Table of contents
1.
Introduction
2.
What is Data Mining?
3.
Where to start data mining?
4.
Mathematics for data mining
4.1.
Probability and Statistics
4.2.
Optimization Mathematical Theory
4.3.
Graph Theory
4.4.
Linear Algebra
5.
Process of data mining
5.1.
Business and Market Understanding
5.2.
Data Understanding
5.3.
Data Preparation and Cleaning
5.4.
Data Transformation
5.5.
Data Modelling
5.6.
Data Model Evaluation
5.7.
Data Model Deployment
6.
Algorithms for Data Mining
6.1.
Naive Bayes
6.2.
Support Vector Machine
6.3.
K-Nearest Neighbor
6.4.
K-Means
6.5.
PageRank
6.6.
AdaBoost
6.7.
C4.5
6.8.
Apriori
7.
FAQs
8.
Conclusion
Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024
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Where to start Data mining

Author Rhythm Jain
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Introduction

Data mining sounds quite exciting, and for tech enthusiasts like us, the curiosity never ends. So here we are, uncovering the secrets to learning data mining. We will be discussing where to start and how to start learning data mining.

Let’s first learn what exactly data mining is?

What is Data Mining?

Data mining is one of the most helpful ways of extracting the necessary information from large amounts of data. It is used by companies, researchers, and people. Data mining is often referred to as Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD). Data cleansing, data integration, data selection, data transformation, data mining, pattern evaluation, and knowledge presentation are all part of the knowledge discovery process.

Where to start data mining?

Data mining can be pretty confusing and complicated if one has no directions. It is like an endless sea of knowledge and information. But with the proper guidance and advice, we can learn data mining without any hassle.

We need to follow the below-mentioned steps to grasp a good knowledge of Data Mining:

  1. Mathematics for data mining
  2. Process of data mining
  3. Algorithms for data mining

Mathematics for data mining

Learning data mining requires a strong foundation in mathematics. The majority of data mining techniques and approaches use mathematical theory, particularly probability and statistics theory.

It is difficult to appreciate the usefulness of matrix and vector operations in data mining if you do not understand linear algebra. Similarly, if you do not understand the idea of an optimization approach, you do not understand iteration convergence. As a result, to fully comprehend the data mining process, it is critical first to understand the mathematical concepts underlying it.

Probability and Statistics

Probability theory may be applied in a variety of contexts in data mining. For example, consider the concepts of conditional probability, independence, random variables, and multidimensional random variables.

Because many algorithms are based on probability theory, probability theory and mathematical statistics are significant mathematical foundations for data mining. 

Optimization Mathematical Theory

The optimization approach is analogous to the self-learning process in machine learning. When the computer has learned the objective and has to be tweaked repeatedly after training, optimization is the process of adjusting. In general, the process of learning and iterating is time-consuming and haphazard. The optimization strategy is proposed to attain better outcomes in less time.

Graph Theory

With the advent of social networks, graph theory has become increasingly widespread. Two nodes on the graph theory can connect two people's relationships. The degree of the node may be thought of as a person's number of friends. Graph theory, of course, is quite effective for analyzing network structure, and it also plays a significant part in relation mining and picture segmentation.

Linear Algebra

Vectors and matrices are crucial concepts in linear algebra. They're commonly utilized in data mining. For example, we frequently abstract things into matrices. A matrix can be created by abstracting a picture. We often compute eigenvalues and eigenvectors and utilize eigenvectors to estimate an object's characteristics. This is the fundamental concept of significant data reduction.

Process of data mining

Before actual data mining can occur, numerous phases require the use of data mining. The data mining process may be broken down into the following parts:

Business and Market Understanding

Before you begin, you must have a complete understanding of your organization's priorities, available resources, and current scenarios in compliance with the specifications. This will aid in developing a comprehensive data mining roadmap that efficiently accomplishes the aims of businesses.

Data Understanding

Collect some data and then investigate it, including data description, data quality verification, etc. This will provide you with a rudimentary grasp of the data gathered.

Data Preparation and Cleaning

Begin collecting data and then undertake data cleaning and integration activities to finish the preparation work before diving into data mining. It is expected that selecting, cleaning, encoding, and anonymizing data till mining will occupy 90% of the time.

Data Transformation

Data transformation is used to convert data into final data sets by the processes:

Smoothing: Removal of noise from data.

Aggregation: The data is subjected to summary or aggregation techniques.

Generalization: Using idea hierarchies, low-level data is replaced with higher-level concepts in this stage.

