Have you ever wondered about, or been confused by, the terminology in our industry? Over the years, we have applied many labels to describe what we do. The origins are particularly interesting.
Traditionally, statistical analysis followed a standard process: 1) Identify a problem. 2) Develop a hypothesis. 3) Gather the data. 4) Prove or disprove the hypothesis. Serious researchers considered the concept of just looking through data without a hypothesis as beneath their dignity. In fact, it was so unacceptable that it earned the label, "data dredging."
Analysis of big data emerged in the late 80s and early 90s. Computer power was the real driver. My own experience is a great example.
In 1993, a credit card bank hired me to leverage credit bureau data to build acquisition-targeting models. It gave me a PC with a 600-megabyte hard drive. With sampled data of about 45,000 records -- a lot of data back then -- running one logistic regression model took 27 hours. In addition, when the process was running, I couldn't use my computer to do anything else. So I would spend all week preparing the variables. Then I would start the model processing on Friday afternoon and pray that it would not crash over the weekend. A year later, we got a Unix server with one gigabyte of space for the whole bank. It then took only two hours to run a logistic model. We were ecstatic. We thought we would never run out of space.
Around 1995, the term "data mining" started entering the conversation. I remember thinking, "Finally, I have a name for what I do."
It turns out that those dastardly data dredgers were starting to uncover patterns that proved to be quite valuable. They discovered some "nuggets" of information that companies could use to boost profits. Given the newfound value of just looking through data without a hypothesis or test design, the term data mining replaced data dredging. So, in its purest form, data mining is the act of exploring data to find valuable nuggets of information.
The term quickly caught fire. Soon everything was called data mining. When I approached Wiley about writing a book on predictive modeling, my editor said, "I already have a name for it. We'll call it 'Data Mining Cookbook.' " I told him that predictive modeling isn't really data mining. He said, "That's OK. We're calling everything data mining."
From there, the terminology has expanded to include a more holistic view of the business. The next big term, "database marketing," captured the transition from product focus to customer focus. Then companies wanted to stimulate their customers to take certain actions using customer relationship management.
Today, "business intelligence" and its many variations seem to capture the essence of the current trends in our industry. BI seems to encompass a wide range of tools and techniques that include data mining, predictive analysis, and so on. As advances in technology offer new opportunities for connection and integration, it will be interesting to see what new terms emerge.
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Olivia is an internationally known expert in Business Intelligence and Organizational Alignment. Her passion for finding successful solutions for her clients and partners has inspired her research in systems thinking and integrated business practices. She works with clients in communication, change management, team building and leadership development. Get free resources: http://www.OLIVIAGroup.com
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