What is Data Mining – A Simple Introductory Note

According to MacLennan et al. (2009), data mining is defined as “the process of analyzing data to find hidden patterns using automatic methodologies.” Consider the following simple example that explains this concept. By analyzing the data on the items purchased from a supermarket or a chain of such stores, information on the products that are sold most can be obtained and accordingly supply of that particular products are increased and vice versa. Data mining, in short, is an analytical activity that studies the hidden patterns in a huge pile of data after appropriately classifying and sorting it.