Predictive Analytics For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 12

Creating Basic Prediction Examples

IN THIS CHAPTER

Installing the machine-learning software

Working with a sample dataset

Creating simple predictive models

Visualizing and evaluating your results

This chapter is about installing and setting up the machine-learning software and using the Python programming language to create a few simple predictive models. There are some modules to install and it will take a bit of time, so make sure you have plenty of battery life left if you're working on your laptop. If you already have Python installed prior to reading this book, make sure you're installing the correct versions of the machine-learning modules and dependencies for the Python version you're using.

In this book, Python version 2.7.11 is being used on a Windows 10 machine, but the installation instructions should work on older versions of Windows.

If you're following along in this chapter, you'll dive right in and start working with a sample dataset. Don't worry too much about the coding involved; most of the code will be provided and you can run it directly in the Python interactive interpreter, line by line. For most lines of code, you'll see what the output is. If, for some reason, an error crops up, you'll know exactly which line caused the error. Easy stuff.

Installing the Software Packages

The goal here is to build a couple of predictive models using different classification algorithms. To do that, you'll need to install Python, its machine-learning modules, ...