Predictive Analysis

Topic: SAP Predictive Analysis
Paper instructions:
In this week’s guide page, I discussed engines and interfaces as categories of data mining software. Some of the engines we have studied this term include querying engines, row and column manipulation engines, visualization engines and statistical analysis engines. Our interfaces for querying were SQL and the SAP Business Objects Analysis. For row and column, we had EXCEL, SQL and SAP Business Objects Analysis. For visualization, we had EXCEL, SAP Business Objects Analysis and R. For statistical analysis, we had EXCEL and R.

The take away message for this assignment is that many software packages provide the same functionality, and often your task in learning a new package is to figure out how the package does the familiar functions, rather than studying something brand new. This week’s assignment examines SAP Predictive Analysis as an interface, and asks you to match its visualization functionality with the engines and interfaces we have studied already. The purpose is to get used to thinking of data mining software in terms of concepts rather than details. If you understand concepts, you will be able to deal with new situations much more effectively than if you only memorize details.

1) To what engines does SAP Predictibe Analysis provde an interface? Explain.

2) Review the How to acquire data and do simple visualizations video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd4bnDguf1I. At time 1 minute and 5 seconds, the presenter moves the Category column to the Legend Color box of the chart feeder. Describe the structure of an EXCEL pivot chart that would produce the same color-coded bar chart. This type of coloring is also called color brushing, and it is one of the most effective techniques for exploratory visualizations.

3) Review the NCAA Final Four prediction video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZg2HsvfEaA At time 1 minute and 8 seconds, the presenter shows SAP Predictive Analysis interface for merging two files. What previous interface that we studied could be used for merging? Briefly explain the details of how you would do a merge using the previous interface.

4) At time 3 minutes and 28 seconds of the NCAA video, the presenter selects a set of bubbles and filters out all the bubbles outside the box. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZg2HsvfEaA How would you do the same kind of filtering in an EXCEL pivot chart. Hint: the solution is extremely tedious and not nearly as easy as the SAP method.

5) How would you create a trellis chart in EXCEL?

Additional materials: not defined