Mining Imperfect Data

This book thoroughly discusses the varying problems that occur in data mining, including their sources, consequences, detection, and treatment. Specific strategies for data pretreatment and analytical validation that are broadly applicable are described, making them useful in conjunction with most data mining analysis methods. Examples illustrate the performance of the pretreatment and validation methods in a variety of situations. The book, which deals with a wider range of data anomalies than are usually treated, includes a discussion of detecting anomalies through generalized sensitivity analysis (GSA), a process of identifying inconsistencies using systematic and extensive comparisons of results obtained by analysis of exchangeable datasets or subsets. Real data is made extensive use of, both in the form of a detailed analysis of a few real datasets and various published examples. A succinct introduction to functional equations illustrates their utility in describing various forms of qualitative behavior for useful data characterizations.