# Sankey Plume: every field and setting explained

> Every field well and every Format pane setting of Sankey Plume: what it does, its possible values and its default value.

- Language: English
- Web page: https://plumevisuals.com/en/tutorials/sankey-plume-champs-et-reglages
- Published: 2026-10-19
- Visual: Sankey Plume, technical reference: https://plumevisuals.com/ai/visuals/alluvial-shift.md
- If an option name in this tutorial differs from the technical reference, the reference is right (it is generated from the visual's code).

This page describes everything Sankey Plume offers: the field wells, then each card of the Format pane, in the order in which they appear. The default value of each setting is in **bold**, and premium features carry a ★. For a guided first visual, see [getting started](/en/tutorials/migrations-clients-alluvial).

## Fields of the visual

| Field (exact name) | Required? | How many fields | What goes in | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories (one column per field) | Yes (stages and time modes) | 1 to 8 | Text column | The categories between which items migrate | `Segment` |
| Period (migrations over time) | No | 1 | Date, number or sorted text column | Turns on the "over time" mode: one column per period | `Year` |
| Individual (customer, product…) | Yes in "over time" mode | 1 | ID column | Lets the visual follow each individual from one period to the next | `Customer` |
| Source | Yes in Source → Destination mode | 1 | Text column | Where each flow starts (one row = one flow) | `Page` |
| Destination | Yes in Source → Destination mode | 1 | Text column | Where each flow arrives | `Next page` |
| Value or weight (optional) | No | 1 | Positive numeric measure | Thickness of the flows | `Customer count`, `Customer revenue`, `Visits` |
| Flow color (measure) | No | 1 | Numeric measure | Colors each flow on the gradient palette (with **Flows › Flow color** = *By the « Flow color » field*) | `Bounce rate` |
| Tooltips | No | 1 to 5 | Measures | Added to the tooltip of each flow (sum of the rows of the flow) | `Average duration (s)` |
| Dynamic format | No | Several | Measures | Drives settings with DAX | see [the shared basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume) |

**The mode is chosen by the fields.** The visual has three modes:

- **Source → Destination**: one field in **Source** and one in **Destination**. Each data row is a flow. A name found in both fields is a single node: flows chain over several columns (up to 30 levels). The other fields (Categories, Period, Individual) are then ignored.
- **"Over time" mode**: a single field in Categories (the state: segment, ABC class…), plus a Period and an Individual. The visual follows each individual from one period to the next. If you put several fields in Categories while a Period is present, **only the first one is used** (a message says so).
- **"Stages" mode**: several fields in Categories, with no Period. Each field becomes a column, in the order in which you drop them, up to 8. For example `Acquisition channel`, `Region`, `Segment`: you read a journey. Two columns `Segment 2024` and `Segment 2025` of a customer table also give a migration in stages mode.

**Period (migrations over time).** A single column. Dates and numbers are sorted chronologically; text follows the **Sort by column** order. At most 24 columns are drawn: the 24 most recent periods.

**Individual (customer, product…).** Without it, in "over time" mode, the visual does not know who goes where: it draws the columns with no flows and invites you to add this field. In stages mode, it is optional. When you click a flow, the individuals of this flow are selected (up to 5,000 per flow).

**Source and Destination.** An empty value becomes a "(Blank)" node. A flow going back to an earlier column (a cycle, for example Cart › Catalog) is drawn as a loop under the chart, or hidden (**Format › Layout**). The value of a node is the larger of its incoming and outgoing totals.

**Value or weight (optional).** A single measure. Without it, an individual or a row counts as 1. In stages mode and in Source → Destination with no Value, each distinct combination counts as 1 and a message suggests adding a measure. A value that changes between two periods gives a flow that is wider at the destination than at the origin (or the other way around). Negative values are ignored.

**Flow color (measure).** For a flow that groups several rows, the value used is the average weighted by the thickness of the rows. A small legend (minimum, maximum) is shown under the chart.

**Tooltips and Dynamic format**: see [the shared basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume). The report's tooltip pages are supported.

## Format pane settings

The cards shared by every Plume visual (Plume Studio License, Style, Tooltips, Title, Source note, Frame, Language and numbers) and the two basic settings of the Interactions card are described in [the common basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume). Here are the cards specific to Sankey Plume, in the order of the pane. Color and text settings have the **fx** button: a measure or a rule can drive them.

