
Pick these in the Data tab of the inspector. BankSync suggests a column for each when your source has an obvious match.
| Field | Needed | Pick | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source | Yes | a category | |
| Target | Yes | a category | |
| Value | Yes | a number |
Rows that share a category are combined before drawing: choose Sum, Average, Count, Min or Max on the value field. See Binding data.
Alluvial options#
Set these on the Style tab of the inspector. "Automatic" means BankSync picks a value from the chart's size and data.
| Option | What it does | Values | New charts start with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block width | Width of the blocks in each stage column, in pixels. | Number, 0 or more | Automatic |
| Block gap | Vertical space between the blocks in a stage, in pixels. | Number, 0 or more | Automatic |
| Show labels | Write each block’s name beside it. | On or off | Automatic |
| Stream opacity | How solid the streams between stages are, from 0 (clear) to 1 (solid). | Number, 0 to 1 | Automatic |
Needs history#
Show a note instead of the chart until the rows cover enough periods, so a first week never reads as a trend.
| Option | What it does | Values | New charts start with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date field | The date column whose distinct periods are counted. | Text | Automatic |
| Period | What counts as one period: a day, week, month, quarter or year. | Day, Week, Month, Quarter, Year | Automatic |
| Periods needed | How many distinct periods the rows must cover before the chart draws (2 to 60). | Whole number, 2 to 60 | Automatic |
| Waiting message | Shown until there is enough history. Leave empty for a message naming the periods. | Text, up to 120 characters | Automatic |
Shared chart styling#
Every chart also has the shared styling options. These apply to this one:
- Legend: position, layout and which series show.
- Axes: titles, tick labels and number format.
- Grid, title, padding and background.
- Value labels on the marks.
- Categories and labels: top N with "Other", sort order, readable labels, the handwritten callout.
- Style: corner radius, line width, opacity and animation.
- Tooltip on hover.
- Click to filter: clicking a mark can filter the rest of the dashboard. See Filters and cross-filtering.
- Colours: follow the dashboard palette or pick one for this chart.
Messy data#
- Until you choose two stages it asks you to "Choose at least two stages".
- Zero and negative amounts are skipped, so make money out positive first. With nothing left you see "No flows to show".
- A blank value becomes a "(blank)" node at that stage instead of breaking the path.
- The same value at two stages is two nodes that share a colour, so loops can't form.
- Thin nodes in a crowded stage fold into "Other (n)", keeping roughly eight per stage.
On a phone#
Stage names sit above the columns and node labels beside the nodes. In a narrow card the columns squeeze together and labels go first. Two or three stages still read on a phone, but more is a desktop chart.
Related charts#
- Sankey: Flows between nodes
- Chord diagram: Cross-category links
- Network graph: Force-directed nodes + edges
- Arc diagram: Linear node arcs
Use this page with your AI assistant
Every BankSync doc is available as plain Markdown for agents and LLMs.