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Module 2: Data Mining and Association Rule Mining

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Data Reduction aims to:

(i) Delete irrelevant data
(ii) Remove all missing data
(iii) Increase data redundancy
(iv) Reduce data volume but produce the same analysis results

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Answer: (iv) Reduce data volume but produce the same analysis results

Data Reduction techniques shrink the size/volume of a dataset while preserving its analytical integrity, so that mining on the reduced data yields (approximately) the same results as mining on the full data — but faster and cheaper.

Common data reduction techniques:

  • Dimensionality reduction (PCA, attribute subset selection)
  • Numerosity reduction (sampling, histograms, clustering, regression models)
  • Data compression (wavelet transforms, lossy/lossless encoding)
  • Data cube aggregation

Note: this is distinct from (i) "delete irrelevant data," which is closer to feature/attribute selection — a technique used within data reduction, but the reduction's actual goal (per the standard definition) is volume reduction with result-preserving fidelity.

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