Writing a Data Description Report

To proceed effectively with your data mining project, consider the value of producing an accurate data description report using the following metrics:

Data Quantity

• What is the format of the data?
• Identify the method used to capture the data--for example, ODBC.
• How large is the database (in numbers of rows and columns)?

Data Quality

• Does the data include characteristics relevant to the business question?
• What data types are present (symbolic, numeric, etc.)?
• Did you compute basic statistics for the key attributes? What insight did this provide into the business question?
• Are you able to prioritize relevant attributes? If not, are business analysts available to provide further insight?