The document outlines 9 challenges faced by data scientists: 1) poor quality data issues like dirty, missing, or inadequate data, 2) lack of understanding of data mining techniques, 3) lack of good literature on important topics and techniques, 4) difficulty for academic institutions accessing commercial-grade software at reasonable costs, 5) accommodating data from different sources and formats, 6) updating models constantly with new incoming data for online machine learning, 7) dealing with huge datasets requiring distributed approaches, 8) determining the right questions to ask of the data, and 9) remaining objective and letting the data lead rather than preconceptions.

1. 9 Data Mining Challenges from
Data Scientists Like You

2. 1. Poor quality data

3. •
•
•
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D r t y dat a
i
M ssi ng val ues
i
I nadequat e dat a si ze
Poor r epr esent at i on i n dat a sam i ng
pl

4. 2. Lack of understanding

5. Lack of understanding/lack of
diffusion of data mining techniques
in academic arenas

6. 3. Lack of good literature

7. Lack of good literature on important
data mining topics and techniques

8. 4. (Academic) access to
commercial-grade software.

9. (Academic institutions) have
trouble accessing commercial-grade
software at reasonable costs.

10. 5. Data variety

11. Data variety - trying to
accommodate data that comes
from different sources and in a
variety of different forms
(images, geo

12. 6. Data velocity

13. Data velocity - online
machine learning
requires models to be
constantly updated with
new, incoming data.

14. 7. Dealing with huge datasets

15. Dealing with huge datasets, or 'Big
Data,' that require distributed
approaches.

16. 8. Coming up with the right
question

17. "More data beats the better algorithm, but smarter questions beat more
data,“- Gregory Piatetsky, www.kdnuggets.com

18. 9. Remaining objective and
allowing the data to lead you,
not the opposite.

19. Remaining objective and allowing the data to lead
you, not the opposite. Preconceived notions can be
dangerous, but luckily it is in our power to resist
them...

20. Interested in other articles on data mining topics
and techniques?
Check out the Salford Systems blog:
http://1.salford-systems.com/blog