The main goal of the new field of data mining is the analysis of large and complex datasets. Some very important datasets may be derived from business and industrial activities. This kind of data is known as "enterprise data". The common characteristic of such datasets is that the analyst wishes to analyze them for the purpose of designing a more cost-effective strategy for optimizing some type of performance measure, such as reducing production time, improving quality, eliminating wastes, or maximizing profit. Data in this category may describe different scheduling scenarios in a manufacturing environment, quality control of some process, fault diagnosis in the operation of a machine or process, risk analysis when issuing credit to applicants, management of supply chains in a manufacturing system, or data for business related decision-making.
