Data Mining Books

Web Analytics: An Hour a Day

Avinash Kaushik

Amazon Price: $19.79 List Price: $29.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sybex Amazon Marketplace: 63 new & used starting at $15.55

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Business & Culture -> Web Marketing
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> Systems Analysis & Design
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 60 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The only book on Web Analytics you'll ever need 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Technologies evolve, but the PROCESS by which we should collect and analyze online data in order to gain solid, actionable insights will remain constant for the foreseeable future.

I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the smartest online marketers in the business, and, to say the very least, most of these people -- especially those in the analytics community -- seem content to share their expertise in the most confusing and theoretical manner possible. But not Avinash Kaushik. And in "An Hour a Day," Avinash proves why he is the world's most trusted name in analytics: he brings us up to his level without unnecessary jargon, so we can actually understand how to do this stuff!

Without question, this book is required reading for ANY online marketer, business owner, or anyone currently outsourcing their web analytics. (Warning: You may become better at this than the people you're paying to do it for you!)

Have a website you're not properly tracking? You're not alone! Less than a third of e-commerce and B2B sites have sufficient web analytics tracking -- let alone a process by which to glean insight from it -- and it's not the technology's fault. The problem is that most people don't understand the VALUE and NECESSITY of web analytics. They don't realize it's the difference between sink or swim. For most organizations, web analytics is an afterthought; something pawned off to those with technical knowledge when it should really be understood by those who need to use this data to make serious business decisions. Well, folks, those days are over. If all you know about your site is how many page views, uniques, or (*yikes*) "hits" it's getting, you're in much worse shape than you currently realize, simply because you have no idea how much money and attention you're missing out on if you have no clear goals in mind or a system by which to quantify it.

If you're not measuring it properly, how can you ever claim to have an online strategy that's working? How else will you know how successful your campaign is? How else will you know which elements to test and optimize?

Whether you're a beginner or you know just enough about web analytics to be dangerous, you should absolutely buy this book today. The book pays for itself a hundred fold in the very first hour of the very first day.

Editorial Review:

Written by an in-the-trenches practitioner, this step-by-step guide shows you how to implement a successful Web analytics strategy. Web analytics expert Avinash Kaushik, in his thought-provoking style, debunks leading myths and leads you on a path to gaining actionable insights from your analytics efforts. Discover how to move beyond clickstream analysis, why qualitative data should be your focus, and more insights and techniques that will help you develop a customer-centric mindset without sacrificing your company’s bottom line.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning

Thomas H. Davenport, Jeanne G. Harris

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Harvard Business School Press Amazon Marketplace: 57 new & used starting at $15.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Management & Leadership -> Leadership
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Management & Leadership -> Management
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Management & Leadership -> Systems & Planning

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 59 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

You have more information at hand about your business environment than ever before. But are you using it to "out-think" your rivals? If not, you may be missing out on a potent competitive tool. In "Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning" , Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris argue that the frontier for using data to make decisions has shifted dramatically. Certain high-performing enterprises are now building their competitive strategies around data-driven insights that in turn generate impressive business results. Their secret weapon: Analytics: sophisticated quantitative and statistical analysis and predictive modeling. Exemplars of analytics are using new tools to identify their most profitable customers and offer them the right price, to accelerate product innovation, to optimize supply chains, and to identify the true drivers of financial performance. A wealth of examples - from organizations as diverse as Amazon, Barclay's, Capital One, Harrah's, Procter & Gamble, Wachovia, and the Boston Red Sox - illuminate how to leverage the power of analytics.

Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics

Brian Clifton

Amazon Price: $26.39 List Price: $39.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sybex Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $21.57

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Home Computing -> Internet -> General AAS
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Business & Culture -> Web Marketing
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Data Mining

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

How to find the needle in the haystack 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This is the long overdue "how to" guide for Google Analytics. You can get started tracking your web traffic without this book, to be sure. But, this book goes beyond the help section provided on the Google Analytics site. If you're trying to understand the web traffic on your site, try using Google Analytics. It's easy and free. This book will help you along. While the title describes the book as Advanced, it's not really that technical. Even the most technical sections are pretty easy to get through.

Editorial Review:

Are you getting the most out of your website? Google insider and web metrics expert Brian Clifton reveals the information you need to get a true picture of your site's impact and stay competitive using Google Analytics (GA) and the latest web metrics methodologies. Which marketing campaigns work best? How do you quantify their success? What indicators should you track? Packed with techniques and insider secrets not documented elsewhere, this book has the expert guidance you need to enhance your brand and increase your site's ROI.

