Softcover

ISBN 10: 0128014601 ISBN 13: 9780128014608

Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann, 2014

Put Predictive Analytics into Action Learn the basics of Predictive Analysis and Data Mining through an easy to understand conceptual framework and immediately practice the concepts learned using the open source RapidMiner tool. Whether you are brand new to Data Mining or working on your tenth project, this book will show you how to analyze data, uncover hidden patterns and relationships to aid important decisions and predictions. Data Mining has become an essential tool for any enterprise that collects, stores and processes data as part of its operations. This book is ideal for business users, data analysts, business analysts, business intelligence and data warehousing professionals and for anyone who wants to learn Data Mining. You’ll be able to: 1. Gain the necessary knowledge of different data mining techniques, so that you can select the right technique for a given data problem and create a general purpose analytics process. 2. Get up and running fast with more than two dozen commonly used powerful algorithms for predictive analytics using practical use cases. 3. Implement a simple step-by-step process for predicting an outcome or discovering hidden relationships from the data using RapidMiner, an open source GUI based data mining tool

Predictive analytics and Data Mining techniques covered: Exploratory Data Analysis, Visualization, Decision trees, Rule induction, k-Nearest Neighbors, Naïve Bayesian, Artificial Neural Networks, Support Vector machines, Ensemble models, Bagging, Boosting, Random Forests, Linear regression, Logistic regression, Association analysis using Apriori and FP Growth, K-Means clustering, Density based clustering, Self Organizing Maps, Text Mining, Time series forecasting, Anomaly detection and Feature selection. Implementation files can be downloaded from the book companion site at www.LearnPredictiveAnalytics.com

• Demystifies data mining concepts with easy to understand language
• Shows how to get up and running fast with 20 commonly used powerful techniques for predictive analysis
• Explains the process of using open source RapidMiner tools
• Discusses a simple 5 step process for implementing algorithms that can be used for performing predictive analytics
• Includes practical use cases and examples

About the Author:

Vijay Kotu is Senior Director of Analytics at Yahoo. He leads the implementation of large-scale data and analytics systems to support the company’s online business. He has practiced Analytics for over a decade with focus on business intelligence, data mining, web analytics, experimentation, information design, data warehousing, data engineering and developing analytical teams. Prior to joining Yahoo, he worked at Life Technologies and Adteractive where he led marketing analytics, created algorithms to optimize online purchase behaviors, and developed data platforms to manage marketing campaigns. He is a member of Association of Computing Machinery and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt from American Society of Quality.

Bala Deshpande is the founder of SimaFore, a custom analytics app development and consulting company. He has more than 20 years of experience in using analytical techniques in a wide range of application areas. His first exposure to predictive models and analytics was in the field of biomechanics - in identifying correlations and building multiple regression models. He began his career as an engineering consultant following which he spent several years analyzing data from automobile crash tests and helping to build safer cars at Ford Motor Company. He is the co-chair of Predictive Analytics World - Manufacturing, an annual conference focused on promoting and evangelizing predictive analytics in the industry. He blogs regularly about data mining and predictive analytics for his company at www.simafore.com/blog. He holds a PhD in Bioengineering from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from Ross School of Business (Michigan).

Review:

"...an excellent introductory data science textbook to expose students to the essential concepts in predictive analytics. For the seasoned professional, it can serve as a handy reference book to choose the best predictive analytics tool for a given data set." --Computing Reviews

"... ideal for business users, data analysts, business analysts, business intelligence and data warehousing professionals and for anyone who wants to learn Data Mining." --AnalyticBridge.com, 2015

"If learning-by-doing is your mantra -- as well it should be for predictive analytics -- this book will jumpstart your practice. Covering a broad, foundational collection of techniques, authors Kotu and Deshpande deliver crystal-clear explanations of the analytical methods that empower organizations to learn from data. After each concept, screenshots make the 'how to' immediately concrete, revealing the steps needed to set things up and go; you're guided through real hands-on execution." --Eric Siegel, Ph.D., founder of Predictive Analytics World and author of Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die

"The analytics that turns Big Data into actionable intelligence is no longer the exclusive realm of data scientists - it is impacting nearly every business function. Business intelligence is a significant competitive advantage, if applied properly.  Gaining that advantage requires that business decision makers and data analyst have a good understanding of the available analytics tools and how to apply them. Predictive Analytics and Data Mining book provides an easy to understand framework of predictive analytics and data mining concepts. The framework is reinforced with examples and sample datasets that demonstrate how to apply the new tools to real-world problems. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of how to make analytics a game changer for your organization"--David Dowhan, President, TruSignal

"Predictive analytics and insights has become the most critical skill-set in decision making and running the modern business. Predictive Analytics and Data Mining provides you the advanced concepts and practical implementation techniques to incorporate analytics in your business process. The two dozen data mining algorithms covered in this book forms the underpinnings of the field of business analytics that has transformed the way data is treated in business. So far, advanced analytics has been practiced only by select few. With your interest and this book, you can master it too." --Sy Fahimi, Operating Partner & Executive-in-Residence, Symphony Technology Group

"There are two kinds of predictive analytics books.  One kind gives a high level informal overview to those who just want to understand this field conceptually.  Another kind gives a textbook technical introduction for the experts with extensive knowledge of statistics and computer science.  Kotu and Deshpande's book  is unusual because it strikes a nice balance.  It can be understood by anyone who can understand basic computations of probability.  The choice of RapidMiner is brilliant, since anyone who has used excel in the past can follow the hands-on examples, and learn to get more out of their data.   The book does an excellent job of appealing to our intuitions about probabilities and then expanding on these intuitions to cover very advanced topics, such as decision trees and association rules.  The material is accessible to anyone who took elementary statistics in college, even if college was many years ago." --Maria Stone, Vice President, Data and User Experience, Yahoo