Chapter
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5
Building Streams

Stream-Building Overview

Data mining using IBM® SPSS® Modeler focuses on the process of running data through a series
of nodes, referred to as a stream. This series of nodes represents operations to be performed on
the data, while links between the nodes indicate the direction of data flow. Typically, you use a
data stream to read data into SPSS Modeler, run it through a series of manipulations, and then
send it to a destination, such as a table or a viewer.
For example, suppose that you want to open a data source, add a new field, select records
based on values in the new field, and then display the results in a table. In th is case, your data
stream would consist of four nodes:
A VariableFile node, which you set up to read the data from the data source.
A Derive node, which you use to add the new,calculated field to the data set.
ASe lect node, which you use to set up selection criteria to exclude records from the
data stream.
ATable node, which you use to display the results of your manip ulations onscreen.

Building Data Streams

IBM® SPSS® Modeler’s unique interface lets you mine your data visually by working with
diagrams of data streams. At the most basic level, you can build a data stream using the follo wing
steps:
Add nodes to the stream canvas.
Connect the nodes to form a stream.
Specify any node or stream options.
Run the stream.
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