Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 3-2: Creation of a view in OpenOffice Base.
Figure 3-3: Results of the view from Figure 3-2 in datasheet view.
The creation of views is one way that data from a relational database can be collated and organized
in preparation for data mining activities. In this example, although the personal information in the
'Respondents' table is only stored once in the database, it is displayed for each record in the
'Responses' table, creating a data set that is more easily mined because it is both richer in
information and consistent in its formatting.
DATA SCRUBBING
In spite of our very best efforts to maintain quality and integrity during data collection, it is
inevitable that some anomalies will be introduced into our data at some point. The process of data
scrubbing allows us to handle these anomalies in ways that make sense for us. In the remainder of
this chapter, we will examine data scrubbing in four different ways: handling missing data, reducing
data (observations), handling inconsistent data, and reducing attributes.
