Chapter 3: Data Preparation as a Process

Chapter 3: Data Preparation as a Process

Overview

Data preparation has been placed in the context of data exploration, in which the problem to be solved, rather than the technology, is paramount. Without identifying the problem to solve, it is hard to define how to extract value from the data mining activities that follow. Equally important is specifying the form of a solution. Without a firm idea of what success looks like, it is hard to determine if indeed the result found, and the form that it is delivered in, have actually succeeded. Having specified what a suitable solution looks like, and collected or discovered appropriate data, you can begin the process of data mining.

Data mining is about working with data, which to a greater or lesser degree reflects some real-world activity, event, or object. In this discussion of data preparation for mining, there is a close focus on exploring more exactly what data represents, how and why it is transformed, and what can be done with and said about it. Much more will be said about data as the techniques for manipulating it are introduced. However, before examining how and why data is manipulated, a missing piece still remains to be addressed. Data needs to be prepared so that the information enfolded within it is most easily accessed by the mining tools. The missing piece, the bridge to understanding, is the explanation of what the overall process looks like. The overview of the process as a whole...

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Data Preparation for Data Mining

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Chapter 3: Data Preparation as a Process

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