Data mining can be described in a lot of different ways. One of the most common definitions is the following, as stated by Frawley et al [FPSM92]:
Another way of explaining data mining is done in Holsheimer [HS94]:
Data mining is the search for relationships and global patterns that exist in large databases, but are 'hidden' among the vast amounts of data, such as a relationship between patient data and their medical diagnosis.
Data mining could also be described as trying to create a simplified model of the complex world described in the database. We may therefore say that data mining is a way of dealing with large amounts of information, and it is helpful for finding useful information faster than any human. Techniques for data mining find their way into more and more different areas, some of which we will mention later in this chapter.