Data Mining: Classification and Prediction

Data mining is the set of computational techniques and methodologies aimed to extract knowledge from a large amount of data, by using sophisticated data analysis tools to highlight information structure underlying large data sets. Machine learning methods represent one of these tools, allowing, not only data management but also analysis and prediction operations. Supervised learning, a kind of machine learning methodology, uses input data and products outputs of two type: qualitative and quantitative, respectively describing data classes and predicting data trends. Classification task provides qualitative responses whereas prediction or regression task offers quantitative outputs