Data Mining Techniques: Discovering Actionable Information

Both small and large businesses are facing the challenges of dealing with massive quantities of data being generated every day. IDC Market Research forecasts that the amount of data created and copied every year (that is the digital universe) will reach 180 zettabytes in 2025, which is a tenfold increase of the current annual data creation rate of 16.3 zettabytes.

In order to understand how to best use this data for specific purposes, businesses look to structured data mining, which is the initial process of examining these large data sets. This lets businesses draw conclusions that improve business processes, operations, and decision-making capabilities.

Companies need to take note that by 2025, 60% of the world's data will be created and managed by businesses. To support businesses in their initiatives to discover useful information from all of this data, Data Entry Outsourced (DEO) applies strategic data mining techniques that delivers the most organized and purposeful data for businesses.

The Value of Structured Data Mining

Data is generated from sales, personal customer information, marketing data, competitor analysis, social media, videos, and many other sources. Data mining contributes to business value by sorting through massive data sets to:

  • Identify trends and patterns
  • Establish relationships within datasets
  • Answer pressing business questions
  • Solve problems
  • Produce new opportunities

Industry Adaption of DEO's Data Mining

Data Entry Outsourced adapts data mining applications according to industry, deploying techniques in many areas business and research such as sales and marketing, product development, client behavior, and more. Mining models are applied to various scenarios, like:

  • Forecasting
  • Recommendations
  • Grouping
  • Locating Sequences
  • Risk and Probability

For example, those in the financial industry can utilize data mining to meet the needs surrounding client transactions, accounts, and channel preferences for increased customer loyalty. Likewise, retailers can drive consumer purchasing habits by identifying products that are frequently purchased and make predictions regarding items that are likely to sell at certain times of the year.

Types of Data Mining Techniques

Mathematical analysis is used to derive the patterns and trends that exist in large datasets which generally aren't discovered via typical data exploration due to the complexity of the relationships and the amount of data.

Mining models and techniques are part of a larger process that encompasses asking questions about data, answering questions through model creation, and applying the model in a working environment.

  • Classification: This complicated technique demands that different data attributes are collected together in discernable categories and can then have a specific purpose or be used to come to a specific conclusion. If data is being mined on a client's financial history, it can be classified according to risk level, like low, medium, or high.
  • Monitoring Patterns: This technique, though basic, establishes the ability to identify patterns within datasets, such as viewing product sales trends during different seasons, for example. This occurs when an anomaly in data is occurring at regular intervals, like an adjustment of variables over a time period.
  • Prediction: This important technique is utilized to forecast the types of data that will arise in future events by observing historical trends and applying this towards future predictions.
  • Clustering Data: Similar to data classification, clustering data is used to group data sets by similarities based upon their behavior. Clustering sorts data according to properties that are similar or different, helping businesses to draw important conclusions. It can be used to classify customer demographics for marketing purposes, for example.
  • Regression: Regression is used to determine the tendency of a certain variable, given the occupation of other variables. Mainly, it enables the exact relationship between two or more variables in a specific data set to be revealed. Regression is used for marketing, financial forecasting, environmental modeling, and analysis of trends.
  • Association: Association helps to uncover relationships in data that are connected to a different event or characteristic. This technique provides insights into many customers purchasing behaviors, such as the tendency to buy similar items after an initial purchase.

Distinctive Data Mining Processes for Value Delivery

DEO's data mining techniques goes beyond deploying effective algorithms. We analyze the business need, characterize the problem, describe the model metrics, and define objectives for the most diligent and structured data mining process. Want to know more about our offerings? Contact us today and one of our project managers will assist you in visualizing your requirements.

Ask for a Free Trial!