High Performance MySQL: Optimization, Backups, Replication, and More

Baron Schwartz, Peter Zaitsev, Vadim Tkachenko, Jeremy Zawodny, Arjen Lentz, Derek Balling

Amazon Price: $31.49 List Price: $49.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: O'Reilly Media, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 40 new & used starting at $30.19

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> Modeling & Simulation
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Database Design
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Specific Databases -> MySQL & mSQL

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

High Performance MySQL is the definitive guide to building fast, reliable systems with MySQL. Written by noted experts with years of real-world experience building very large systems, this book covers every aspect of MySQL performance in detail, and focuses on robustness, security, and data integrity. High Performance MySQL teaches you advanced techniques in depth so you can bring out MySQL's full power. Learn how to design schemas, indexes, queries and advanced MySQL features for maximum performance, and get detailed guidance for tuning your MySQL server, operating system, and hardware to their fullest potential. You'll also learn practical, safe, high-performance ways to scale your applications with replication, load balancing, high availability, and failover. This second edition is completely revised and greatly expanded, with deeper coverage in all areas. Major additions include: Emphasis throughout on both performance and reliability Thorough coverage of storage engines, including in-depth tuning and optimizations for the InnoDB storage engine Effects of new features in MySQL 5.0 and 5.1, including stored procedures, partitioned databases, triggers, and views A detailed discussion on how to build very large, highly scalable systems with MySQL New options for backups and replication Optimization of advanced querying features, such as full-text searches Four new appendices The book also includes chapters on benchmarking, profiling, backups, security, and tools and techniques to help you measure, monitor, and manage your MySQL installations.

Head First SQL: Your Brain on SQL -- A Learner's Guide (Head First)

Lynn Beighley

Amazon Price: $29.69 List Price: $44.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: O'Reilly Media, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $25.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Database Management Systems
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Specific Databases -> MySQL & mSQL
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Data Mining

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Is your data dragging you down? Are your tables all tangled up? Well we've got the tools to teach you just how to wrangle your databases into submission. Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory SQL learning experience, Head First SQL has a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

Maybe you've written some simple SQL queries to interact with databases. But now you want more, you want to really dig into those databases and work with your data. Head First SQL will show you the fundamentals of SQL and how to really take advantage of it. We'll take you on a journey through the language, from basic INSERT statements and SELECT queries to hardcore database manipulation with indices, joins, and transactions. We all know "Data is Power" - but we'll show you how to have "Power over your Data". Expect to have fun, expect to learn, and expect to be querying, normalizing, and joining your data like a pro by the time you're finished reading!

SQL Cookbook (Cookbooks (O'Reilly))

Anthony Molinaro

Amazon Price: $26.37 List Price: $39.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: O'Reilly Media, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $19.43

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Database Management Systems
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Specific Databases -> MySQL & mSQL
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Data Mining

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

You know the rudiments of the SQL query language, yet you feel you aren't taking full advantage of SQL's expressive power. You'd like to learn how to do more work with SQL inside the database before pushing data across the network to your applications. You'd like to take your SQL skills to the next level.

Let's face it, SQL is a deceptively simple language to learn, and many database developers never go far beyond the simple statement: SELECT FROM WHERE . But there is "so" much more you can do with the language. In the "SQL Cookbook," experienced SQL developer Anthony Molinaro shares his favorite SQL techniques and features. You'll learn about:

Window functions, arguably the most significant enhancement to SQL in the past decade. If you're not using these, you're missing out

Powerful, database-specific features such as SQL Server's PIVOT and UNPIVOT operators, Oracle's MODEL clause, and PostgreSQL's very useful GENERATE_SERIES function

Pivoting rows into columns, reverse-pivoting columns into rows, using pivoting to facilitate inter-row calculations, and double-pivoting a result set

"Bucketization," and why you should never use that term in Brooklyn.

How to create histograms, summarize data into buckets, perform aggregations over a moving range of values, generate running-totals and subtotals, and other advanced, data warehousing techniques

The technique of "walking a string," which allows you to use SQL to parse through the characters, words, or delimited elements of a string

Written in O'Reilly's popular Problem/Solution/Discussion style, the "SQL Cookbook" is sure to please. Anthony's credo is: "When it comes down to it, we all go to work, weall have bills to pay, and we all want to go home at a reasonable time and enjoy what's still available of our days." The "SQL Cookbook" moves quickly from problem to solution, saving you time each step of the way.

Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques, Second Edition (Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems)

Ian H. Witten, Eibe Frank

Amazon Price: $41.55 List Price: $65.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Morgan Kaufmann Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $36.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> Artificial Intelligence -> Machine Learning
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> Artificial Intelligence -> General
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> Artificial Intelligence -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

As with any burgeoning technology that enjoys commercial attention, the use of data mining is surrounded by a great deal of hype. Exaggerated reports tell of secrets that can be uncovered by setting algorithms loose on oceans of data. But there is no magic in machine learning, no hidden power, no alchemy. Instead there is an identifiable body of practical techniques that can extract useful information from raw data. This book describes these techniques and shows how they work.

The book is a major revision of the first edition that appeared in 1999. While the basic core remains the same, it has been updated to reflect the changes that have taken place over five years, and now has nearly double the references. The highlights for the new edition include thirty new technique sections; an enhanced Weka machine learning workbench, which now features an interactive interface; comprehensive information on neural networks; a new section on Bayesian networks; plus much more.