Normalization: Normalization is scaling up or scaling down attribute data. For example, data should be in the -3.0 to 3.0 range after normalization.

Attribute Construction: These attributes are built and incorporate the specified collection of data mining-related attributes.

Data Modelling

To assist in establishing data trends, choose and apply various data mining models and optimize them for better categorization results.

Data Model Evaluation

Evaluate the model and review each phase of its construction to ensure that it meets the desired business objectives.

Data Model Deployment

During the deployment phase, you transport your data mining insights to ordinary company activities. The collected knowledge must be converted into a format that users can understand. The display might take the form of a report, or it can be implemented as a more complicated and repetitive data-mining operation.

Algorithms for Data Mining

Data scientists have presented numerous methods to carry out data mining activities. We have handpicked the essential algorithms for data mining to make it easy for you to proceed with data mining.

Below are some of the Algorithms for Data Mining that we handpicked for you:

Naive Bayes

The naïve Bayesian model is based on the probability theory premise. Its concept is as follows: To classify a given unknown thing, it is essential to solve the probability of occurrence of each category under the condition of the existence of this unknown object, which is the greatest. It's a sort of categorization algorithm.

Support Vector Machine

If a user desires resilient and accurate approaches, the Support Vector Machines algorithm should be explored. SVMs are typically used to train classification, regression, or ranking functions. It is built on structural risk minimization and statistical learning theory principles. The decision boundaries, also known as a hyperplane, must be determined. It aids in the proper division of classes. SVM's primary function is to determine the best way to maximize the margin between two kinds. The margin is the amount of space that exists between two types.

K-Nearest Neighbor

KNN is K-Nearest Neighbor. The so-called K nearest neighbors mean that each sample can be represented by its nearest K neighbors. If a selection whose K nearest neighbors belong to a category, say C, this sample also belongs to this category C.

K-Means

The K-Means algorithm is a clustering algorithm. K-means clustering is a vector quantization approach derived from signal processing that seeks to split n observations into k clusters. Each observation belongs to the cluster with the nearest mean, which serves as the cluster's prototype.

PageRank

PageRank arose from the calculation of a paper's impact. The more times a literary theory is offered, the greater the effect of this work. Similarly, Google has used PageRank imaginatively to calculate web weights: the more pages a page connects to, the more "references" the page has. The frequency with which the page is linked determines the number of times the page is referred to. We can calculate the weight division of the webpage using this technique.

AdaBoost

In training, Adaboost created a joint classification model. Adaboost is a lifting technique for creating classifiers, with Boost representing the meaning of promotion. Adaboost is a common classification technique because it allows us to construct a robust classifier from multiple weak classifiers.

C4.5

The C4.5 technique is used in Data Mining as a Judgment Tree Classifier, which may create a decision based on a specific sample of data. C4.5 is a decision tree method that prunes creatively throughout the decision tree creation process and can handle both continuous and partial data. It is a landmark algorithm in the decision tree classification.

Apriori

The Apriori approach is commonly used to locate frequent itemsets in a transaction data set and create association rules. Because of the combinatorial explosion, it is not difficult to find common itemsets. Once we have the frequent itemsets, it is simple to build association rules for values greater than or equal to the stated minimal confidence. Apriori is a candidate generation method that aids in the discovery of routine data sets. It is assumed that the item set or items present are ordered lexicographically. Data mining research has significantly increased since the launch of Apriori. It is straightforward to put into action.

FAQs

  1. What are vectors in machine learning ?
    Vectors are a fundamental concept in linear algebra. A vector is a tuple containing one or more scalar values. A vector is a data point or an entity that mimics the idea of direction and magnitude in physics or mathematics. A data point's vector has a direction that points from the origin to the data point.
     
  2. What is a hyperplane function?
    A hyperplane function is like an equation for the line, y= mx+ c.
     
  3. What is a decision tree?
    The decision tree is the most powerful and widely used classification and prediction tool. A Decision tree is a structure that looks like a flowchart. Each internal node represents a test on an attribute, each branch represents the test's conclusion, and each leaf node (terminal node) holds a class label.

Conclusion

In this article, we have extensively discussed where to start Data mining. We hope that this blog has helped you enhance your knowledge regarding prerequisites and roadmap for data mining. If you want to practice top problems, visit our practice platform Coding Ninjas Studio. You can learn about K-Nearest-Neighbor: Theory and ImplementationKNN Vs. K-Means and Decision Trees: Theory and Implementation.

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