Classification in Data Mining

By Utkarsh
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Last updated: 26 May 2023
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Overview
Classification is a technique in data mining that involves categorizing or classifying data
objects into predefined classes, categories, or groups based on their features or attributes.
It is a supervised learning technique that uses labelled data to build a model that can
predict the class of new, unseen data. It is an important task in data mining because it
enables organizations to make informed decisions based on their data. For example, a
retailer may use data classification to group customers into different segments based on
their purchase history and demographic data. This information can be used to target
specific marketing campaigns for each segment and improve customer satisfaction.

What is Classification in Data Mining?

Classification in data mining is a technique used to assign labels or classify each instance,
record, or data object in a dataset based on their features or attributes. The objective of
the classification approach is to predict class labels of new, unseen data accurately. It is
an important task in data mining because it enables organizations to make data-driven
decisions. For example, businesses can assign or classify sentiments of customer
feedback, reviews, or social media posts to understand how well their products or
services are doing.

Classification techniques can be divided into categories - binary classification and multi-
class classification. Binary classification assigns labels to instances into two classes, such
as fraudulent or non-fraudulent. Multi-class classification assigns labels into more than
two classes, such as happy, neutral, or sad.
Steps to Build a Classification Model
There are several steps involved in building a classification model, as shown below -

 Data preparation - The first step in building a classification model is to prepare

the data. This involves collecting, cleaning, and transforming the data into a
suitable format for further analysis.
 Feature selection - The next step is to select the most important and relevant
features that will be used to build the classification model. This can be done using
various techniques, such as correlation, feature importance analysis, or domain
knowledge.
 Prepare train and test data - Once the data is prepared and relevant features are
selected, the dataset is divided into two parts - training and test datasets. The
training set is used to build the model, while the testing set is used to evaluate the
model's performance.
 Model selection - Many algorithms can be used to build a classification model,
such as decision trees, logistic regression, k-nearest neighbors, and neural
networks. The choice of algorithm depends on the type of data, the number of
features, and the desired accuracy.
 Model training - Once the algorithm is selected, the model is trained on the
training dataset. This involves adjusting the model parameters to minimize the
error between the predicted and actual class labels.
 Model evaluation - The model's performance is evaluated using the test dataset.
The accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score are commonly used metrics to
evaluate the model performance.
 Model tuning - If the model's performance is not satisfactory, the model can be
tuned by adjusting the parameters or selecting a different algorithm. This process
is repeated until the desired performance is achieved.
 Model deployment - Once the model is built and evaluated, it can be deployed in
production to classify new data. The model should be monitored regularly to
ensure its accuracy and effectiveness over time.
Syntaxes Used
Here are some common notations and syntax used for classification in data mining -

 X - Input data matrix or feature matrix, where each row represents an observation
or data point, and each column represents a feature or attribute.
 y - Output or target variable vector, where each element represents the class label
or target variable for the corresponding data point in X.
 p(y|x) - Probability of class y given input x.
 θ - Model parameters or coefficients that are learned during the training process.
 J(θ) - Cost function that measures the overall error or loss of the model on the
training data and is typically a function of the model parameters θ.

Categorization of Classification in Data Mining

There are different types of classification algorithms based on their approach,
complexity, and performance. Here are some common categorizations of classification in
data mining -

 Decision tree-based classification - This type of classification algorithm builds a

tree-like model of decisions and their possible consequences. Decision trees are
easy to understand and interpret, making them a popular choice for classification
problems.
 Rule-based classification - This type of classification algorithm uses a set of rules
to determine the class label of an observation. The rules are typically expressed in
the form of IF-THEN statements, where each statement represents a condition and
a corresponding action.
 Instance-based classification - This type of classification algorithm uses a set of
training instances to classify new, unseen instances. The classification is based on
the similarity between the training instances' features and the new instances'
features.
 Bayesian classification - This classification algorithm uses Bayes' theorem to
compute the probability of each class label given the observed features. Bayesian
classification is particularly useful when dealing with incomplete or uncertain
data.
 Neural network-based classification - This classification algorithm uses a
network of interconnected nodes or neurons to learn a mapping between the input
features and the output class labels. Neural networks can handle complex and
nonlinear relationships between the features and the class labels.
 Ensemble-based classification - This classification algorithm combines the
predictions of multiple classifiers to improve the overall accuracy and robustness
 of the classification model. Ensemble methods include bagging, boosting, and
stacking.

