Book excerpt: Whether you are brand new to data mining or working on your tenth predictive analytics project, Commercial Data Mining will be there for you as an accessible reference outlining the entire process and related themes. In this book, you'll learn that your organization does not need a huge volume of data or a Fortune 500 budget to generate business using existing information assets. Expert author David Nettleton guides you through the process from beginning to end and covers everything from business objectives to data sources, and selection to analysis and predictive modeling. Commercial Data Mining includes case studies and practical examples from Nettleton's more than 20 years of commercial experience. Real-world cases covering customer loyalty, cross-selling, and audience prediction in industries including insurance, banking, and media illustrate the concepts and techniques explained throughout the book. - Illustrates cost-benefit evaluation of potential projects - Includes vendor-agnostic advice on what to look for in off-the-shelf solutions as well as tips on building your own data mining tools - Approachable reference can be read from cover to cover by readers of all experience levels - Includes practical examples and case studies as well as actionable business insights from author's own experience