### Layout

This card sets the direction of the chart and, in Source → Destination mode, how nodes are placed.

| Setting | What it does | Options (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | Reading direction of the columns | **Horizontal (left to right)** · Vertical (top to bottom) ★ |
| Source → Destination | One node per name over several levels, or every source on the left and every destination on the right | **Chain (one node per name, several levels)** · Two columns (origin → destination) |
| Node placement | Where nodes with no continuation go (shown when Source → Destination = *Chain (one node per name, several levels)*) | **Final destinations in the last column** · As early as possible (left) |
| Flows going backward (cycles) | How flows to an earlier column or to the same node are drawn (shown when Source → Destination = *Chain (one node per name, several levels)*) | **Loops under the chart** · Hide |

### Data colors

This card picks the colors of the categories. A category keeps the same color in every column.

| Setting | What it does | Options (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Coloring | A different color per category, or the same for all | **Palette (one color per category)** · Single color |
| Color | Shared color of every block in *Single color* | color; **empty** (style color) |
| Color (one line per category) | Color of each category (Gold, Silver, Bronze…); fx button available | color; **empty** (palette color) |

### Categories (nodes)

This card sets the blocks (called "nodes") that stand for the categories in each column.

| Setting | What it does | Options (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Node width | Width of the category blocks | **12** (3 to 40) |
| Space between nodes | Space between two blocks of the same column | **10** (0 to 40) |
| Category order | Top-to-bottom order of the blocks, the same in every column | **Automatic (largest on top, fewer crossings)** · Largest on top · Alphabetical · Data order (Sort by column) · Custom (list or drag the nodes) |
| Custom order (separated by ;) | Categories in this order, the others next (largest first); filled in automatically when you drag a node (shown when Category order = *Custom (list or drag the nodes)*) | text; **empty** |
| Categories shown at most (the rest in « Others ») | Beyond this number, the smallest categories of a column are grouped in an "Others" block | **12** (2 to 40) |
| Minimum node height (px, 0 = none) | Small categories stay visible and clickable, like « Min optimal height » of the Microsoft Sankey. Their flows keep their true thickness. | **0** (0 to 40) |

*Automatic* puts the largest categories on top; in Source → Destination mode, it also reorders the nodes of each column to limit flow crossings.

### Flows

This card sets the ribbons that link the columns.

| Setting | What it does | Options (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Flow color | Where the color of a ribbon comes from | **Origin category** · Destination category · Gradient origin → destination ★ · By the « Flow color » field · Neutral (gray) |
| Opacity (%) | Transparency of the ribbons: lower is lighter; useful when many flows cross | **45** (5 to 100) |
| Flow drawing | Solid ribbons, or one thin line per unit (one line per customer, per student, per seat) | **Solid ribbons** · Threads: one line per unit ★ |
| Thread width (px, 0 = auto) | Width of each line; 0 computes it from the available space (shown when Flow drawing = *Threads: one line per unit*) | **0** (0 to 4) |
| Curvature (%) | Shape of the ribbons: 0 gives straight links, 100 very marked curves | **50** (0 to 100) |
| Emphasize category changes ★ | Fades the flows of individuals who stayed in the same category: only migrations stand out | **off** |
| Highlight the category ★ | Only the flows going through this category (or these categories, separated by ;) keep their color, from the first column to the last | text; **empty** |
| Highlight flows ★ | Only the named flows keep their color: `Silver > Gold` (origin > destination), several separated by ;, or a journey `Bronze > Silver > Gold` | text; **empty** |
| Highlight color | Color of the highlighted categories and flows | **Flow color** · One color per highlighted name |
| Dimmed flows: opacity (% of opacity) | Opacity of the flows that step back (highlight, category changes), as a percentage of the flow opacity | **45** (5 to 100) |
| Hide flows below (% of total) | Hides ribbons thinner than this percentage of the total, to declutter | **0** (0 to 20) |
| Flow outline | — | **off** |
| Outline color (empty = flow color) | (shown when Flow outline = on) | color; **empty** |
| Outline width | (shown when Flow outline = on) | **1** (0.5 to 4) |

### Entries, exits and retention

This card sets the new, the lost and the retention rate. The first three settings only appear in "over time" mode (with a Period field); the whole card disappears in Source → Destination *Chain*.

| Setting | What it does | Options (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Show entries and exits | Adds the hatched "New" blocks (individuals who arrive in the next column) and "Lost" blocks (individuals present in the previous column, absent afterwards) | **on** |
| Entries label | Replaces the word "New" | text; **empty** |
| Exits label | Replaces the word "Lost" | text; **empty** |
| Retention rate between columns ★ | Writes the percentage of retained individuals between two columns, for example "78% retained" | **off** |
| Retention = | What "retained" means (shown when Retention rate between columns = on) | **Same category in the next column** · Still present in the next column |

