Making Sense of Data: A Practical Guide to Exploratory Data Analysis and Data Mining

1.6 BOOK OUTLINE

This book follows the four steps outlined in this chapter:

1. Problem definition: A discussion of the definition step is provided in Chapter 2 along with a case study outlining a hypothetical project plan. The chapter outlines the following steps: (1) define the objectives, (2) define the deliverables, (3) define roles and responsibilities, (4) assess the current situation, (5) define the timetable, and (6) perform a cost/benefit analysis.
2. Data preparation: Chapter 3 outlines many issues and methods for preparing the data prior to analysis. It describes the different sources of data. The chapter outlines the following steps: (1) create the data tables, (2) characterize the data, (3) clean the data, (4) remove unnecessary data, (5) transform the data, and (6) divide the data into portions when needed.
3. Implementation of the analysis: Chapter 4 provides a discussion of how summary tables and graphs can be used for communicating information about the data. Chapter 5 reviews a series of useful statistical approaches to summarizing the data and relationships within the data as well as making statements about the data with confidence. It covers the following topics: descriptive statistics, confidence intervals, hypothesis tests, the chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance, and correlation analysis. Chapter 6 describes a series of methods for grouping data including clustering, associative rules, and decision trees. Chapter 7 outlines the process and methods to be ...