* Algorithmic methods at the heart of successful data mining-including tried and true techniques as well as leading edge methods
* Performance improvement techniques that work by transforming the input or output
* Downloadable Weka, a collection of machine learning algorithms for data mining tasks, including tools for data pre-processing, classification, regression, clustering, association rules, and visualization-in a new, interactive interface

FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual

Geoff Coffey, Susan Prosser

Amazon Price: $23.09 List Price: $34.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: O'Reilly Media Amazon Marketplace: 51 new & used starting at $16.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Specific Databases -> FileMaker
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Data Mining
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual is the clear, thorough and accessible guide to the latest version of this popular desktop database program. FileMaker Pro lets you do almost anything with the information you give it. You can print corporate reports, plan your retirement, or run a small country -- if you know what you're doing. This book helps non-technical folks like you get in, get your database built, and get the results you need. Pronto. The new edition gives novices and experienced users the scoop on versions 8.5 and 9. It offers complete coverage of timesaving new features such as the Quick Start screen that lets you open or a create a database in a snap, the handy "save to" buttons for making Excel documents or PDFs, the multiple level Undo and Redo commands let you step backwards through your typing tasks, and much more. With FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual, you can: Get your first database running in minutes and perform basic tasks right away. Catalog people, processes and things with streamlined data entry and sorting tools. Learn to use layout tools to organize the appearance of your database. Use your data to generate reports, correspondence and other documents with ease. Create, connect, and manage multiple tables and set up complex relationships that show you just the data you need. Crunch numbers, search text, or pin down dates and times with dozens of built-in formulas. Automate repetitive tasks with FileMaker Pro 9's easy-to-learn scripting language. Protect your database with passwords and set up privileges to determine what others can do once they gain entry. Outfit your database for the Web and import and export data to other formats. Each chapter in the bookcontains "living examples" -- downloadable tutorials that help you learn how to build a database by actually doing it. You also get plenty of sound, objective advice that lets you know which features are really useful, and which ones you'll barely touch. To make the most of FileMaker Pro 9, you need the book that should have been in the box.

SAS For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

Stephen McDaniel, Chris Hemedinger

Amazon Price: $19.79 List Price: $29.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: For Dummies Amazon Marketplace: 73 new & used starting at $0.92

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Data Mining
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Data Warehousing
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great intro to "new" SAS 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.

SAS For Dummies, like all of the books in the Dummies series I've read, is an enjoyable to read, easy to understand introduction to a broad and complex topic. As some have mentioned, the focus of this book is not on "SAS programming." Rather it covers getting your analysis and reporting work done using some of the newer offerings from SAS in the "business intelligence" area, including Enterprise Guide and other products. There is, however, a helpful chapter on what kinds of programming tasks can be done by more advanced users and what long-time SAS programmers may miss. (For a good book on SAS programming, I'd recommend The Little SAS Book). Also included in SAS For Dummies is good coverage of data integration, "Stored Processes" for analysis and reporting, and 2 chapters on analytics. These 2 chapters are especially helpful as an introduction to difficult concepts. Overall, this book provides a helpful overview of getting your data manipulation, analysis, and reporting tasks done with SAS, and a no-nonsense, nuts and bolts understanding of some of the newest software from SAS.

Editorial Review:

• Created in partnership with SAS, this book explores SAS, a business intelligence software that can be used in any business setting or enterprise for data delivery, reporting, data mining, forecasting, statistical analysis, and more
• SAS employee and technologist Stephen McDaniel combines real-world expertise and a friendly writing style to introduce readers to SAS basics
• Covers crucial topics such as getting various types of data into the software, producing reports, working with the data, basic SAS programming, macros, and working with SAS and databases

Learning SQL (Learning)

Alan Beaulieu

Amazon Price: $23.07 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: O'Reilly Media, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 51 new & used starting at $17.48

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> General AAS
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Database Management Systems
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Databases -> Data Mining

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

SQL (Structured Query Language) is a standard programming language for generating, manipulating, and retrieving information from a relational database. If you're working with a relational database--whether you're writing applications, performing administrative tasks, or generating reports--you need to know how to interact with your data. Even if you are using a tool that generates SQL for you, such as a reporting tool, there may still be cases where you need to bypass the automatic generation feature and write your own SQL statements.

To help you attain this fundamental SQL knowledge, look to "Learning SQL," an introductory guide to SQL, designed primarily for developers just cutting their teeth on the language.

"Learning SQL" moves you quickly through the basics and then on to some of the more commonly used advanced features. Among the topics discussed:

The history of the computerized database

SQL Data Statements--those used to create, manipulate, and retrieve data stored in your database; example statements include select, update, insert, and delete

SQL Schema Statements--those used to create database objects, such as tables, indexes, and constraints

How data sets can interact with queries

The importance of subqueries

Data conversion and manipulation via SQL's built-in functions

How conditional logic can be used in Data Statements

Best of all, "Learning SQL" talks to you in a real-world manner, discussing various platform differences that you're likely to encounter and offering a series of chapter exercises that walk you through the learning process. Whenever possible, the book sticks to the features included in the ANSI SQL standards. This meansyou'll be able to apply what you learn to any of several different databases; the book covers MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle Database, but the features and syntax should apply just as well (perhaps with some tweaking) to IBM DB2, Sybase Adaptive Server, and PostgreSQL.

Put the power and flexibility of SQL to work. With "Learning SQL" you can master this important skill and know that the SQL statements you write are indeed correct.