Introduction

Introduction

Ever since the Sumerian and Elam peoples living in the Tigris and Euphrates River basin some 5500 years ago invented data collection using dried mud tablets marked with tax records, people have been trying to understand the meaning of, and get use from, collected data. More directly, they have been trying to determine how to use the information in that data to improve their lives and achieve their objectives.

These are the same objectives addressed by the latest technology to wring use and meaning out of data?the group of technologies that today have come to be called data mining. Often, something important gets lost in the rush to apply these powerful technologies to ?find something in this data.? The technologies themselves are not an answer. They are tools to help find an answer. It is no use looking for an answer unless there is a question. But equally important, given a question, both the data and the miner need to be readied to find the best answer to the question asked.

This book has two objectives: 1) to present a proven approach to preparing the data, and the miner, to get the most out of computer-stored data, and 2) to help analysts and business managers make cost-effective and informed decisions based on the data, their expertise, and business needs and constraints. This book is intended for everyone who works with or uses data and who needs to understand the nature, limitations, application, and use of the results they get.

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Data Preparation for Data Mining

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Introduction

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