Factor analysis/retail data mining segmentation in a data mining system

A computer-implemented data mining system for analyzing data, comprising:

• (a) a computer;
• (b) logic, performed by the computer, for:
• (1) accessing customer transaction data from a relational database in the computer-implemented data mining system;
• (2) performing a factor analysis function on the customer transaction data in the computer-implemented data mining system to create a factor loadings matrix that has factors as columns and observed variables from the customer transaction data as rows, wherein each of the observed variables is assigned to one of the factors in the factor loadings matrix that has a maximum value for the row;
• (3) deriving new variables in the computer-implemented data mining system by means of a factor-scoring method that combines the new variables into the factors in the factor loadings matrix;
• and
• (4) identifying customer destination segments from the relational database in the computer-implemented data mining system using the factors and the new variables;
• (5) using the identified customer destination segments for analyzing data in the computer implemented data mining system.

An article of manufacture tangibly embodied on a computer readable medium embodying logic for analyzing data in a computer-implemented data mining system, the logic comprising:

• (a) accessing customer transaction data from a relational database in the computer-implemented data mining system;
• (b) performing a factor analysis function on the customer transaction data in the computer-implemented data mining system to create a factor loadings matrix that has factors as columns and observed variables from the customer transaction data as rows, wherein each of the observed variables is assigned to one of the factors in the factor loadings matrix that has a maximum value for the row;
• (c) deriving new variables in the computer-implemented data mining system by means of a factor-scoring method that combines the new variables into the factors in the factor loadings matrix;
• and
• (d) identifying customer destination segments from the relational database in the computer-implemented data mining system using the factors and the new variables;
• (e) using the identified customer destination segments for analyzing data in the computer implemented data mining system.