Data mining and knowledge discovery in databases have been attracting a significant amount of research, industry, and media attention of late. What is all the excitement about? This article provides an overview of this emerging field, clarifying how data mining and knowledge discovery in databases are related both to each other and to related fields, such as machine learning, statistics, and databases. The article mentions particular real-world applications, specific data-mining techniques, challenges involved in real-world applications of knowledge discovery, and current and future research directions in the field.

Data mining and knowledge discovery in databases have been attracting a significant amount of research, industry, and media attention of late. What is all the excitement about? This article provides an overview of this emerging field, clarifying how data mining and knowledge discovery in databases are related both to each other and to related fields, such as machine learning, statistics, and databases. The article mentions particular real-world applications, specific data-mining techniques, challenges involved in real-world applications of knowledge discovery, and current and future research directions in the field.

Over the last eight years, four workshops on machine learning have been held. Participation in these workshops was by invitation only. In response to the rapid growth in the number of researchers active in machine learning, it was decided that the fifth meeting should be a conference with open attendance and full review for presented papers. Thus, the first open conference on machine learning took place 12 to 14 June 1988 at The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Over the last eight years, four workshops on machine learning have been held. Participation in these workshops was by invitation only. In response to the rapid growth in the number of researchers active in machine learning, it was decided that the fifth meeting should be a conference with open attendance and full review for presented papers. Thus, the first open conference on machine learning took place 12 to 14 June 1988 at The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.