Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Itemset metric Definitions
The Itemset is an enterprise transaction. An enterprise transaction
includes metrics that measure the activity in that transaction. Typical
transaction metrics include quantity (e.g., how many occurrences of an
object occurred in the Itemset) and dollars (e.g., the dollar value of the
objects in the Itemset). These metrics may mean the quantity and pur-
chase price of the menu items listed on a restaurant check, or the quantity
and sales price of the products listed on a sales receipt or work order.
These Market Basket Analysis metrics should be the same metrics used
to measure activity in your enterprise. The feedback delivered by the
Market Basket Analysis may be somewhat useless if the metrics incorpo-
rated in the Market Basket Analysis application are not the metrics used
by, and understood by, those who already measure the activity of the
enterprise. If, for example, the enterprise measures transaction activity
in terms of sales quantity and sales dollars, then analysis of those same
transactions should include the same sales quantity and sales dollars met-
rics. Otherwise, the data delivered by the Market Basket Analysis appli-
cation will seem to be less actionable. To deliver the maximum possible
ROI, the Market Basket Analysis should be able to report its findings and
conclusions in terms of the metrics used, and understood by, the enter-
prise. To analyze and report using those metrics, they should be included
in the data incorporated in the Market Basket Analysis application.
mArket BAsket tABle
Now that the Market Basket objects, keys, and attributes have been
defined, all the elements necessary to create the Market Basket Table are
ready. The first column in the Market Basket Table is the Itemset_Key.
The Itemset_Key uniquely identifies a single transaction. All rows directly
associated with a transaction have the Itemset_Key value that uniquely
identifies that transaction. If a transaction has one object (e.g., only one
menu item, only one product, only one service), then only one row in the
Market Basket Table will have the Itemset_Key value for that transaction.
If, however, a transaction has two thousand objects, then two thousand
rows in the Market Basket Table will have the same Itemset_Key value for
that transaction.
