3. Agenda
Goal: Survey ML tools/methods that you can actually use on the Microsoft stack
• Definitions
• Tools I – Understanding 3rd party Excel Machine Learning Add-ins
• Tools II – Using the Microsoft SQL Server SSAS & Data Mining Add-ins
• Tools III – Using Predixion Software
• Recap and Call To Action
3
4. Terms
Goal: Create common definitions of key terms
• Business Analytics
• Query
• Aggregation
• Predictive Analytics
• Machine Learning
• Statistics
• Unsupervised Data Mining
• Supervised Data Mining
• Other
4
5. What does the market look like now?
5
57%28%
10%
5%
Regular Analytics
Unsupervised DM
Supervised DM
Machine Learning
10. About 3rd party Excel Machine Learning Add-ins
What are they?
Toolbars in Excel – many different offerings
• XLMiner
• StatsMiner
• XLStat
• RExcel
10
Important: All of these tools assume expert statistical knowledge
12. About the Data Mining Add-ins For Excel
What is it?
Free add-ins which add menus to use SSAS Analysis Services Data Mining
• Table Analysis Tools for Excel
• Use mining models with Excel data or external data
• Data Mining Client for Excel
• Create/test/explore/manage Mining Models
• Data Mining Templates for Visio
• Render/share mining models as Visio Drawings
12
Important: Use requires connection to SQL Server 2012 SSAS
14. Checking Understanding…
Data Mining Structures
• Containers for cleansed source data
Data Mining Models
• Child containers for source data plus one
mining algorithm
• SSAS Algorithms - Clustering, Time
Series Prediction, Market-Basket
Analysis, Text Mining and Neural
Networks
Model Verification, Processing and Usage
Tools
• Model query, Model processing
14
15. About Predixion Software
What is it?
Suite of tools for predictive analytics
• Insight Now
• Use mining models with Excel data or external data
• Insight Analytics
• Create/test/explore/manage Mining Models
• Insight Workbench
• Prepare data for model creation
• Web-based Viewers and Tools
15
Important: Runs as EITHER connected to SSAS on premise OR
Connected to Predixion’s cloud-based servers
18. Understanding options…
18
Add-in
Server
Required
Complexity
of install
Other
Cost of
Add-in
Cost of
Solution
XLMiner none easy Assumes stats expertise $$ $$
RExcel none easy Assumes R expertise $ $
Data Mining Add-ins SQL Server SSAS medium Designed for single user 0 $$$
Predixion on premise SQL Express easy Requires local R install 0 $$-$$$
Predixion on premise SQL Server SSAS medium Your data is stored locally 0 $$$$
Predixion cloud none easy Supports SSAS Data
Mining AND R Language
0 $$-$$$
19. 19
Machine Learning Skills
Data Scientist
Store
Clean
Aggregate
ML Engineer
Selects Libraries
Applies
Algorithms
Creates
Solutions
ML Researcher
Creates Algorithms
20. Learning Paths – ML Developers
• Learn a language… DMX, PAX, R, Mahout, Julia
• Pick your IDE, tools… SSAS, Predixion, R-Studio, Weka
• Pick a problem space… Marketing, Health, Financial
• Find (purchase)/gather/prepare some data…
GO!
(Visualize results)
20
21. Call to Action – ML Decision Makers
• Pick one or more solutions
• Gather source data
• Prepare source data
• Try out some data mining
algorithms
Evaluate it Understand it
• Tooling
• Learning
• Data gathering/ preparation
• Storage / hosting
• Results
21
24. Session Evaluations
Submit by 5pmFriday May
9 to WIN prizes
Your feedback is
important and valuable.
ways to access
Go to
passbac2014/evals
Download the PASS EVENT
App from your App Store
and search: PASS BAC
2014
Follow the QR code link
displayed on session
signage throughout the
conference venue and in
the program guide
25. for attending this session and
the PASS Business Analytics
Conference 2014
May 7-9, 2014 | San Jose, CA
Thank
You
SoCalDevGal on