### Category labels

This card sets the texts placed next to the blocks. Its header toggle shows or hides all the labels.

| Setting | What it does | Options (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Shows the labels | **on** |
| Content | What the label says | Name · **Name and value** · Name and % of the column · Name, value and % |
| Percentage of | Base of the percentage | **The column total** · The first column total |
| Text size | Size of the labels | **10** (6 to 24) |
| Color (empty = text) | Color of the labels | color; **empty** |
| Text halo | Light outline around the letters, to stay readable over the flows | **on** |
| Bold (name) | — | **on** |
| Italic | — | **off** |
| Two lines if needed | A long name goes on two lines instead of being shortened (…); in vertical layout the labels also get more room. | **on** |
| Force display | On: labels are written even in tight columns (they may touch). Off: a label that does not fit is left out. | **off** |
| Display units | Shortens numbers (12K, 1.2M…) | **Auto** · None · Thousands · Millions · Billions |
| Decimals (-1 = auto) | Number of digits after the decimal point | **-1** (-1 to 6) |
| Prefix | Text before the number | text; **empty** |
| Suffix (e.g. €) | Text after the number | text; **empty** |

### Flow labels

This card writes a number in the middle of flows that are thick enough. Its header toggle shows or hides these labels.

| Setting | What it does | Options (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Shows the flow labels | **off** |
| Content | What the label says | **Value** · % of the origin node (conversion) · % of total · Value and % of the origin node |
| Text size | Size of the labels | **9** (6 to 20) |
| Color (empty = text) | Color of the labels | color; **empty** |
| Bold | — | **on** |
| Italic | — | **off** |
| Force display | Off: a label is left out when the flow is too short or when it would touch another label (its value stays in the tooltip). | **off** |
| Only on flows thicker than (px, 0 = auto) | Minimum thickness of a flow to carry a label; auto = the text size | **0** (0 to 40) |

### Column headers

This card sets the names written above the columns (the years, the field names in stages mode, or Source, Step 2…, Destination).

| Setting | What it does | Options (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Shows the headers | **on** |
| Column names (separated by ;) | Replaces the names, in order, for example `Year 1;Year 2;Year 3` | text; **empty** |
| Text size | Size of the headers | **10** (6 to 24) |
| Color (empty = text) | Color of the headers | color; **empty** |
| Total under the name | Writes the column total under its name | **off** |

### Interactions

The two common settings (described in [the shared basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume)), then two options specific to Sankey Plume:

| Setting | What it does | Options (default in **bold**) |
|---|---|---|
| Highlight on hover | — | **on** |
| Dimmed items opacity (%) | — | **25** (5 to 80) |
| Trace paths on hover | When you hover a category or a flow, draws on top, in every column, the part of the flows that goes through the hovered item (in Source → Destination: everything upstream and downstream); the rest fades | **on** |
| Drag nodes to reorder them (edit mode) | In edit mode, dragging a category up or down saves it in **Custom order** | **on** |


## Premium ★ features of this visual

| Feature | Where to set it |
|---|---|
| Top-to-bottom chart | **Format › Layout › Orientation**: *Vertical (top to bottom) ★* |
| Highlighted category (its flows in color, the others in gray) | **Format › Flows › Highlight the category ★** |
| Highlighted flows or journey (`Silver > Gold`, `Bronze > Silver > Gold`) | **Format › Flows › Highlight flows ★** |
| One line per unit (threads) | **Format › Flows › Flow drawing**: *Threads: one line per unit ★* |
| Retention rate between columns ("78% retained") | **Format › Entries, exits and retention › Retention rate between columns ★**, then **Retention =** |
| Emphasized migrations (stable flows faded) | **Format › Flows › Emphasize category changes ★** |
| Flows in a gradient from the origin category to the destination one | **Format › Flows › Flow color**: *Gradient origin → destination ★* |
| ★ styles, ★ gradient palettes, ★ JSON theme | **Format › Style** (see [the shared basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume)) |

Nothing is locked: without a license key, a ★ feature works normally and shows a light watermark. See [the shared basics](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume).

## Learn more

- [Getting started with Sankey Plume](/en/tutorials/migrations-clients-alluvial): the data to prepare and a first visual, step by step.
- [Sankey Plume how-to guides](/en/tutorials/sankey-plume-cas-pratiques): recipes for common needs.
- [Getting started with Plume visuals](/en/tutorials/bien-demarrer-visuels-plume): installation, license, styles and shared settings.
- The visual's page: [Sankey Plume](/en/visuals/alluvial-shift). A question? [Support](/en/support).