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Classification Vs. Regression in Data Mining

Here are the main differences between techniques for regression and classification in the
data mining process -

Factors Classification Regression

Identifying or assigning the class label of a new observation Estimating a continuous or discr
Task/Objective
based on its features. observation based on it
Outcome Categorical variable, i.e., a class label or category. Continuous or discrete variable, i
Mean squared error, root mean squ
Evaluation Accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, AUC.
coefficient.
Decision trees, rule-based systems, neural networks, Linear regression, logistic regre
Algorithms
support vector machines, k-nearest neighbors. regression, time series analysis
Spam email classification, sentiment analysis, fraud Housing price prediction, stock pric
Examples
detection, etc. a customer's purchase amou

Issues in Classification and Regression Techniques

Classification and regression are two important tasks in data mining. They involve
predicting a new observation's class label or numeric value based on its features or
attributes. Here are some issues related to regression and classification in data mining -

 Data quality - The accuracy and effectiveness of classification and regression

techniques heavily depend on data quality. Noisy, incomplete, or inconsistent data
can lead to poor classification or regression models.
 Overfitting - Overfitting occurs when a classification or regression model is too
complex and fits the training data too closely, leading to poor performance on
 new, unseen data. To address overfitting, various techniques such as
regularization, early stopping, and cross-validation can be used.
 Bias - Bias refers to the tendency of a model to make errors in its predictions
consistently. This can happen if the model is too simple or lacks enough data to
learn from. It is also called the underfitting of ML models.
 Imbalanced data - In classification, imbalanced data occurs when one class label
is much more prevalent than the others, leading to biased classification. To address
imbalanced data, various techniques such as resampling, cost-sensitive learning,
and ensemble methods can be used.
 Interpretability - Interpretability refers to the ability to understand and explain
the decisions made by a classification or prediction model. Some methods, such as
decision trees, linear regression, logistic regression, etc., are more interpretable
than others, such as neural networks, support vector machines, etc.

Real-Life Examples
There are many real-life examples and applications of classification in data mining. Some
of the most common examples of applications include -

 Email spam classification - This involves classifying emails as spam or non-

spam based on their content and metadata.
 Image classification - This involves classifying images into different categories,
such as animals, plants, buildings, and people.
 Medical diagnosis - This involves classifying patients into different categories
based on their symptoms, medical history, and test results.
 Credit risk analysis - This involves classifying loan applications into different
categories, such as low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk, based on the applicant's
credit score, income, and other factors.
 Sentiment analysis - This involves classifying text data, such as reviews or social
media posts, into positive, negative, or neutral categories based on the language
used.
 Customer segmentation - This involves classifying customers into different
segments based on their demographic information, purchasing behavior, and other
factors.
 Fraud detection - This involves classifying transactions as fraudulent or non-
fraudulent based on various features such as transaction amount, location, and
frequency.

Advantages and Disadvantages

The advantages of classification in data mining include -
  Automation - Classification allows for the automation of data processing, making
it easier to handle large datasets and reducing the need for manual data entry.
 Predictive power - By learning patterns from historical data, classification models
can predict the class of new data points with high accuracy.
 Interpretability - Some classification models, such as decision trees, can be
easily interpreted, providing insights into the factors that influence the class labels.
 Scalability - Classification algorithms can scale to large datasets and high-
dimensional feature spaces.
 Versatility - Classification can be applied to various problems, including image
and speech recognition, fraud detection, and spam filtering.

Several disadvantages are also associated with the classification in data mining, as
mentioned below -

 Data quality - The accuracy of classification models depends on the data quality
used for training. Poor quality data, including missing values and outliers, can lead
to inaccurate results.
 Overfitting - Classification models can be prone to overfitting, where the model
learns the noise in the training data rather than the underlying patterns, leading to
poor generalization performance.
 Bias - Classification models can be biased towards certain classes if the training
data is imbalanced or the model is designed to optimize a specific metric.
 Interpretability - Some classification models, such as neural networks, can be
difficult to interpret, making it hard to understand how the model arrives at its
predictions.
 Computational complexity - Some classification algorithms, such as support
vector machines and deep neural networks, can be computationally expensive and
require significant training computing resources.

Classification-Based Approaches in Data

Mining
Last Updated : 04 Aug, 2021

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Classification is that the processing of finding a group of models (or

functions) that describe and distinguish data classes or concepts, for
the aim of having the ability to use the model to predict the
category of objects whose class label is unknown. The determined
model depends on the investigation of a set of training data
information (i.e. data objects whose class label is known). The
derived model could also be represented in various forms, like
classification (if – then) rules, decision trees, and neural networks.
Data Mining has a different type of classifier: A classification is a
form of data analysis that extracts models describing important data
classes. Such models are called Classifiers. For example, We can
build a classification model for banks to categorize loan applications.
A general approach to classification:
Classification is a two-step process involving,
Learning Step: It is a step where the Classification model is to be
constructed. In this phase, training data are analyzed by a
classification Algorithm.
Classification Step: it’s a step where the model is employed to
predict class labels for given data. In this phase, test data are wont
to estimate the accuracy of classification rules.
Basic algorithms of classification:
 Decision Tree Induction
 Naïve Bayesian Classification
 Rule-Based Classification
 SVM(Support Vector Machine)
 Generalized Linear Models
 Bayesian classification
 Classification by Backpropagation
 K-NN Classifier
 Frequent-Pattern Based Classification
 Rough set theory
 Fuzzy Logic